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GRAMPIANS Tourism will take over Northern Grampians Shire’s visitor information centres and the Halls Gap Hub before the start of the peak tourist season this year.
The move will mean five staff will be made redundant.
Cr Murray Emerson said it was a natural fit for Grampians Tourism to provide tourism services across the shire.
“Grampians Tourism is the peak tourism body in the region,” he said.
“The launch of their Grampians Online platform and their key role in the development and promotion of the Grampians Peaks Trail make them the right organisation for this role,” he said.
“This decision will bring the delivery of tourism services in the Northern Grampians into the modern era.
“It’s about providing what tourists want and need in this day and age where electronic devices have changed the landscape for the delivery of tourism information.”
Grampians Tourism chief executive Will Flamsteed said his organisation was looking forward to the change.
“Grampians Tourism is excited to deliver visitor services for the whole of the Grampians region via the Halls Gap Hub,” he said.
“We are committed to providing a modern visitor experience that utilises our new digital assets.
“It‟s our aim to increase expenditure and length of stay by showcasing experiences and businesses not just in Halls Gap but across our broader region.
“The visitor Economy is vital to western Victoria’s sustainability into the future.
“It generates $239 million in direct and $1.761 million in indirect tourism output.
“A unified, more cooperative approach to marketing and visitor attraction will ensure we see this grow.
“Grampians Tourism’s involvement in the Halls Gap Hub is the next step in the new business model for marketing our region.”
Northern Grampians chief executive Justine Linley said council would still have a presence on the Grampians Tourism board and would continue to undertake the role of promoting towns within the shire, working with tourism providers, attracting events and activities and supporting business expansion and development.
“We will still have a big role to play in tourism across the region and we look forward to continuing our participation in the space but now in a different way with a different focus,” she said.
“This change does mean redundancies for our five current visitor services staff.
“As the handover process and changes are implemented we would like to acknowledge their dedicated work and thank them for their many years of service to council and our business community.”