Tourism Greater Geelong and The Bellarine

03/09/2024

🙌JOIN OUR TEAM🙌 We're on the look out for a new Strategy and Operations Manager!

Get in touch if you have:

⭐️Strong skills in writing, presenting, and negotiating with the ability to effectively influence stakeholders

⭐️ Advanced problem-solving abilities and stakeholder management skills, with a proven track record of fostering cooperation and building strategic relationships

⭐️Exceptional analytical capabilities for monitoring performance, identifying opportunities and mitigating potential risks.

⭐️Experience in business administration or tourism / tertiary qualification in a relevant field

Applications close 15 Sep.

Apply here: https://careersmanager.pageuppeople.com/887/cw/en/job/499145/strategy-and-operations-manager-tourism

29/08/2024

🏆Member Wins 🏆 Congratulations to all our members who earned a prestigious Tripadvisor Traveller's Choice Award:

Mt Duneed Estate Winery
Quest Geelong
Vue Apartments Geelong
Quality Hotel Bayside Geelong
Ingenia Holiday Parks - Queenscliff Beacon
BIG4 Bellarine Holiday Park
Fort Queenscliff Museum
Bellarine Railway
Scotchmans Hill

and our very own Geelong Visitor Information Centre!

The award is determined based on the quality and quantity of traveller reviews and ratings a business collects on Tripadvisor over a 12-month period, with award-winners among the top 10 per cent of listings around the world!

The online review platform operates in 40 countries and houses an estimated one billion reviews of eight million restaurants, hotels, businesses and attractions.

21/08/2024

A massive congratulations goes out to our friends at the National Wool Museum Geelong for winning the 2024 Wotif.com Uniquely Aussie Award for Best Regional Museum! 🏆

16/08/2024

A huge congratulations to Novotel Geelong for taking home the prestigious Regional Accommodation of the Year at the 2024 Victorian Accommodation Awards for Excellence!

The award ceremony was held at Melbourne's Palladium at Crown, celebrating the very best in Victorian accommodation.

Well deserved team, we hope you celebrated late into the night 😁

30/07/2024

🙌 MEDIA WIN 🙌 GMHBA Stadium's sensory zone has been featured in an article in Australian Leisure Magazine covering the importance of providing more inclusive spaces at entertainment and sporting venues.

The Kardinia Park Stadium Trust and Geelong Cats partnered with not-for-profit organisation KultureCity to become Australia’s first accredited sensory inclusive stadium, the article explains.

The feature also spotlights the speciality sensory bags available in the Sensory Zone which include noise cancelling headphones, fidget toys, calming weighted lap cushions along with helpful resources.

Read more:https://tourismgeelongbellarine.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Australasian-Leisure-Management-Magazine-article.pdf

28/07/2024

🙌LEARNING OPPORTUNITY🙌 Are you wanting to attract more international visitors?

We've teamed up with Tourism Australia and The Tourism Ninja to give expert insights on how to capitalise on this lucrative market.

The workshop will be held 28 Aug at Rydges Geelong and is free to attend for TGGB Financial Members.

The workshop will cover international traveller profiles and the opportunities they present, an overview of the tourism distribution system, how to best prepare your business to tap into this market, and an update from Tourism Australia.

RSVP here:

Get tickets on Humanitix - Considering International Workshop hosted by Business Events Geelong. Rydges Geelong, Myers St &, Gheringhap St, Geelong VIC 3220, Australia. Wednesday 28th August 2024. Find event information.

26/07/2024

🙌MEDIA WIN🙌 The Moorabool Valley punches above its weight, writes Gourmet Traveller, in a round up of the best vineyards in the celebrated wine region.

Organised by our marketing team, the digital article spotlights several of our members including Clyde Park, Lethbridge, and Austin's Wines.

"Its complex and refined pinot noir, chardonnay and shiraz can be found on high-end wine lists across the globe, while the intimate cellar doors and restaurants of its boutique, family-run wineries make it a region ripe for discovery," the article reads.

Read here:

Victoria's secret valley, Moorabool Valley, is a gold mine of top shelf wineries, cellardoors, dining and a coastal drive to match...

18/07/2024

Our Member Opportunity Guide (MOG) is out now, and the membership team is busy taking bookings.

The MOG is packed full of exclusive opportunities for you to participate in highly strategic marketing activities including our Official Visitor Guide, Bellarine Taste Trail, International Activity and Digital Buy ins.

Remember, it's first in best dressed! So make sure you secure a spot today.

Read here:https://tourismgeelongbellarine.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Member-Opportunity-Guide-2024-FINAL.pdf.pdf

15/07/2024

🙌NETWORKING OPPORTUNITY 🙌 Join us at our upcoming Members Forum!

Expect a laid-back evening with great vibes, tasty tipples and delicious canapes. Whether you're looking to share ideas, form exciting new partnerships, or simply enjoy great company - this is the place to be.

