Calling on our Communities to Support our Businesses

Locals can all help to rebuild our visitor economy, and Councils and Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism want every community member to reach out to people they know and invite them to visit our region.

Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism are sending postcard packs to every address in the region and have developed digital invitation kit’s and tools to assist businesses to invite their valued customers to return to our region.

The goal of The Great Sleepover campaign is for locals to invite their loved ones to reconnect and reunite in our beautiful region. While the campaign invites visitors to “wake up to the wonder of our region”, our businesses need locals to also consider holidaying close to home and supporting our region’s economy and jobs. Businesses in tourism related industries need every bit of support they can get right now, and everyone can help by encouraging people they know to come here and experience some of the magic that is the Great Ocean Road Region.

The Great Sleepover is designed to empower our communities to invite the visitors they are ready to welcome as and when restrictions ease. Our initial focus is encouraging our community to explore their backyard, the Greater Regional Victoria and as restrictions ease, broaden to reach a Melbourne audience. Melbourne represents 60% of overnight visitors to the region. A return of these visitors is key to the success of many regional tourism businesses.
There are many things to do in the Great Ocean Road region locals can help businesses get back on their feet as soon as possible to help them continue to deliver these experiences for many years to come. The campaign aims to showcase the breadth and depth of these experiences so that people will be compelled to rediscover nostalgic destinations and places they’ve never been.

“Visitor spend generates over 13,000 jobs or 19% of all jobs in the region. With visitor spend forecast to be down more than 38% this financial year, businesses need all the support they can get”

– Wayne Kayler-Thomson, Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism Chairman

“Victorians want to reconnect, and our region is the perfect place to do that – invite your friends and loved ones here to stay and head out together and explore more of what our region has to offer, you and your friends and relatives will support recovering our visitor economy and rebuilding our communities”

– Liz Price, Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism General Manager

Access the Image Library here

Locals will receive their postcard pack in the mail, and GORRT has provided tools to all of their business partners to get involved and share the message far and wide.

Media Contact: Liz Price, General Manager – Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism
Phone: 0448 385 176 | Email: [email protected]