East Gippsland enjoyed a 27 per cent jump in international visitors last year, the latest visitation figures show.
A total of 49,000 international visitors stayed overnight in the region last year, showing growth of 59 per cent in the past 10 years. East Gippsland had 8.3 per cent of the share of international overnight visitors to regional Victoria.
East Gippsland Shire Council Mayor Cr Natalie O’Connell said it was a very pleasing trend.
“This shows the work our tourism operators and industry bodies are doing to grow new markets is working,” Cr O’Connell said.
“In consultation with the sector, Council developed an International Tourism Action Plan a few years ago.
“Tourism is a big part of the East Gippsland economy, so being able to attract new visitors while maintaining the traditional base is important.”
East Gippsland Shire recorded an increase in all the visitor statistics measured. The region experienced a small increase in domestic daytrips (0.3 per cent) and solid growth in domestic overnight visitors (8.7 per cent).
“The number of nights domestic visitors spent in East Gippsland rose by 24.4 per cent on the previous year to a total of 2,821,000 nights.
“This is a fantastic result; in fact, it is the highest figure in the past 10 years and the highest of the all the Gippsland shires.
“Council also has a dedicated program to attract and establish new events to East Gippsland.
“Not only does this attract event participants and supporters, but provides an opportunity for word-of-mouth promotion and return visitation,” Cr O’Connell said.
The Tourism Statistics Report is compiled by Destination Gippsland for the year ending in March and compares East Gippsland to other Gippsland shires, the Greater Gippsland region, and all of regional Victoria. To view the report, visit the .
