A CAMPAIGN encouraging Melburnians to take a long weekend in regional Victoria could be a boon for the region.
The Take a Not-So Public Holiday campaign by Visit Victoria is a tactical winter campaign developed to sit within the “Stay close, go further” platform to encourage immediate travel by city-dwellers into regional areas.
The campaign is highly targeted, and encourages Melbourne residents to take advantage of north-west Victoria’s winter temperate climes to enjoy “culinary indulgences, desert explorations and warming winery drops”.
Research has shown that 75 per cent of Melburnian travellers believe they need more than a weekend to feel refreshed and relaxed when visiting regional Victoria.
The Take a Not-So Public Holiday initiative aims to drive extended stays in regional Victoria during the winter months by inspiring Victorians to add a day or more of annual leave onto their weekend away.
The campaign suggests visitors to the Murray region partake in local flavours, river cruises, silo art, national parks and wineries among other attractions to help “see the best of the region during your winter escape”.
Mildura Regional Development chief executive Brett Millington said the most northern parts of the state could have the most to benefit given the milder daytime temperatures than areas further south.
“Particularly for a long weekend, absolutely,” Mr Millington said.
“Realistically, you need that extra day taking into account travelling and the like to make the most of a visit to Mildura,” he said.
“Most of our program has been set up fairly long-term in advance of this, working with Murray Regional Tourism in the lead up to this with the Visit the Murray promotion, but this will be something that we leverage off as well.
“There’s been a fair bit of filing that has been done in the past month or so, so we knew it was coming in that regard, but also the Murray as a destination.”
Mr Millington said it had been pleasing that Visit Victoria had seen fit to promote regional areas as opposed to singling out metropolitan Melbourne.
“Over time that’s the feedback that we’ve been providing that we kind of need some love, too,” he said.
“That’s been the good part of Visit Victoria – they have responded in that regard.
“We have been pushing in the past 12 months that Visit the Murray hasn’t been seen so much, but it’s nice that they are able to adapt and respond and help.
“If you think about the amount of work that we have done in terms of our brand and brand awareness, that doesn’t just appeal to the tourists, it also helps to raise awareness within the bureaucracies and the like of Mildura as a brand.”
Data shows that Melburnians currently hold high balances of annual leave, with 48 per cent stating that they had three weeks or more owing and 63 per cent saying they would consider using annual leave on a trip to regional Victoria in the next 12 months.
The campaign, launched on July 11, will run during a period which has the longest gap in public holidays across the entire year.
