At a recent meeting of tourism organisations in South Australia, the Country Victoria Tourism Council Inc (CVTC) was invited to discuss its structure and relationships.
“CVTC is seen as a best practice model for assisting Local Government with managing regional tourism,” said Mark Gill, Industry Development Manager at the South Australian Tourism Commission. “We invited them to Adelaide to share their knowledge with the regional tourism industry here.”
CVTC is a peak industry body representing local and regional tourism organisations. Unique to Victoria, CVTC is seen by a number of other states and territories as a best practice model for assisting Local Government to develop stronger, more effective regional tourism industries. This includes efficient and consistent visitor servicing, and balanced relationships between Local Government and the tourism industry.
Bindi Gove, Industry and Business Development Manager for CVTC, worked in Economic Development and Tourism for Local Government in two states prior to taking up her current role.
“The competitive advantage of CVTC is that it provides Local Government with an independent perspective on regional tourism management.” Bindi Gove said. “One of our mantras is local issues, local solutions’.
“We understand that State and Federal Government policies and programs need to be rolled out across either the nation or an entire state. We also know that one size does not fit all. So we work with Local Government to build better relationships with their local tourism industry and to access State and Federal Government Funds.
“The regional tourism industry is a diverse mixture of micro businesses and small to medium enterprises. It also has low barriers to entry and faces intense domestic and international competition. It is also particularly vulnerable to externalities.
“All these factors often make it fragmented and volatile. In particular, the regional tourism industry lacks maturity and business acumen which restricts its capacity to work with Local Government on developing sound infrastructure.
“We have worked on various levels with 48 of the 79 Councils in Victoria. Each area faces different challenges and we recognise this. What we are really seeking is a level of professionalism in regional tourism in Victoria which is unsurpassed. The size of the State and the proximity of the regions to Melbourne give it some great strengths to build on.”
CVTC’s research into Indicators of Sustainable Tourism Management by Local Government, demonstrated that Councils in Victoria are very committed to regional tourism growth and recognise the capacity of tourism to revitalise regional areas and generate local employment. The research is currently being expanded to showcase some best practice examples of regional tourism management by Victorian local Councils.
For further information contact Bindi Gove, at Country Victoria Tourism Council Inc, email bgove@cvtc.com.au or phone (03) 9650 8399.
