Tourism Industry Council says blueprint desperately needed to drive state’s recovery

Melbourne is officially the worst-affected destination in the country for tourism post-Covid, but experts say this idea can help fix the crisis.

Victoria risks losing international tourists to other states without a dedicated recovery plan, the state’s peak tourism body has warned.

In a submission outlining key state election priorities the Victorian Tourism Industry Council says a blueprint is desperately needed to drive the state’s recovery and make Melbourne one of the world’s greatest cities once again.

VTIC chief Felicia Mariani said Victoria had suffered a decline of $17.8bn in total visitor spend, or a 55 per cent decline, to the year ending December 2021, compared to pre-Covid levels.

And latest Tourism Research Australia data showed Melbourne was officially the worst-affected destination in the country.

Ms Mariani said as Victoria raced toward the hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games, the revitalisation of the state’s visitor economy had never been more critical.

Experts say a blueprint is needed to kickstart tourism in Victoria. Picture: iStock

She has made 23 recommendations ahead of the state election, including calling for a 10-year blueprint for Greater Melbourne.

“Melbourne has been humming, without a doubt, we’ve had bumper international visitation, we had great attendance from business events, major events, business travel, these things were all booming and they were the foundation for Melbourne, and, of course, as we had football and other major sporting events and cultural events,” she said.

“But with the throes of the pandemic two years ago, now things have changed for Melbourne and Melbourne has suffered.”

Ms Mariani said it was vital to plan for the city’s recovery and understand how the city had changed.

“How do we need to respond to that to ensure that Melbourne keeps that appeal and keeps that vibrancy that we’ve been so famous for,” she said.

Among other key recommendations VTIC has called for a review of Crown Land use, including 49-year leases to encourage infrastructure development in tourism experiences, a dedicated Business Events Strategy, and free TAFE tourism and travel courses.

It has also called for greater funding for Visit Victoria and regional tourism boards, warning that Victoria could lose market share to key destination states Queensland and NSW.

latest Tourism Research Australia data showed Melbourne was officially the worst-affected destination in the country.

“We need to make sure that the agencies that market and promote our destination globally are adequately funded to compete effectively during what will be a really hotly contested time period over the coming years to fight for market share,” she said.

“Both Queensland and New South Wales have been very strongly supported by their governments in trying to rebuild their visitor economies within the state.

“In particular, Queensland is putting a lot of money at the moment behind their visitor economy their tourism industry, their events industry, as they head toward delivering the Olympics. “They’re really pumping up the volume on the impact of their tourism and events sector. So the competition is absolutely fierce and everyone is really fighting for market share.”

VTIC’s submission has warned that the World Tourism Organisation is projecting international visitation to the Asia-Pacific region will not return to pre-pandemic levels until at least 2024.