mmg.com.au

He’s only been in the job since October, and admits he’s still feeling his way, but new Goulburn River Valley Tourism president Bernard Morris does have some keen insights into what could drive more tourists to our region.

And the first of those is the recognition that one voice is more effective than many in what is a cut-throat battle for the tourist dollar.

‘‘I think it’s fantastic that four shires (Mitchell, Strathbogie, Murrindindi and Great Shepparton) have recognised they can be much more effective by combining than trying to keep separate,’’ Mr Morris said.

And the benefit is seen when looking at the ‘‘jigsaw’’ map put out by Tourism Victoria, dividing the state into regions.

‘‘There, Greater Shepparton is linked to the Murray River, when it’s not on the Murray; Strathbogie is linked to the High Country, but has more in common with Mitchell, which itself is linked to the Macedon Ranges. We don’t have too many spas here.

‘‘And Murrindindi is linked to the Yarra Valley. Tourism Victoria has tried to create a number of marriages of nearbys, and it might be a while before that map is changed.’’

In the meantime, the push must come from GRVT to market the Goulburn River Valley region.

‘‘It’s pretty hard for businesses on their own to jump up and down and say ‘look at me’,’’ Mr Morris said.

‘‘They need an umbrella body, and we are that. I think the board has done a very good job from a standing start a couple of years ago.’’

Mr Morris paid tribute to his predecessor, Tourism Victoria’s Tom Smith, who gave his time for the role.

But now it’s the future everyone is concerned with.

‘‘We’ve got to a stage where there’s a five-year marketing plan and five-year business plan, and we’ve got to deliver on those. Obviously not to the letter as things change, but we’ve got strategic thrusts there.’’

One of GRVT’s roles was to get people to ‘‘think tourism’’.

‘‘It should be on the checklist of councillors and business owners all the time,’’ Mr Morris said.

‘‘It could be the signposts, opening hours, or the tourism potential of every decision.

‘‘When you’re deciding on a planning permit you might be thinking, ‘Is this facade going to enhance the landscape?’

‘‘You might be looking at longer opening hours — and we’ve got to make ourselves easier to buy from — where you might not make a motza in the short term but you’ll get known for being open longer and it can pay off for everyone in the long term.

‘‘If you begin to think in these ways across a range of activities, we’re going to succeed. I think it would be a very significant cultural shift but it will have positive ramifications for years and years to come.

‘‘It all takes time, but it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try.’’

But how does GRVT define its success?

‘‘There are intangible ways,’’ Mr Morris said.

‘‘Obviously in raw dollar terms it’s pretty hard to claim every extra visitor was due to our influence, but if we get 40 extra couples a week travelling through the region, then the net profit pays for us.

‘‘And if we can’t get them coming out of Melbourne, what are we doing?

‘‘One thing I have been surprised about is the size of the tourism market, it’s much larger than you think.

‘‘We are so fantastically placed, we’ve got a great train service from Melbourne, where there’s four million people. We’ve got great roads as well, lots of things to do and the trend is for short breaks, so we’re an easy destination.

‘‘But we’ve got to have nice places to go, nice places to eat, entertainment and accommodation. We’re never going to rival Chapel St, but we’ve got some of the best food in the state — which means Australia — and great wineries.

‘‘Look at the activities for baby boomers. Car clubs are a big thing, but where are they going to go? Where everything is laid out for them. We can put some great routes and places together, and we’re doing the work for them and getting them to come here.

‘‘Tourism is a competitive business and we must never get complacent because other people will be trying to eat our lunch.’’