New tourism website launched to boost the industry across the Bendigo region and beyond

Visitors will have the ease of researching and booking must-see attractions and unique experiences on a new regional tourism website that brings together four central Victorian Councils in an initiative to boost tourism industry across the entire region.    

Bendigo Regional Tourism Chair David Leathem said the new website will be an “umbrella” platform to link the websites from the City of Greater Bendigo, Mount Alexander, Central Goldfields, Loddon Shire, and also highlight the huge number of events at Bendigo Art Gallery and Capital Venues and Events.

“The website will help to build on the Bendigo region’s thriving reputation for arts, culture, food, nature and heritage experiences making it easier for visitors to plan a trip and to consider including experiences across the smaller townships, villages and hamlets in the region,” Mr Leathem said.

This development will build upon the core objective of the Bendigo Regional Tourism Board of growing the visitor economy throughout the Bendigo Region, increasing visitor spend and encouraging overnight stays in the many destinations across the four municipalities.

“The user-friendly website links all of the wonderful attractions at the four Councils so visitors can pick and choose what they want to do during their time in the region. This is an exciting initiative to grow the tourism industry across the entire region,” Mr Leathem said.

“The website will position Bendigo and the surrounding municipalities as a market leader in delivering high quality online services for visitors and the community in one easy step.  

“The Bendigo Region continues to thrive with almost three million domestic day trippers visit the Bendigo Loddon region. That’s a 73 per cent growth over the past 10 years. Overnight stays attract one million which is a 69 per cent growth over the past ten years.”

“The website will draw more people to the region as more visitors prefer to use digital technology to research, plan, book and share their interests in regional Victoria.

“We know that well over half of tourism visitors use smart devices, including mobiles and tablets, to research their proposed visits so the website has been tailored for both desktop and hand-held devices.”

Here are quotes from each Shire featured in the new website.

To be attributed to City of Greater Bendigo Mayor Margaret O’Rourke:

“Our current Bendigo tourism website attracts 1,244 visits per day and this broader umbrella platform will encourage significant cross regional promotion and the opportunity to suggest other suitable tourism experiences in that search,” Cr O’Rourke said.

“The website is the perfect resource for visitors to plan their experience throughout the Bendigo Region and includes an online ticketing service and other key integrations to assist with the online experience.”

To be attributed to Cr Bronwen Machin, Mayor of Mount Alexander Shire:

“Tourism is big business for our shire and generates millions for the municipality and the broader Region. We are committed to developing collaborative marketing opportunities to showcase what we have to offer and sustain a thriving visitor economy.

“The new tourism website is a trusted source of information for any visitor that comes to the Bendigo region. It complements the services of our friendly and knowledgeable staff and volunteers at Visitor Information Centres. Visitors to the area don’t recognise Council borders, so it’s important we work with other councils to cross-promote our visitor experiences, create a seamless visitor journey and encourage a longer stay in the region.”

To be attributed to Chief Administrator Noel Harvey from Central Goldfields Shire Council:

“The new tourism website will be a valuable resource for Council to encourage visitors to our Shire. The Central Goldfields Shire attracts thousands of visitors every year and this site is a fantastic and interactive way to showcase our region.”

To be attributed to Loddon Shire Mayor Cr Cheryl McKinnon:

“Major events are a highlight of our annual calendar, allowing us to showcase the region’s natural wonders as well as gourmet food and wine, supported by live music and entertainment. The new website will complement the work done by our community to achieve our vision of a prosperous, vibrant and engaged community at Loddon,” Cr McKinnon said.

The new tourism website is available at: www.bendigoregion.com.au