Vol. No. Vol. 2618No. 2727
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A FREE PUBLICATION FROM YOUR LOCAL RADIO STATIONS 3WM AND MIXXFM
Wednesday, January January 17, 13, 2024 2016 Wednesday,
Bustling summer S
BY ABBY WALTER
ummer is a bustling time for tourism across the Grampians and Wimmera, and upcoming major events are a prime time to capitalise on branding the region.
Grampians Tourism chief executive Marc Sleeman said small and large events helped to profile the destination and were a catalyst for people to return. “Often people are coming here for a particular event and don’t realise what the region has to offer,” he said. “For us, it’s about connecting people who are here for events, encouraging them to stay longer and getting them to help the economy and spend money. “When people experience the region pre and post events, the word of mouth when they leave and tell their friends how great the region is, grows our brand awareness.” Mr Sleeman said it was not just local events that profiled the region as a destination for tourism. “Visit Victoria launched a new marketing campaign which featured in Australian Open advertising commercials on television, and the Grampians region was front and centre,” he said. “It’s great Visit Victoria continues to support regional dispersal, as our region is only two to three hours from Melbourne, which is home to more than five million people. “We know if only 30 percent spend one night in a region, we see a huge opportunity to continue to grow, so it is positive moving forward.” Mr Sleeman said the Grampians was a magnet for nature lovers and water played an important role for holiday visitors. “A lot of our destination marketing campaigns leading up to December focused on water, encouraging people to avoid crowds at beaches and come to the region to experience our water,” he said. “We’re seeing a lot more people coming here to use our waterways.
“It’s great our lakes and waterways across the region are full. “I have been speaking to visitor information centres across the region and numbers were on par with December 2022. “We’re seeing a whole lot more Melburnians, interstate visitors, particularly from South Australia, and more international visitors than we did last year.” Green Hill Lake development board chair Gwenda Allgood said people visiting the lake, near Ararat, were coming from across the world. “There is a family from Brazil who I spoke to who are camping this summer,” she said. “I asked them why here and they wanted to experience camping – set up a tent for the first time, things we can take for granted as experiences. “It’s been so busy. We get a lot of people from Melbourne and it’s good for communities as people need to spend money in towns. Once they are here they explore more than just Ararat.”
Fishing fund
Mrs Allgood said she hoped a free fishing competition would bring together campers and locals on Saturday, next week. “We received a grant to supply children with fishing gear for the competition, but we invite everyone to come along for a fish from 8am,” she said. “It’s all about getting people out and about, learning to fish and some good catches are happening at the lake at the moment. “The fishing gear we will supply will then stay at the lake for future use and events.” This weekend will continue Horsham’s trend of being a hotspot for state sporting events during summer, with Horsham Squash Club hosting a junior tournament. Seven junior cricket teams from across southwest Victoria played in a week-long tournament across Wimmera grounds last week, backed up by the nation’s secondbiggest eight-ball competition in Horsham at the weekend. Continued page 3
FUN IN THE SUN: Sisters Chelsea and Caitlin Manning, of Miners Rest, are two of many visitors exploring the Wimmera and Grampians region this summer. The pair were playing at Horsham Nature and Water Play Park on Sunday afternoon during the third instalment of the city’s Summer Series. Picture: KAREN REES
IN THIS ISSUE • Police caution drivers • Laharum school in limbo • Australian Open experience Phone: 03 5382 1351 Read it online: www.theweeklyadvertiser.com.au
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