Browsing: tourism

THE Mornington Peninsula Regional Tourism Board is preparing an action plan to “help prioritise the opportunities to address the challenges” facing tourism in the region. The board, which describes itself as the region’s “peak independent tourism board and lead voice” resolved to draw up an action plan during a forum last Friday (28 June).Nepean MP Sam Groth, the opposition’s tourism spokesperson, said he had attended the “urgent meeting” as stakeholders and businesses faced “an ongoing “state of crisis”. “Attendees discussed restrictive trade and planning conditions, which are seeing already struggling small businesses face uncertainty as the cost of running a…

TOURIST trips to the Mornington Peninsula are 5.7 per cent below December 2019 levels, while international visitor numbers remain below pre-COVID levels.Nepean MP and Shadow Minister for Tourism, Sport and Events Sam Groth said there had been 40,000 international visitors to the peninsula in 2023. In calling on the state government to not impose any more taxes in its upcoming budget Groth said tourism on the peninsula remained below pre-COVID levels, with many businesses “struggling to operate”. Groth said one of the most high-profile businesses which had announced it would close was the Donna Maria restaurant in Flinders. A spokesperson…

PENINSULA Link freeway has been open for seven months but the authorities are still discussing the location and types of locality and tourism signs. The freeway opened on 17 January but there were no signs on the four-lane road showing traffic where to exit to reach Baxter, Hastings and the Western Port side of the peninsula. Dunkley federal MP Bruce Billson weighed in to the issue late last week when he said a Coalition government would contribute $175,000 to “refresh and update the ‘Tour Peninsula’ tourist directional signage and to correct location signage errors such as omitting the Baxter township”.…

POINT Nepean at the end of the Mornington Peninsula is one of four national parks slated for tourism development. Over Easter, the state government released guidelines for the building of hotels, restaurants and other visitor facilities at Point Nepean, Port Campbell, Wilsons Promontory and the Gram­pians (Gariwerd). The government’s intentions were first outlined in The News last year (“Parks a govt development target”, Western Port News 14/8/12 and Mornington News 21/8/12). The News reported that extensive work had already been done developing Point Nepean National Park. It is one of Mornington Peninsula Shire’s top tourist priorities – “accommodation, conferencing and…