Vic prepares for restart

THE Victorian Government has revealed that eight new tourism projects will share in $1.9 million from the state’s $10 million Enabling Tourism Fund.

Among the recipients will be the Gunditj Mirring Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation to further develop tourism appeal at the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Budj Bim Cultural Landscape in south-west Victoria, while $306,000 will be allocated to progress a wine and craft beverage project in partnership with the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The Institute of Gastronomy and Good Food in Daylesford has received a $200,000 injection in the pursuit of bringing together culinary, hospitality, and tourism experts under the one roof, while the Cowes to Stony Point Ferry will receive $200,000 towards a Cowes Jetty feasibility study, $125,000 will advance the UNESCO City of Design Geelong Gallery initiative that will aim to attract new exhibitions, and the Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village in Warrnambool has been given $110,000 to plan for better tourism appeal at the western end of the Great Ocean Road.

Close to $100,000 will also be allocated to a regional Victoria Live Music Census and Infrastructure Audit, designed to foster future investment to support the live music industry across the state.

“It’s important that we invest in new ideas and back our iconic attractions to become even more compelling drawcards for visitors,” Victoria’s Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Martin Pakula said.

“A strong pipeline of projects is vital as the industry moves through this extremely challenging period and businesses plan for recovery and new opportunities,” he added.

A competitive round of the Enabling Tourism Fund will be announced later in the year. The Fund forms part of the $633 million Visitor Economy Recovery and Reform Plan, a strategy to drive annual visitor expenditure to $35 billion and tourism sector jobs beyond 300,000 by Jun 2024.