WICKED casts a spell on Melbourne

WICKED the musical has provided a major boost to tourism to Melbourne with more than 120,000 people from interstate and overseas seeing the show since it premiered.

More than 20 per cent of the Melbourne audience has come from interstate or overseas, with a strong influx from New South Wales and New Zealand.

WICKED producer John Frost said the production was thrilled with the result.

“Since we launched, the tourism market has been a key element of the overall marketing strategy for WICKED. We have positioned WICKED as a key Melbourne attraction and it’s terrific to see that all the hard work is paying off,” Mr Frost said.

Tourism and Major Events Minister Tim Holding said the Victorian Government would continue to support theatre productions in Melbourne.

“International blockbuster musicals help draw a steady flow of interstate and international tourists during the traditional quieter months.”

Driving year-round tourism in the High Country

One of Victoria’s most spectacular drives will be open to greater year-round tourism thanks to the newly sealed Bogong High Plains Road.

The $10 million project transformed 36 kilometres of gravel road along the Bogong High Plains between Falls Creek and the Omeo Highway.

The road showcases the best of the best of the national heritage listed Alpine National Park and is now more accessible and tourism-friendly.

Rock for the road base came from the construction of the new Bogong Power Station.

The project is a result of an ongoing collaboration between the Alpine and East Gippsland Shires, Falls Creek Resort management and Life Company and Parks Victoria.

Bumper winter campaign for Melbourne

This winter visitors to Melbourne will be spoilt for choice with an array of creative culture tourism product on offer including A Day in Pompeii, Salvador Dali: Liquid Desire, Jersey Boys: The Story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, WICKED and Billy Elliot.

Tourism Victoria has recently launched its third Melbourne in winter campaign, which showcases this winter’s cultural product.

Media and travel trade events have been staged in every capital city across Australia to provide these key stakeholders with the opportunity to experience Melbourne’s newest product first-hand.

Tourism Victoria recently launched the exciting campaign to trade and media through-out Australia with over 400 travel agents and 45 journalists in Adelaide, Perth, Launceston, Hobart, Sydney, Brisbane, Canberra and Melbourne getting a sneak peek of what's on offer in Melbourne this winter.

Guests enjoyed a preview of the 2009 Melbourne Winter Masterpieces series which includes Salvador Dali: Liquid Desire at the National Gallery of Victoria and never before seen artefacts in A Day in Pompeii at the Melbourne Museum. The crowd was also wowed by the story and Australian cast of Jersey Boys - The story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, which premieres in Melbourne on July 4.

This year’s Melbourne in winter campaign will feature television, cinema, online, print, radio and outdoor advertising, creative culture focused pr and trade promotions.

Victoria on show at Oz Talk

Twenty Victorian tourism operators recently took part in OZTalk travel expo in New Zealand.

OZTalk is the largest travel expo of its kind in New Zealand and the key event for conducting business in this market for Australia. 

Highlights included Tourism Victoria’s luncheon featuring a special performance by the Australian cast of Jersey Boys and for the first time the expo featured two special themed booths - Events Victoria and a Theatre in Melbourne.

Whilst in New Zealand Tourism Victoria also launched the Broadway Musical Jersey Boys to over 80 key travel trade and media representatives.

More services than ever for SkyBus

There’s now a Skybus service for every flight departing Melbourne Airport, following the launch of a new timetable.

Services every 10 minutes from 8am to 8pm, more 15-minute services outside peak periods and extra services from 4am are features of the new timetable.

In addition, to keep pace with the growing demand for airport transfers Melbourne Skybus will also introduce seven new bendy buses to its fleet of vehicles.

The so-called bendy buses, 18-metres-long articulated vehicles, can carry over 90 passengers at a time.

Over 1.6 million passengers travelled on Skybus last year.

New centre for Grampian visitors

A new Visitor Information Centre has opened in Halls Gap.

The centre provides visitors with up to date information on attractions, places to stay and highlight the amazing adventures on offer in the Grampians.

With modern self-help terminals visitors are able to browse and make their own bookings in the centre.

A booking service, Grampians Travel is also run in the centre providing information and bookings for Halls Gap and the wider Grampians region.

The Visitors Information Centre was funded through a $250,000 grant from the Small Towns Development Fund and a $225,000 Northern Grampians Shire Council.

Footsteps on new Fainter Falls walking track

Footsteps have began falling on the new Fainter Falls walking track, which Parks Victoria and the Mount Beauty community worked together to construct.

The walk is short, an easy grade and suitable for all visitors to the Alpine National Park.

On the walk and from the lookouts visitors can take in breaktaking views of the Pretty Valley Brand of the East Kiewa River and the spectacular Fainter Falls.

The track was funded by a $200,000 Regional Development Victoria grant to the Alpine Shire following the 2003 bushfires which seriously affected the area.

The project grew from the Mt Beauty’s community desire to rebuild and renew.

Visitors to hear about the history of the High Country

A new High Country audio guide Alpine National Park was launched recently.

The audio tour celebrates the rich cultural heritage of the high country.

It takes in the splendors of the Bogong High Plains and Mount Hotham as well as smaller townships like the Bogong village and Harrietville.

Visitors can download the audio tour from parkweb.vic.gov.au and will be available in Visitor Centres around the Victorian Alps.

New kiosk for the Twelve Apostles

Construction of a new kiosk within the Twelve Apostles Visitor Centre will commence later this year.

The kiosk will complement the visitor centre which was built in 2000 to allow for easy parking and access to the best viewing area.

Parks Victoria has committed to directing profits from the kiosk to the People & Parks Foundation, an independent not-for-profit organisation who will distribute profits to programs including local projects.

Parks Victoria has undertaken extensive community consultation regarding the proposal to install the kiosk and invited feedback from business owners and community members.

$128 million overhaul for Hamer Hall

Melbourne architects Ashton Raggatt McDougall (ARM) and Peter Elliot Architects will design the $128.5 million redevelopment of the Hamer Hall.

The redevelopment will make the facility even more accessible, providing a better experience for audiences, and ensuring Victoria continues to attract and present a wide range of top international and local performers.

The project will open up the Arts Centre Precinct to Southbank and the Yarra River.

The redevelopment includes:

• A spectacular new outlook to the city and new connections to the city, St Kilda Road and the river
• New and expanded foyer spaces, better amenities, new stairs, improved disability access, escalators and lifts
• Improved acoustics, new auditorium seating and cutting edge staging systems and technology
• Improved sustainable features.

Bendigo tourist operators benefit from training program

Bendigo tourist operators have been boosted by a business grant to extend their highly commended business-training program.

A $15,000 Grow Your Business (GYB) grant has been given to the City of Bendigo to run the new ‘Be Successful’ group program.

The grant will help the City of Greater Bendigo, in partnership with Bendigo Tourism, deliver training to 10 local businesses in management skills, professionalism and excellence.

Independent research indicates the potential economic benefit from the two previous grants to the City of Bendigo and Bendigo Tourism was in the order of $13 million.

This year’s grant will focus on training that will help participants grow, rather than just run their business. Firms will receive group coaching and one-on-one assistance to implement an action plan.

For information about grants, workshops and other support from the Victorian Government visit business.vic.gov.au or ring 13 22 15.