Chair of Go Nagambie Tim Goodacre and chair of Seymour Business and Tourism Stuart Locke said the joint submission outlined a bold plan to establish a new Greater Melbourne Tourism Zone.
The submission outlines nine recommendations:
“The future of our region is connected to Melbourne," Mr Locke said. "The 90-minute ring positions the Goulburn River and Ranges on Melbourne’s doorstep, as well as making townships within the area, like Seymour, Nagambie and other further afield places, more appealing for lifestyle and investment opportunities.
“The 90-minute ring is relevant in this review given Melbourne is a huge hub for interstate and international visitors as well as Melbournians for day trips and overnight regional stays, with the Victorian capital set to become Australia’s largest city in coming years.
“We see this review as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to genuinely transform tourism marketing and the visitor experience for our region and wider regional Victoria.
“Unfortunately many of our local tourism assets are hidden away. This perceptual void is evidenced by search engine results, market research and limited reference to the area within government promotional literature. Online visibility of these assets is also poor in many cases.”
Mr Goodacre said the submission outlined a new approach to tourism funding in regional Victoria.
“What we are proposing is a model that moves the funding of tourism and investment activity away from a reliance on the various levels of government to a financial and in-kind partnership model between the private and government sectors,” he said.
“By securing community and business understanding, support and ownership of individual projects, we get better alignment, vastly superior results and greater accountability, which then become attractive criteria for the allocation of future government funding."
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