Invest in tourism, says VECCI boss

Andrew Mathieson
Developing “interperative” tourist centres along the Great Ocean Road are key to luring thousands of daily visitors to stay longer, according to the head of a peak Victoria business group.
Wayne Kayler-Thompson also said fast-tracking harbour developments proposed for Portarlington and Apollo Bay are also essential to help boost the region’s economies, according to Wayne Kayler-Thomson.
The Victorian Employees Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive has called for more government investment in the region with tourism infrastructure as a priority.
Mr Kayler-Thomson said the region’s tourism hot spots needed to a better bang for their buck.
“The region attracts high visitor numbers but it has a low spend per visitor. What we need to do is to create more opportunities to stay longer and then spend more but tourists need reasons to stay for longer.”
The former Torquay resident wanted two interpretive centres at Torquay, with one telling the story of the Great Ocean Road and the other focussing on the area’s surfing heritage. A further centre should be at the 12 Apostles.
Mr Kayler-Thompson also called for development of Portarlington and Apollo Bay’s harbours and extension of Geelong’s bypass to the Bellarine Peninsula and Surf Coast.