The Victoria Tourism Industry Council has welcomed funding from the Victorian Government for the Regional Tourism Investment Fund.
VTIC chief executive Felicia Mariani said the fund had allowed the industry to deliver game-changing experiences for visitors to regional Victoria.
“The $62 million funding announced today by government will provide an enormous boost to operators across regional Victoria in realising their vision for new and enhanced products and experiences,” she said.
“These developments will in turn serve to attract more visitors, extend their stay in the regions and encourage greater spend into local economies across the state.
“The funding announcement, when coupled with the $8 million recently announced as part of the Enabling Tourism Fund, 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 our regional areas.”
The funding is a part of the Victorian Government’s commitment to allocate $170 million into a Regional Tourism Support Package following the cancellation of the Commonwealth Games last July.
“VTIC is pleased to see that government has listened and responded to the advocacy we have undertaken on behalf of industry to bolster the resources being made available for infrastructure development in this support package,” Ms Mariani said.
“Creating these game-changing experiences in regional Victoria is critical for our state, helping to improve dispersal of visitors to regional areas, particularly when it comes to drawing more visitation to our regional areas from interstate and international travellers to Victoria.”