THE DETAILS
Date: Monday 12th August 2024
Time: 5.30pm - 7.30pm
Where: Barwon Edge, 40 Windsor Road, Newtown.
Inclusions: Canapés and drinks
RSVP by: Friday 2nd August 2024

We hope to see you there!

RSVP: https://events.humanitix.com/team-tourism-member-forum

08/07/2024

There will be fifty free and low-cost events tailored to empower local businesses in the upcoming 2024 Geelong Small Business Festival, which will kick off 12 Aug - 23 Aug.

Spanning seven event themes, from marketing and business essentials to sustainability and well being, the festival caters to every aspect of business growth and development.

Brought to you by the City of Greater Geelong in partnership with our friends at the Geelong Chamber of Commerce, highlights of the program include workshops, networking sessions, expert panels and keynote presentations.

Browse the program here: www.gsbf.com.au

01/07/2024

🙌 CONTENT CALL OUT 🙌 If you have stunning new shots or captivating videos that highlight your business or experience, make sure you send them our way for the chance to be included in our upcoming marketing promotions including blogs, social media posts and eDMs.

Whether they're pictures of your brand new winter menu, a behind-the-scenes peek at a tourism experience, or a vibey shot of your staff interacting with customers -- we want to see it!

Send your content to our marketing team by emailing [email protected] and include a brief description of the photo and any relevant details.

30/06/2024

✈️ NEW AVALON TO BRISBANE JETSTAR ROUTE TAKES OFF ✈️ Jetstar Australia's inaugural flight between Avalon Airport and Brisbane took off Friday, marking the airline's 100th Australian route.

Speaking at the official launch of the new A320 service at Avalon Airport, Linfox Airports Managing Director David Fox said, "it's more than just a new route - it's a step towards more opportunities for our passengers and a commitment to opening up more routes for travellers across Australia".

Minister for Jobs and Industry, Natalie Hutchins, said the new service will bring tens or thousands of Queenslanders to the region and is a win for tourism operators across the state.

"Victoria is proud to be the home of Jetstar and to have played a key role in its growth and expansion along the way, as we mark 20 years since it first took to the skies."

Flight JQ634 departs Melbourne Avalon at 15:00 and arrives at BNE at 18:20. The return service, flight JQ635 leaves Brisbane at 19:30 and arrives back at Avalon at 21:40.

26/06/2024

🙌MEDIA WIN🙌 The Bellarine continues to be hyped in our media wins this week, with Traveller publishing a round-up of the "gold to be found on the Bellarine Peninsula".

Travel writer Belinda Jackson's itinerary included a visit to Oneday Estate winery in Curlewis for a spot of wine tasting, indulging in a gold leaf facial at Lon, snacking on croissants at Ket Baker, dinner at Tarra Queenscliff, A frothy handle at Farmdog Brewing, a tipple at Terindah Estate, and so much more!

Read the whole article here:

There’s gold to be found on the Bellarine Peninsula, from gold-leaf facials to gold-medalled wines plus wild beaches, wild pinot, wild seals and wild convicts: all just 90 minutes from Melbourne.

26/06/2024

🥰MEDIA WIN🥰 Geelong and The Bellarine's cosy fireside cellar doors and wonderful winter events were spotlighted in an online feature by Holidays for Couples.

The piece showcased several of our members including Clyde Park Vineyard and Bistro, Oakdene Vineyards, Scotchmans Hill, Provenance Wines, Adventure Park Geelong, Victoria and more.

"Sipping world-class shiraz by a roaring fireplace is definitely our idea of a winter escape. And you can find these cosy moments all over Australia’s Geelong and Bellarine Peninsula region this season," the article reads.

More:

Enjoy a romantic winter escape in Australia's Bellarine Peninsula. Sip world-class shiraz by a fireplace, experience whimsical winter events.

25/06/2024

Oakdene Vineyards was awarded the prestigious Premier's Trophy at the Victorian Wine Show for their 2022 Oakdene Liz's Chardonnay.

"Victoria has a vibrant, diverse and prestigious wine industry and is a vital part of our regional economy," said Premier Jacinta Allan.

"I congratulate all the producers from this year's awards and encourage all Victorians to visit our wine regions."

Launched in 2017, the Premier's Trophy aims to showcase the finest local wines and promote Victoria's diverse wine regions.

Congratulations from all of us at Team Tourism! 🎇

21/06/2024

❄️MARK YOUR CALENDARS❄️As the temperatures drop, our winter events calendar is heating up with exciting festivities that are sure to draw in crowds.

