Tourists stay on

13pc rise in traveller spend

INTERNATIONAL visitors are flocking to the Geelong and Surf Coast region, where they are staying longer and spending more, figures show.

Tourism Research Australia’s international visitor survey found 1.157 million international travellers visited the Great Southern Touring Route in the year ending September 2017 — a rise of 3.9 per cent on 2016 figures.

While 90 per cent of overnight visits were to Geelong, the Bellarine Peninsula and the Great Ocean Road region, the GSTR also takes in Werribee, Western Grampians, Central Highlands, Ballarat and Daylesford areas.

Of the visitors, 315,100 stayed overnight, an increase of 4.9 per cent on 2016 figures.

On average, international overnight visitors each stayed for 9.8 nights, also an increase on 2016 figures.

The top source market was China, which accounted for 15.2 per cent of all overnight visitors, followed by the UK (13.2 per cent), US (9.9 per cent) and New Zealand (8.9 per cent).

The rising numbers have done wonders for local economies, injecting an estimated $286 million into the GSTR in the reporting period — up by 13.4 per cent on 2016.

Geelong Tourism chief Roger Grant said the results were particularly pleasing.

“This increase in expenditure by international visitors of 13 per cent is particularly important as the focus of the marketing partnership of Great Southern Touring Route is about increasing yield (both expenditure and length of stay),” Mr Grant said.

Tourism Greater Geelong and Bellarine is preparing to release its 2018 Official Visitor Guide and Official Touring Maps.

The guide includes onground information, maps and an eight-page event section.

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