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To Melburnians the Great Ocean Road in the Geelong Otway
region of Regional Victoria is like a second home. With some of
the most spectacular coastal and bush scenery the Great Ocean
Road hugs the coast from Torquay to the edge of Port Campbell
National Park, passing Australia’s best beaches and holiday
resort towns including Torquay, Anglesea, Lorne and Apollo Bay.
Further inland lush rainforests and spectacular waterfalls
greet visitors while inside the Port Campbell National Park are
the famous Twelve Apostles (pictured above). The Great Ocean
Road is just a small part of the larger Geelong Otway Region,
which extends from the south of Melbourne from Geelong to Apollo
Bay. Taking in the Bellarine Peninsula, Great Ocean Road, and
the Otway’s, the region provides a diverse range of scenery, and
certainly a great variety for meeting and incentive travel
participants. The growing popularity of the region has come not
only through clever marketing but new infrastructure, resort
upgrades and an abundance of things to see and do. In the city
of Geelong, for example, more than $150 million has been spent
creating a vibrant, new, fun filled waterfront. Testament to the
tourist bureau’s activities in recent times was Geelong Otway
Tourism winning in the Meetings and Business Tourism category of
the National Tourism Awards (held in Alice Springs in February).
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All smiles following the
event was Victorian Tourism Minister, John Pandazopoulos who
praised the efforts of the organisation in establishing itself
as a key conference destination. “Geelong Otway Tourism’s
strong position as a key regional conference destination and
centre has seen the region become a leader in this sector,” he
said. And its efforts are set to continue in light of some of
the latest announcements. From February this year Linfox’s
Avalon Airport welcomed its first Jetstar flights to and from
Adelaide. Already offering daily services to Sydney and
Brisbane, the addition of Adelaide is exciting for the region.
Linfox Airports general manager, Tim Anderson, said the
additional daily service to and from Adelaide will see the
airport approach 100 flights a week, which equates to a 40 per
cent increase in the number of flights since Jetstar’s
commencement on June 1 in 2004. Mr Anderson said Avalon hoped to
carry about 380,000 passengers in its first year, with the aim
of 1.5 million within two to three years. And that’s good news
for the business tourism industry. In line with the growth, the
Mercure Hotel Geelong recently launched a refurbished function
centre, costing more than $400,000. The new, larger venues now
accommodates more than 300 delegates theatre-style. The property
currently has a special offer to celebrate the new centre.
Visit www.geelong.otway.org/conferences for further information. |
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