The DMR Tourism Industry Roadshow provided an overview of the Daylesford & Macedon Ranges Regional Tourism Board and the tourism industry in the region. Key points included that the DMR RTB is responsible for tourism in the region and aims to increase visitation and spending. Statistics showed little growth in regional tourism. The presentation outlined plans to develop new products and experiences to attract more domestic and international visitors to the region.

1. DMR Tourism Industry Roadshow
July, 2014
Judith Isherwood, General Manager DMR RTB

2. WHAT IS A REGIONAL TOURISM BOARD?
Daylesford & Macedon Ranges Regional Tourism Board is an
independent incorporated association, which operates as a not-for-
profit business.
We are responsible for the Daylesford & Macedon Ranges tourism
region, which is one of 11 key tourism regions within the Victorian
Government’s tourism Jigsaw campaign.

3. TOURISM INDUSTRY
STRUCTURE
Get people to come to the region to holiday and spend
money. Develop new hero products, support industry
development and market the region.
REGION:
DMR RTB
Get the right people to come to the destination to
holiday and spend money. Develop new product in line
with the destination.
Get people to come to Australia to holiday and spend
money.
FEDERAL:
Tourism
Australia
Get people to come to Victoria to holiday and spend
money.
STATE:
Tourism Victoria
DESTINATION
Develop new product in line with the sector. Help people
talk about the sector. Encourage each other to be
exceptional.
SECTOR
Put their business on the map. Be exceptional. Generate
new stories and ideas, and tell people about themselves.OPERATOR

4. REGIONAL INDUSTRY STRUCTURE

5. The DMR Board
The Board is expanding its membership to include individuals with strong industry
experience. Current Board membership:
 Independent Chair: Noel Harvey
 Stakeholder Council representatives
 Kylie Lethbridge, Manager, Economic Development, Macedon Ranges
Shire Council
 George Osborne, Manager, Economic Development, Hume City Council
 Neil Newitt, Councillor, Hepburn Shire Council
 Independent, skills based members
 Frank Page
 Larissa Wolf-Tasker (new)
 Chris Malden (new)
 Kim Whitehouse (new)
 Barb Nixon (new)
 Plus discussions with up to 3 additional members

6. The DMR TEAM
Judith
Isherwood
General Manager
Miles Bennett
Digital Manager
Kerry Clarke
Business Development
Manager
Melissa O’Shea-
Taylor
Administrator
MANGO
PR Agency

7. THE BIG PICTURE:
the challenge for tourism in regional
Victoria
27.0%
35.3%
16.7%
21.0%
17.4%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
Dec-03 Dec-04 Dec-05 Dec-06 Dec-07 Dec-08 Dec-09 Dec-10 Dec-11 Dec-12 Dec-13
Year end moving quarterly
%ofAustralians18+
Intention (Until June 2011) 14.2%
Preference
Behaviour
Base: Australians 18+
Preference – People who would like to holiday in regional Victoria
Behaviour – People who took a holiday in regional Victoria
Intent - People who intend to take a holiday in regional Victorian in the next 12 months

8. THE BIG PICTURE: International
tourism
International tourism across regional Victoria has seen
NO GROWTH over the last 10 years.
In contrast, real international visitor expenditure in
Melbourne over the last 10 years has grown from
$2.5 billion to $4.6billion

9. Tourism Statistics – main data sources
• National Visitor Survey
 Australia’s primary measure of domestic tourism. Annual sample of
120,000 Australian residents over 15 years of age through a telephone
survey (70 questions).
• International Visitor Survey
 A comprehensive survey of international visitors to Australia. Face to
face surveys of approx. 40,000 departing short term travellers aged 15+.
• Holiday Tracking Survey
 This survey is part of the Roy Morgan Single Source Survey that covers
multiple industries. It is an Australian-wide survey of 50,000 people aged
14+ through face to face interviews.

10. Latest Statistics on visits to DMR
Region
Year ended March 2014
Total visitors to the region increased by 9.6% to 3.5m
Total visitor nights decreased by 0.3% to 1.9m
Domestic overnight travel to the region:
744,000 visitors, up by 32.1%
1.4m visitor nights, up by 6.0%
Domestic daytrips to the region
2.7m visitors, up by 4.5%
International overnight visitors to the region:
67,900 visitors, up by 15% (however, 87% in Hume)

11. Latest Statistics on visits to DMR
Region
Year ended March 2013
Total domestic overnight visitor expenditure: $279m
Total international overnight expenditure: $42m
Total domestic daytrip expenditure: $226m
Region-wide domestic overnight visitor spend: $193/night
Hepburn Shire: $207/night
Macedon Ranges Shire: $77/night
Hume: $296/night
Region-wide domestic daytrips visitor spend: $85/trip
Hepburn Shire: $71/trip
Macedon Ranges: $63/trip
Hume: $115/trip

12. We’re focussed on the future……
In line with the general picture across regional Victoria, visitation to the
Daylesford & Macedon Ranges region has seen little growth over the last
5 years, and some areas within the region have seen a decline in
visitation.
The Daylesford & Macedon Ranges Region is experiencing significant
competition from other Victorian regions (in particular Mornington
Peninsula) and interstate destinations.
DMR RTB’s strategic response to these challenges is to work with the
region’s tourism industry to develop products and services that capitalise
on the key strengths, giving more people more reasons to visit the
region.

