Glenelg Shire Council Of Australia Ends Bid For Inclusion In Great Ocean Road Tourism Campaign

Published on August 11, 2025 |

After a decade-long pursuit, nan Glenelg Shire Council successful southwest Victoria has officially ended its bid to beryllium included successful nan renowned Great Ocean Road tourism route. Despite paying an yearly $80,000 rank interest to nan Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism Board (GORRT) since 2015, nan assembly claims it has consistently been omitted from nationalist and authorities trading campaigns and tourism strategies.

The Glenelg area to nan westbound of nan Great Ocean Road has agelong campaigned for inclusion successful nan highly celebrated tourer strip, but nan authorities and national governments person not made it officially portion of nan iconic way contempt financial contributions from nan council. The determination by nan assembly was made formally connected nan council’s website past week.

Council’s Dissatisfaction pinch nan Current Arrangement

In a statement, a Glenelg Shire spokesperson explained nan vexation pinch nan ongoing removal from cardinal trading efforts: “Council has recovered that though GORRT has been beardown successful their advocacy, nan Glenelg Shire is simply not officially recognized by our state and national partners arsenic being portion of nan Great Ocean Road. We are regularly omitted from tourism campaigns and strategies.”

The Great Ocean Road generates astir $1.9 billion successful economic activity each year, creating astir 9,800 section jobs. However, nan assembly feels that contempt its important publication to nan tourism board, it has not seen nan corresponding benefits successful position of visibility aliases trading for local businesses.

Redirecting Funds Toward Local Initiatives

The council’s determination to retreat from nan Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism Board comes pinch a displacement successful strategy. Instead of continuing pinch nan $80,000 yearly membership, which provided marketing opportunities for section businesses connected tourism websites, nan assembly will now redirect those costs towards tailored trading strategies that amended align pinch nan unique characteristics and tourism potential of nan region.

Moving forward, nan Glenelg Shire Council plans to attraction connected promoting its nationally recognized Kelpie Festival and nan UNESCO World Heritage-listed Budj Bim Cultural Landscape. Budj Bim is notable for being nan first spot successful Australia to beryllium listed solely for its Aboriginal taste values, a favoritism nan region intends to leverage successful its early tourism efforts.

Tourism Australia Campaign Excludes Glenelg Shire

As portion of Tourism Australia’s latest trading initiative, the Twelve Apostles connected nan Great Ocean Road was nan only Victorian location featured. This omission, alongside nan removal of different regions specified arsenic Glenelg Shire, further highlighted nan disagreement betwixt nan region’s desires for greater nickname and nan attraction of nationalist tourism campaigns.

The Tourism Australia campaign, which is designed to pull world visitors, emphasized nan astir well-known landmarks of nan Great Ocean Road and excluded areas extracurricular nan contiguous vicinity of nan route, including Glenelg Shire, which has a unsocial offering of its own.

Government Response to Glenelg’s Tourism Efforts

In consequence to nan council’s decision, a state authorities spokesperson stated that the Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism Board remains responsible for tourism efforts successful nan region. However, nan authorities expressed support for Glenelg Shire’s efforts to beforehand nan broader southwest Victoria area and committed to continued cooperation.

“We will proceed to activity pinch Glenelg Shire to promote visitors to research southwest Victoria and acquisition nan champion of nan Great Ocean Road,” nan spokesperson noted.

This collaboration highlights nan evolving quality of tourism management, wherever section authorities activity much independence successful shaping their tourism identities while still benefiting from location and nationalist partnerships.

The Future of Glenelg Shire’s Tourism Strategy

The Glenelg Shire’s determination marks a pivotal displacement successful its tourism strategy, moving distant from large-scale location campaigns and alternatively focusing connected its unsocial local assets. By investing straight successful attractions specified arsenic the Budj Bim Cultural Landscape and hosting nan Kelpie Festival, nan region is positioning itself to pull a circumstantial niche of eco-tourists and cultural enthusiasts.

As nan region develops its ain tourism identity, it will look to create much customized trading approaches that not only stress nan natural beauty of nan area but besides item nan taste and historical significance that distinguishes Glenelg Shire from nan much crowded tourism hotspots of nan Great Ocean Road.

Rethinking Regional Tourism Approaches successful Australia

The Glenelg Shire’s move to abstracted from nan Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism Board marks an expanding inclination toward section power successful nan tourism industry. While Glenelg assumes greater power of promoting its tourism, it has nan situation of forging a chopped personality to pull visitors without nan extended title on nan iconic Great Ocean Road. The caller attraction connected nan region could really dishonesty successful section initiatives and targeted tourism campaigns that pave a measurement for much personalized, unsocial tourism experiences, and it could yet go a chopped replacement to heavy marketed destinations successful Victoria.