PROJECT UPDATE – November 2023

Following extensive community engagement conducted in September 2022, Tourism Greater Geelong and The Bellarine has officially released its new Sustainable Destination Master Plan (SDMP).

To form the basis of the SDMP, Tourism Greater Geelong and The Bellarine partnered with urban planning firm Urbis who undertook an extensive consultation process which included:

• 38 Key Stakeholders engaged in one-on-one interviews;
• 20 industry leaders participated in Persona Workshops, which guided the development of our priority visitor markets;
• 58 community online submissions received through the City of Greater Geelong’s Have Your Say Platform;
• 4 Group workshops;
• 51 people engaged through online workshops.

The Sustainable Destination Master Plan was the largest community engagement activity Tourism Greater Geelong and The Bellarine has ever carried out and embraced the views of the whole region.

Community feedback received on the draft SDMP through The City’s Have Your Say platform included largely positive comments such as:

“The plan to grow transport options, accommodation, events and hospitality is critical. The new master plan has outlined all of these things.”

“It is reassuring to know there’s a masterplan underpinning the development and that all issues are being considered.”

“This is an inclusive plan that allows for the creation of exceptional experiences for visitors to the region but considers community inclusiveness and the region's ability to deliver on its promise both to its locals and to its visitors.”

Feedback gathered through the engagement process helped TGGB identify visitor and workforce challenges across each of the sub-regions, anticipated future target markets, and proposed 10 priority projects for the region that will drive visitor demand which included Wadawurrung Traditional Owners cultural experiences, a five-star hotel in Central Geelong, and improving the visitor experience at You Yangs Regional Park.

The key targets TGGB hopes to achieve by 2032 include:

• 14M visit days, an increase of 32% or 3.4M visit days on June 2023 results;
• $2.1b visitor spend, an increase of 31% on June ’23;
• 2,065 new beds to meet future demand;
• 4,855 new jobs created to fill current anticipated workforce shortages;
• 1,265 new workers needed in addition to natural population and worker growth

The Sustainable Destination Masterplan was jointly funded by Tourism Greater Geelong and The Bellarine (TGGB) and the State Government’s Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions.

To view the Sustainable Destination Master Plan visit Tourismgeelongbellarine.com.au/SDMP or visit here.