By Parker McKenzie
Tourism bodies are confident that 2022 will be without much of the pain experienced by the industry in 2020 and 2021, but the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges businesses won’t go without challenges.
Yarra Ranges Tourism CEO Simon O’Callaghan said the tourism industry is expecting a strong summer period of trade.
“We are balancing that with a lot of businesses still recovering from the pandemic, a lot of things haven’t quite got back to normal,” he said.
“The whole industry is optimistic but we also have workforce challenges at the current time, which will make maximizing patronage difficult.”
According to the Victoria Tourism Industry Council, 4.2 million domestic travellers will pass through Melbourne airport over the Christmas period.
Mr O’Callaghan said it is an important period for the region because people have time off to visit for extended periods.
“We are encouraging people to stay longer, that’s one thing we’ve been working to speak to our visits and make sure they make the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges more than just a day trip,” he said.
“Our industries have had goods and facilities impacted by the recent floods, which we need to be conscious of. There are businesses out there that have been delivering great services, but there is still a shortage of supply.
“The great news is that we are full of over 80 different wineries and distilleries; most of their production has been well kept so we can put it on show for visitors.”
Victoria Tourism Industry Council CEO Felicia Mariani supported O’Callaghan’s optimism and said the holiday period looks very different than it did 12 months ago.
“December 2021 saw the emergence of Omicron along Australia’s eastern coast, triggering border restrictions and throwing holiday plans into chaos,” she said.
“This year will be the first Christmas travel period without border restrictions since 2019, and consumer travel demand is at an all-time high.”
1.7 million international travellers are forecasted to pass through Melbourne airport, representing 95 per cent of pre-Covid travel.
“At our lowest point in March 2021, total tourism spend in our state had fallen from the lofty height of $32.5 billion to just $9.8 billion,” Ms Mariani said.
“Fast forward 12 months to March 2022, and that number had climbed to $16.5 billion; and three months later to June, total tourism spend had more than doubled to $20.7 billion.”
Mr O’Callaghan said locals to the Dandenong Ranges and Yarra Valley play a key role as ambassadors for the region.
“When you see a visitor, help make their day and point them in the direction of our hidden secrets,” he said.
“We are trying to get them to visit as many different businesses as possible, to spread their spending around the region.”