13. A clear path forward……
A new 3 Year Strategic Plan has
been completed for the period
2014/15 to 2017/18.
Key goals:
• Increase year-round visitation
• Encourage development of new
tourism products
• Improve visitor experiences
• Improve industry capability
• Ensure sustainable DMR
organisation

14. Reasons to visit our region
Identifying more reasons to visit the region linked with our 5 key
product groupings:
• Well-being and rejuvenation
Australia’s leading spa and well-being destination
• Food and Wine
An truly outstanding local food and wine culture
• Home-grown, authentic experiences inspired by creative
communities
Unique experiences evident in festivals, events and unique villages.
• Natural landscapes and outdoor experiences
Authentic experiences in natural settings that respond to the seasons
• Regional Victoria’s best selection of accommodation
A wide range of quality accommodation from luxury to family friendly.

15. Festivals and events are increasingly a major reason for visitors to come to
a destination.
 Festival and event listings on visitvictoria.com have seen massive
growth:
 In 2011, there were 1,350 event listings created
 In 2013, there were 5,440 event listings created
 This Region has a unique range of events that can help to drive tourism.
The Daylesford & Macedon Ranges section of VisitVictoria.com
currently has 168 festivals and events currently listed.
 DMR has developed a Regional Festivals & Events Strategy aligned to
both Tourism Victoria’s Festivals & Events Strategy and local
governments’ Festivals & Events Strategies.
Example: reasons to visit our
region…..

16. DMR is currently developing plans to guide:
 Product Development
 Industry Development
 Industry Engagement.
These are being developed in collaboration with
Tourism Victoria, local government and Local
Tourism Organisations.

17. As part of our 2014/15 Industry Development Program, DMR will
be bringing the tourism industry’s leading Digital Marketing
Workshops to the region over the next three months. The series
of 4 workshops will be delivered by industry-leader Switched on
Tourism.
 Series 1 – The Grange Bellinzona (Hepburn Springs)
 21 July, 18 August, 1 September, 22 September
 Series 2 – Lawson Lodge (Mount Macedon)
 22 July, 19 August, 2 September, 23 September
Industry Development

18. Digital Marketing Workshop Macedon
 Learn how to excel in the digital marketplace.
 70% of visitors research and book their
holidays online.
 It’s not enough to just have a presence. You
must be great at it.

19.  Workshop 1. Tue 22nd July 10am - 4pm
Web Marketing: Trends, Search Engines & Social Media - Covering the background &
trends of digital marketing, Google Analytics & broad topics from digital marketing to social media.
 Workshop 2. Tue 19th Aug 10am - 4pm
Terrific Tourism Operator Websites - View your own website against several ‘must have’
elements; How to convert visitors sales, leads, enquiries &/or foot traffic.
 Workshop 3. Tue 2nd Sept 10am - 4pm
Straight Up Social Media Tripadvisor, Facebook, Blogs Twitter and more - understanding
and using Tripadvisor to your advantage. Identifying trends and major social media.
 Workshop 4. Tue 23rd Sept 10am - 4pm
Boosting Your Bookings Digital presence on other websites; increasing direct & referral bookings via
SEO, 3rd party booking sites, links & Google Analytics.
*This is an advanced operator workshop & you must have completed the first 3 workshops.
Digital Marketing Workshop
Macedon

20. A detailed Marketing Plan has been developed for
2014/15, which is focussed on:
 New-look Visitors Guide for the region
 Daylesford & Macedon Ranges App
 Visit Victoria Website
 Developing our international market
 Focussed campaigns
 Annual PR Plan
 Social Media Plan
Promoting the region

21. Some examples…
WEDDINGS AND
CEREMONIES CAMPAIGN
Promoting the region as the
number one destination-of-
choice for weddings and
ceremonies, under the banner of
“Just Married. Naturally”.

22. Some examples…
DEVELOPING OUR
INTERNATIONAL MARKET
• Target markets: UK/Europe; USA;
New Zealand; SE Asia; Japan; China
• Focus on product and itinerary
development (make it international
ready)
• Industry development – mentoring
• Sell the region to Inbound Operators
and Day Tour Operators
• PR Program of international journalist
visits

23. Some more examples…
 Developing nature experiences in the region, especially cycling
and walking trails. Examples of this include the Daylesford to
Macedon Ranges Rail Trail and the Goldfields Track.
 Development of special interest itineraries:
– Wineries, Distilleries and Breweries: taking in artisan producers who operate a
cellar door
– Food: taking in the best of the region’s food experiences, from restaurants,
shops and markets to farmgates.
– Shopping; taking in the best of the region’s retail experiences
– Garden lovers: taking in locations from open gardens, to nurseries to specialist
retailers.
– Cooking Schools: highlighting the fantastic mix of cooking schools located in
the region
– Geographic: these itineraries will focus on everything there is to do in specific
locations.
– Outdoor: taking in a range of outdoor experiences, such as Hanging Rock and
unique gems such as the AntiGravity Road.

24. A DESTINATION MANAGEMENT PLAN
….a game-changer for the region
 Creating a Destination Management Plan will enable the DMR
region to maintain its reputation as a leading destination well into
the future.
 Specifically, it will determine the projects and priorities that will
enable the region to realise its full tourism potential. Its goal we be
to attract inward investment into the region (public and private).
 DMR will develop the region’s Destination Management Plan, with
the assistance of external consultants, through a comprehensive
process of research, analysis and consultation. It is anticipated that
the first stage of this work will be completed by late 2014.
 DMR has secured a special-purpose grant from Tourism Victoria
($60k) to kickstart this work, and we will now pursue Local
Government to make a financial contribution to ensure a high
degree of region-wide engagement.

25. What will success look like?
DMR RTB will measure its success by:
 Increased visitation to the region.
 Increased expenditure by each visitor to the
region.
 Increased dispersal of visitors across the region
 Increased repeat visitation intention