Surf Coast Tourism Membership

Any tourism related business within the Surf Coast Shire is eligible to become a member of Surf Coast Tourism. By becoming a member you are automatically an affiliated member of Geelong Otway Tourism, providing you with benefits from both associations.

Download a copy of the following documents which explains the structure of tourism in the region and details the key benefits of becoming a tourism member. The prospectus also details how your membership dollar is utilised in various local, interstate and international marketing programs.

• Member Prospectus (403kb)
• Surf Coast Tourism Application Form (114Kb)
• Office of Small Business - Setting up an Accommodation Business (282kb)

Tourism Membership Benefits

Some of the direct benefits of membership include:

• Display of your brochures (DL size required) in all accredited Visitor Information Centres in the region (Geelong, Torquay, Lorne, Apollo Bay, Colac).
• Access to the Visitor Information Centres Accommodation Referral Service and after hour display of accommodation information.
• A familiarisation tour of your business by Visitor Information Centre staff to ensure they have first hand knowledge of it.
• Listing on the official Surf Coast website and Great Ocean Road websites
• Royalty Free Images for use in your promotional material.
• Copies of regional marketing material for display purposes.
• Involvement in tourism special offers & campaigns.
• Monthly and quarterly newsletters providing the latest information on tourism related matters and opportunities.
• Opportunity for participation in industry training sessions and seminars.

Surf Coast Tourism Newsletter

Surf Coast Tourism produces a monthly newsletter detailing tourism related news and activities within the Surf Coast Shire as well as current issues affecting the broader tourism industry. It also contains the latest events and activities occuring in the region.

The Surf Coast Tourism Newsletter is distributed to nearly 400 tourism operators and industry stakeholders. To view the Surf Coast Tourism Newsletters Archive, click here

Tourism Directions is published quarterly by Geelong Otway Tourism and details developments, issues and activities that are relevant to the tourism industry.

Royalty Free Images (top)

As a tourism member, you will have access to a range of high resolution royalty free images of the Surf Coast region available for you to use free on your website, new brochure or advertisement. Permission to use the images must be requested from Surf Coast Tourism prior to use. To view a gallery of low resolution images of the Great Ocean Road region, visit www.greatoceanroad.org

Visitor Centre Benefits

Working closely with the Visitor Centres is crucial to ensure visitor referrals to your business.  We invite you to make an appointment with the Centre Coordinator of the VIC closest to you in order to can gain an understanding of how the Centre operates and establish how best to work with the staff and volunteers.

Your closest accredited Visitor Centre is:

Torquay Visitor Centre Jeff Arkinstall Beach Road, Surf City Plaza TORQUAY VICTORIA 3228 Phone: 03 5261 4219 Fax: 03 5261 4756 Email: torquayvic@surfcoast.vic.gov.au

Lorne Visitor Centre Bree McMaster 15 Mountjoy Parade LORNE VICTORIA 3232 Phone: 03 5289 1152 Fax: 03 5289 2492 Email: lornevic@surfcoast.vic.gov.au

Familiarisations (top)
The Visitor Centres conduct regular site visits of tourism businesses to ensure they can experience your business first hand and provide accurate information to visitors.  As a new member, staff will contact you when arranging a familiarisation to arrange a suitable time.

Displaying Brochures (top)
A benefit of membership includes displaying your brochures in the regions accredited Visitor Centres, provided the brochures are DL size (1/3 of A4).  We recommend that your brochures be made of card-thickness (as photocopied paper does not stand upright) and your business name and location is on the top third of the brochure.

You can arrange to have your brochures delivered to all accredited centres in the region by delivering 800 copies to Elizabeth Curtain at Geelong Otway Tourism. Alternatively you can undertake the distribution of brochures personally.  The Torquay and Lorne Visitor Centres will call you when running out of your brochure. It is then your responsibility to ensure the Centre is re-stocked as soon as possible.

Brochure Distribution
Regional VIC Coordinators meet approximately every six weeks. You may have your brochures distributed to all the regions VIC’s by delivering 800 copies to Elizabeth Curtain at Geelong Otway Tourism and brochures will be distributed at the next meeting. 