Here's what's we've got coming up:

Winter Warm Up
Date: Friday 21 June
Location: Little Malop Central
Enjoy a free snow show and dazzling light projections transforming Little Malop Central into a charming European-inspired winter wonderland.
More: https://www.geelongaustralia.com.au/tastes/calendar/item/8dc7b401b206f7a.aspx

Nighttide
Date: Saturday 22 June
Location: Searoad Ferries Terminal, Queenscliff
A free solstice celebration with live entertainment, pop-up bars, food trucks and activations such as tarot readers, fireworks and ice plunge baths.
More: https://nightide.com.au/

Tastes of Greater Geelong
Date: Friday 21 June - Sunday 14 July
Location: Various
Featuring more than 100 unique outdoor experiences, interactive events and menus, Tastes of Greater Geelong is a three-week celebration of the region's best food and wine offerings. Events include Dinner on the Grounds at Barwon Edge, Farm to Table with Simon Toohey, Portarlington Mussel Tours x Oakdene Wines, High Tea at The Davidson, Cooking with Cooper at Club Chin Chin and more!

More: https://www.geelongaustralia.com.au/tastes/default.aspx

Adventure Park's Winter Glow
Date: Saturday 22 June - Sunday 21 July
Location: Adventure Park, Wallington
Discover a glowing winter wonderland complete with snow, rides, epic light installations and amazing fire twirling and ice sculpting displays!

More: https://www.adventurepark.com.au/winter-glow?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwps-zBhAiEiwALwsVYXe1iB0rcBwC5Xp7zM_RIZ7yBBc6aMaR30b9ImdoICgL1O_2C5G_zhoCvUYQAvD_BwE

17/06/2024

🙌The Choose Careers Tourism Expo will be on tomorrow! 🙌

The expo will showcase the dynamic and diverse career pathways that exist in the tourism and events industry. This inaugural one-day event will bring together key employers and training providers to promote career opportunities within the sector.

Details:
When: 9am-4pm, Tuesday 18 June 2024
Where: Victoria Pavilion, Melbourne Showgrounds
Register now: https://www.vtic.com.au/events/choose-tourism-careers-expo/

17/06/2024

A new campaign showcasing the many things to see and do around Geelong and The Bellarine over the cooler months has officially launched, with the tagline 'Greater Happens Here'.

According to our Exec Director, Tracy Carter, the new campaign cleverly leverages the existing ‘Greater Than’ campaign and is designed to appeal to both locals and visitors.

A multi-platform campaign, Greater Happens Here will roll out across digital and social media, shopping centre signage, street posters, billboards and media outlets. It will include a series of short video snippets showcasing winter experiences, GIF style visuals and static imagery.

Developed in partnership with local agency Ruck, the campaign will be in market until the September school holidays.

Discover why greater things happen in Geelong and The Bellarine!Whether you're a local looking to experience something new or a visitor who can't get enough,...

12/06/2024

The Geelong Chamber of Commerce in partnership with Tourism Greater Geelong & The Bellarine is excited to offer an exclusive opportunity to the region’s tourism and hospitality operators.

KPMG, a Geelong Chamber Executive Member, recently released their Geelong Economic Blueprint exploring research and strategies to foster continuous business growth in our region.

Following its very successful launch at the end of 2023, operators are invited to this exclusive session providing an in-depth look at the Blueprint, followed by a tourism and hospitality sector focused expert-led discussion on how we as a region continue to grow and prosper, and capitalise on the opportunities ahead.

Morning tea will be provided.

This opportunity is limited to only 40 spots, so please RSVP your interest to [email protected] to register your attendance.

11/06/2024

🙌MEMBER OPPORTUNITY GUIDE OUT NOW🙌 By working with us, you’ll not only increase your brand awareness, you’ll also be supercharging your own marketing plans. Additionally, you’ll be directly supporting Team Tourism; our advocacy efforts and the work we do to grow our Visitor Economy.

It’s a win for your business and a win for the region!

Interested in checking out the new marketing opportunities?

Check out our MOG here:https://www.tourismgeelongbellarine.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Member-Opportunity-Guide-2024-FINAL.pdf.pdf

10/06/2024

Our esteemed Business Manager, Brendan Sanders, has been appointed Manager Economic & Cultural Development at the City of Greater Geelong .

While we are sad to see Brendan go, we are incredibly proud of the legacy he leaves behind at TGGB, having played a key role in driving initiatives such as the launch of the Sustainable Destination Master Plan, leading the Industry Development strategy, and keeping our finances in shipshape.

"This is exciting news for Brendan and whilst I'm really sad to farewell a great Business Manager and legendary bloke, I'm glad he's getting the opportunity to spread his wings within our orbit," says Tracy Carter, Executive Director, TGGB.

05/06/2024

🙌MEDIA WIN🙌The Bellarine has been featured in the NZ Herald, with travel journo Kirstie Bedford touring our region and highlighting some of the best places to wine, dine and rest.

While several of our members are featured, Bedford has made a special shout out to two local Kiwis helping shape the wine culture on the Bellarine, writing "If passion were a person it'd be Lyndsay Sharp".

