inspiring victorians to travel in their own state - felicia mariani
TRANSCRIPT
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Inspiring Victorians to Travel in Their own State
2nd Annual Heart of Victoria Tourism Dinner11 June, 2015
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Interstate Focus for Regional Victoria
• Over the last decade, Regional Victoria was promoted to interstate markets – Highlighted regional experiences/destinations in close proximity to
Melbourne
• Campaigns focused on key strengths for the destination using --– 2003: Yarra Valley food and wine campaign – 2009: Great Ocean Walk nature-based campaign – 2009: Daylesford spa and wellbeing
• No recent major campaign activity targeting Melburnians– Despite EVERYONE targeting Melburnians
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Regional Victoria Relies on Victorians
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• Intrastate is the most important market to regional Victoria:– 84% of domestic visitors to regional Victoria are from within
the state– 9.6 million intrastate overnight visitors contribute $3.3 billion in
overnight expenditure
• Visitation and yield have been declining
• Nature-based/distant regions most affected– No Knowledge of what's out there??
• The psychological ‘two-hour halo’ – Creates opportunity for this region
National Visitor Survey year ending Dec 2013, International Visitor Survey – year ending September 2013
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No knowledge = no motivation
• High familiarity with destinations closer to Melbourne • Perceptions of Melbourne extend into these destinations
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“Honestly, the reason why (I don’t look further afield) is that I’ve got little idea what is out there- and for me, no knowledge equals no motivation, there is plenty of other things I can do that I do know and like…”
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Melbourne is the culprit…
• Decline driven by Melburnians
• Growing population presents an opportunity to build new relationships– 100,000 new residents each year to the State– No connection, history or familiarity with Regional Victoria
• Large migrant community with no relationship to Regional Victoria
• Melbourne target for other destinations – PROTECTION STRATEGY
Research points to Melbourne
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Regional VIC remains an important source market
• Represents a large population base across the State
• Already engaged – will and do travel within the state
• 2 hour barrier not an issue –
• Presents a real opportunity for regions further from Melbourne– The further from Melbourne, the greater the benefit
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Key Issues Surfaced by Research
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• Lack of knowledge of Regional Victoria is the key issue
• Long absence of any state-wide campaign targeting Victorians
• No one saying “I won’t go” ….. Rather, “I don’t know”
• What they’re saying …. – “Surprise and Delight Me” …. – “Don’t serve me the ‘usual suspects’ ”– “BIG NATURE is needed to move them from Melbourne”– “Don’t sell me Melbourne in Regional Victoria”
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People Travel to Pursue Their Passions
• Re-establish an emotional connection with Victorians - Holiday Travel vs Travelling to Pursue a Passion
• These insights will inform our new Regional Campaign– Planned launch for OCT 2015
• Revisit future funding strategy for regional events – Drivers of conversion to Regional Victoria
• Educate Victorians on the wonders of their own backyard – Partnerships to re-ignite the romance of a Drive Holiday!
• Most Importantly….make it easy for me…..
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“Make it easy for me to choose…”
THINK KISS PRINCIPLE ON STEROIDS HERE….
• Too much choice and information makes decisions difficult – consumers need easy to find, curated content
• Often not aware of specific activities or how best to engage with the region
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Digital Will Be Key
• VisitVictoria.com will form key information source– Campaign will highlight broad regional experiences– Visitvictoria will be our wikipedia
• Will they find you?
• Nearly 90% of Australian are online (Source ABS)
• 50% have a Facebook account – Of businesses online, only 27% use social media – and most superficially
• 73% of Australians access content on mobile, 56% via tablet– 51% of all traffic to Visitvictoria is now from mobile– Only 26% of businesses have mobile optimised websites
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Digital Will Be Key
• Nearly half of Australians have purchased accommodation online in last 12 months……– Can they find your product?
• The role of VisitVictoria as a pathway to conversion – Provides 150K-180K live leads each month
• Use VisitVictoria as your window to the world – Goulburn River Valley Tourism’s new platform uses ATDW
• Work together to improve presence of the region– Workshops on VisitVictoria and your business– Speakers on Digital Trends
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Current State of Play
• Several reviews currently underway that will shape our future
• Victorian Visitor Economy Review – Reference Panel Chaired by Sir Rod Eddington – Outcomes delivered early to mid-July
• Regional Services Delivery Review– Steering Comittee chaired by John Brumby – Outcomes delivered end-June/early-July
• Outcomes from these reviews will inform future strategies – TVIC Budget allocations also awaiting these outcomes– Some uncertainty – but we’re getting on with it
For more information on this presentation, to access background research and to discover other opportunities visit:
www.goulburnrivervalley.com.au