Geelong Otway Tourism VIC Co-ordinator: Elizabeth Curtain Customs House, 67 Brougham Street GEELONG 3220 Phone: 5244 7102

Alternatively you can undertake the distribution of brochures personally.  Both the Torquay and Lorne VIC will give you a call when running out of your brochure. It is then your responsibility to ensure the Centre is re-stocked as soon as possible. 

Accommodation Referral Service (top)
Tourism members that are paying a ‘Direct Tourism Business’ fee can participate in the Accommodation Referral Service. Staff keep an accommodation vacancy calendar which identifies the operators whom are vacant. Staff provide the visitor with three accommodation alternatives (if available) trying to best match the customers needs with the most suitable accommodation available. It is up to you, the operator, to inform the Visitor Centre when your property is vacant and booked. If you do not communicate this information, you will not receive any referrals. 

Updating of Information
Updating you business details is vitally important to ensure we provide visitors with accurate and current information. A ‘Member Update Form’ will be sent to you in May each year.  It’s greatly appreciated if you return these forms and advise staff of any changes to your business throughout the year.

Tourism Signage
Tourism operators and attractions whose core business is tourism are eligible to apply for tourism and services signage.  Signage approval is based on “Tourism Signage Guidelines” developed by Tourism Victoria and VicRoads in cooperation with local Councils. 

The Tourist Signage Guidelines and an Application for Tourism Signage can be found by clicking here.

Special Offers and Campaigns (top)

By becoming a member with Surf Coast Tourism, you will automatically become an affiliated member of Geelong Otway Tourism, giving your business the advantage of a host of marketing opportunities like the Great Ocean Road Jigsaw Magazine, Official Visitor Guide, Great Ocean Road website, Township Tear-off maps and more. Contact Surf Coast Tourism directly for more information.

---

In addition, many other benefits become available to members throughout the year including:

• Surf Coast Tourism and Geelong Otway Tourism media coverage and promotion.
• Networking within the tourism industry and share knowledge and resources.
• Support and assistance from the great pool of marketing and business management expertise amongst fellow members and tourism staff.
• Participation in broader marketing campaigns at a regional, national or international level.

Statistics & Research

• Economic Impact of Tourism to the Surf Coast Shire
  A report on the Economic Impact of Tourism was developed in 2007 in conjunction with Geelong Otway Tourism. The report contains information on visitor expenditure, visitor profile, the region in profile and an outlook for tourism on the Surf Coast to 2015. Particular points to note include:
  
  • The number of (low spending) day trippers to the Surf Coast has declined while domestic overnight visitor nights and international visitors are expected to increase by 0.5% and 4.3% annually to 2015. (supporting a low visitation, high yield strategy)
    
  • 94.5% of domestic visitors travel to the Surf Coast by private car
    
  • Total expenditure made by tourists in Surf Coast in the year ended September 2006 is estimated at $258 million.
    
  • This equates to around $11,200 tourist expenditure per resident, compared with $3,300 throughout Geelong Otway, $2,600 throughout Victoria and $3,100 throughout Australia, indicating a greater significance of tourism to the Shire.
    
  • Total employment in Surf Coast Shire supported by tourist expenditure is estimated at 1,040 job
• Download Tourism Research and Impact Assessment 2007

• SCT Economic Significance Report 2002
  
  
  
• Geelong Otway Tourism Corporate site
  
  
  
• Bureau of Tourism Research: Surf Coast Shire Case Study 2003
  
  
  
• Social Impacts of Tourism on Communities – Permanent Resident Study 2005
  
  
  
• Social Impacts of Tourism on Communities – Permanent and Non Permanent Resident Study 2006

• Perceptions of the impacts of tourism in the Surf Coast Shire 2006

• Australian Bureau of Statistics

• Tourism Victoria Corporate Site

• Tourism Australia Corporate Site - Statistics and Research section

• Geelong Otway Region Research - June 2007

• Great Ocean Road Research - June 2007