LOCAL business operators and government parties from the Grampians region discussed all things regional tourism last Tuesday as part of a product development workshop.
Organised by Grampians Tourism, the workshop was hosted by Tourism Ninja owner, Tania Jacobs, and saw representatives from businesses gather to explore new market opportunities and encourage the development of bookable experiences and packages.
Grampians Tourism chief executive, Marc Sleeman, said the workshop was delivered in partnership with State and Local Governments, and provided hands-on toolkits to support ongoing product and business development.
“Obviously, there’s been significant demand for the region post-Covid,” he said.
“We’ve had some State Government funding support to deliver some industry strengthening activities to build on our visitor experience to develop a really amazing experience that’s going to keep visitors here longer, supporting the recovery of communities and businesses right across the region.
“Traditionally we (Grampians Tourism) focus very heavily on the demand activities - so the marketing and promotion of the region - but equally as important we’re focusing on the supply side - so product development, industry development and ensuring that we’re delivering an awesome product.
“It’s about providing opportunities for businesses for them to better understand opportunities to grow, network and collaborate.”
While the workshop included businesses from across the Grampians region, about half were from the Southern Grampians, with participants from the Hamilton Gallery, Hamilton Performing Arts Centre, Petschel House, and Peaks Trail Rest in Dunkeld.
Grampians Tourism industry executive, Amber Cummings, has been helping Mr Sleeman roll out the industry training and said feedback from all participants had been resoundingly positive.
“They’ve got some really great outcomes that have come from it,” she said.
“This is the second running of our product development workshop.
“The industry strengthening program has been running since last year and we’ve been running a number of different training programs during that time across product development, industry mentoring - basically a whole different range of themes across industry development.”
Ms Cummings said the workshops were designed for all tourism businesses who were looking to become more resilient in the post-Covid market.
“To try and get people to stay longer, spend more - it’s just a matter of bringing new experiences or thinking about new experiences that they could offer,” she said.
Key topics covered in the workshop included how businesses can stand out, creating pre-bookable packages, engaging with partners to be more successful, and providing practical information and skills that can be incorporated into the business.
Grampians Tourism was established in 2009 and is the peak industry body for tourism in the Grampians region, encompassing the Southern Grampians Shire, Ararat Rural City, Horsham Rural City, and Northern Grampians Shire.