Record Year for Local Tourism

Published on 13 January 2023

The visitation to our local tourist hotspots this year over the Christmas-New Year period has resulted in local businesses reporting up to six times their average turnover for the same time in previous years. A local hospitality business reported “a record 1447 meals prepared/served in a day”.

It’s high time to progress a sustainable tourism plan to ensure our communities benefit from tourism while also retaining Mansfield Shire’s amenity and natural beauty. A community collaboration will be used to progress the Mansfield Sustainable Tourism Plan 2023 – 2028.

Mayor James Tehan said “Every Victorian local government region is currently looking to enhance their offering for visitation, and it has never been more important for Mansfield to stay with the game and ensure that we keep what we all love about living in Mansfield Shire”.

He added, “Sustainable tourism considers the current and future economic, social and environmental impacts and addresses the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and the community. This plan will provide Council with a better understanding of the expectations of our community, which is why it will be developed in collaboration with them.”

Council’s Acting Senior Coordinator Community and Economic Development, Clare Berghofer said “This project benefits us by strengthening our visitor economy. Services enjoyed by local people, such as restaurants, attractions, arts and entertainment will all benefit. Looking at it from another way, actions directly aimed at making somewhere a better place to live and work will also make it a more appealing place to visit.”

Council is offering many opportunities to feed into the plan with surveys available on Engage Mansfield, and workshops and feedback sessions planned across the Shire.

The Plan will also enable Council to leverage its limited resources by establishing priorities, allocating resources in a more efficient way and providing direction on which type of development to attract.

For more information and to provide feedback visit engage.mansfield.vic.gov.au