Loddon Tracks and Trails Strategy - Loddon Shire Council

4.4 Potential Visitor Market
Loddon Shire offers visitors to the area a broad range of opportunities and experiences
ranging from goldfields to forests, state and national parks, lakes and rivers, goldfields,
Aboriginal heritage, early European settlement, wineries, farming enterprises and public
gardens. A variety of events and festivals are held in various townships throughout the
municipality each year, attracting locals and visitors to the area.
According to the Loddon Tourism Plan, in 2003-2004 it was estimated that the Victorian
tourism industry attracted 1.3 million domestic overnight visitors and contributed $3.4
billion to the regional Victorian economy (a 31% increase from $2.6 billion in 1997-1998.)
The report and research undertaken by Tourism Research Australia identify that
domestic overnight / international visitors to Loddon:
• Stay an average of 2.8 nights
• Spend an average of $145 per trip (compared with Goldfields Region statistics of
$214)
• Spend an average of $52 per night (compared with Goldfields Region statistics of
$89)
• Primarily visit friends and relatives (43%)
• Rely on the internet for information purposes
• Come from either Australia for domestic overnight visitors or UK, New Zealand or
Japan for international visitors
Loddon Shire targets the following visitor markets (based on Roy Morgan profiles) 14 :
• Traditional family life
• Conventional family life
• Socially aware
Descriptions of each of these market sectors are included in the Appendix.
Visitors most likely to participate in cycling, walking, canoeing or horse riding are nature
based tourists. According to Tourism Research Australia 15 , the majority of nature
visitors in Australia are domestic visitors, rather than international visitors.
Twenty percent (20%) of domestic overnight visitors are classified as nature visitors by
Tourism Research Australia. Ten percent (10%) of domestic day visitors are nature
based visitors and 66% of international visitors fall within this category. Not all nature
visitors are interested in the types of activities undertaken on tracks and trails, however
Tourism Research Australia estimates that fifty-two percent (52%) of domestic overnight
nature visitors take part in bushwalking / rainforest walks, whilst 37% of domestic day
visitors and 39% of international visitors enjoy this type of activity. Unfortunately no
figures are available for international visitors or domestic day visitors in Loddon Shire.
However when domestic overnight visitor figures are extrapolated against tourism
figures for Loddon Shire, we can estimate that the total visitor market for Loddon Tracks
14 Loddon Shire Council – “Loddon Tourism Plan: 2007-2010” (2007)
15 Tourism Research Australia – “Nature Tourism in Australia – Snapshot” (2007)
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