"Since moving to the region 20-odd years ago, Sharp and her husband, David, are now household names — owners of Leura Park, Jack Rabbit Vineyard, Flying Brick Cider Company, wine brand Yes said the Seal, and Curlewis Golf Club."

Read:

It's thriving, but it's not in New Zealand.

03/06/2024

We're curating our winter content calendar and we want to hear from you!

If you're a venue or accommodation provider in our region with a cozy fire place or a special winter deal to promote, make sure you send it through to us along with accompanying images or videos for the chance to be shared across our social media posts and included in blog round-ups.

Oh, and don't forget to include a short sentence or two describing your offer!

If it's a deal you're wanting to promote, make sure you've got it uploaded on the Australian Tourism Data Warehouse.

Submit your pitch by emailing [email protected] before 07 June.

03/06/2024

✨Applications for the $38M Regional Events Fund are now open!✨

The Fund backs festivals, culinary, sporting and cultural events that showcase the vibrancy of Victoria’s regions.

Grants are available across three steams to regional event organisers, private companies and not-for-profits.

👉Stream 1 - Regional Event Acquisition👈
One off or ongoing major events

👉Stream 2 - Event Growth and Development👈
Funding of up to $500,000 to grow the economic impact of medium to large-scale events

👉Steam 4 - Event Industry Support👈
Funding of up to $50,000 to build capabiliy and support the marketing and operations of events that attract intrastate or interstate visitors.

Want to chat about your event idea before applying? Team Tourism is here to discuss potential applications with a view to providing our support, too. Just flick us an email at [email protected]

For more information on the fund: https://corporate.visitvictoria.com/events/regional-events-fund

27/05/2024

The weather might be cooling down, but Geelong and The Bellarine is heating up this winter with a warming collection of winter events. Plug these events into your calendar today to prepare for the influx of visitors coming to our region this season.

READ:

The weather might be cooling down, but Geelong and The Bellarine is heating up this winter with a warming collection of winter events.

21/05/2024

💗HAPPY NATIONAL VOLUNTEER WEEK!💗

We want to extend a heartfelt thanks to our incredible, award-working volunteers at our Visitor Information Centres.

Your hard work and commitment are truly admirable.

Thank you for all that you do!

20/05/2024

Operators from Geelong and across Victoria are invited to partake in Tastes of Greater Geelong, a food festival featuring the best in food, drink and hospitality that our region proudly has to offer.

The event is open to all businesses across Greater Geelong to host food and drink-related events between Friday, 21 June and Sunday, 14 July 2024.

Keen to get involved?

Operators and hospitality venues are encouraged to send in their expressions of interest by Sunday, 26 May 2024 to be included in the program.

Submit your EOI here: https://geelong.link/tastes2024eoi

20/05/2024

Applications for the Regional Tourism Investment Fund are now open!

Announced last week, the $62m Regional Tourism Investment Fund 2024 will support the attraction of visitors to key destinations and support tourism businesses across the state with a focus on the five product priorities identified in Experience Victoria 2033 – First Peoples-led experiences, wellness, nature, arts and culture, food and drink

When coupled with the $8 million recently announced as part of the Enabling Tourism Fund, it brings the Government’s investment in regional tourism infrastructure planning and delivery to $70 million, which will be significant in helping to drive new audiences to explore regional areas.

This investment in regional infrastructure forms a critical part of the Government’s commitment to allocate $170 million into a Regional Tourism Support Package following the cancellation of the Commonwealth Games last July.

Grants between $100,000 and $5 million are open to tourism businesses, not-for-profit and Traditional Owner organisations.

The grants will be delivered in three streams – between $100,000 and $1 million for small-scale projects, between $1 million and $5 million for large scale projects, and between $500,000 and $2 million for accommodation improvement projects.

More info here:

Supporting new and innovative tourism infrastructure projects that will increase visitation and improve the quality of experiences.

13/05/2024

The State Government has recently revealed the Victorian Budget 2024/25 and there is a lot for us to unpack.

Widely anticipated to be a lean budget to account for the rising cost of living, the latest budget has unveiled a mixed bag of conservative spending in areas such as Visit Victoria's campaign spend and transport infrastructure, while business events and major events have retained significant budget allocations, presenting the sector with both challenges and opportunities.

To help break down some of the decisions handed down in the Budget, read our latest blog here:

The State Government has this week revealed the Victorian Budget 2024/25 and there is a lot to unpack.

09/05/2024

A huge congratulations goes out to Lorelle Warren, co-founder of Bellarine Distillery / The Whiskery, who was inducted in the Australian Distillers Hall of Fame for her service to the industry .

Lorelle earned the honour for her pivotal role in securing $20m of state grants to help Victorian distilleries with safety compliance, education and distillery door infrastructure!