MORNINGTON

DESTINATION MANAGEMENT PLAN

PENINSULAREGION

FRANKSTON | MORNINGTON | RYE | SORRENTO | RED HILL | FLINDERS | HASTINGS | ROSEBUD

The Mornington Peninsula Regional Tourism Board is the peak body representing the interests of the tourism industry and undertaking promotion and market development.

Acknowledgements

The development of the Mornington Peninsula Region Destination Management Plan has been funded by the Mornington Peninsula Region tourism industry (through the Mornington Peninsula Regional Tourism Board), Tourism Victoria, Frankston City Council and Mornington Peninsula Shire Council.

Authors

Prepared by AEC Group Pty Ltd (AEC) in consultation with the Mornington Peninsula Regional Tourism Board.

Disclaimer

Whilst all care and diligence have been exercised in the preparation of this report, AEC does not warrant the accuracy of the information contained within and accepts no liability for any loss or damage that may be suffered as a result of reliance on this information, whether or not there has been any error, omission or negligence on the part of AEC or their employees. Any forecasts or projections used in the analysis can be affected by a number of unforeseen variables, and as such no warranty is given that a particular set of results will in fact be achieved.

FOREWORD

The Mornington Peninsula is renowned for its nature, lifestyle and gourmet food and wine experiences. Tourism plays a key role in the region’s economy, contributing 11 per cent (directly and indirectly) to the region’s Gross Regional Product and employment. However, its continued success depends on the continued management and development of its tourism assets and experiences.

Through five overarching focus areas, Regional, Specific Investment, Supporting Infrastructure, Ongoing Opportunity and Catalytic, the Mornington Peninsula Destination Management Plan identifies the initiatives necessary to further develop tourism opportunities in the region in terms of visitor experience, community needs, environment needs and investor and tourism industry needs.

I acknowledge the many stakeholders involved in the development of the Plan, which has been jointly funded by the Mornington Peninsula Region tourism industry (through the Mornington Peninsula Regional Tourism Board), Frankston City Council and Mornington Peninsula Shire Council, and the Victorian State Government. The Plan identifies the Mornington Peninsula’s natural competitive advantages and specific projects that will be required to realise the region’s full potential.

The Victorian Government is committed to working with industry and the Commonwealth Government to support the implementation of the Mornington Peninsula Destination Management

Louise Asher Minister for Tourism

MORNINGTON PENINSULA REGION DESTINATION MANAGEMENT PLAN II

Plan. The Plan provides companies and investors a platform for long term growth.

SOME USEFUL DEFINITIONS

AGRITOURISM Agritourism describes the act of visiting a working farm or any agricultural, horticultural or agribusiness operation to directly purchase produce or enjoy, be educated or be involved in activities. Farmgate tourism is one form of agritourism.

DESTINATION MANAGEMENT PLAN

Destination Management Planning is a process of leading, influencing and coordinating the management of all the aspects of a destination that contribute to a visitor’s experience, taking account of the needs of visitors, local residents, businesses and the environment.

FARMGATE TOURISM Farms providing direct marketing channels to tourist consumers, such as through u-pick and u-fish ventures, farm gate sales, farm stores, farmers’ markets and direct to restaurant models. Farmgate tourism is reliant on producers developing a trust relationship with tourists and is the basis of direct connections to the consumer with themselves, their farms and the produce.

MORNINGTON PENINSULA REGION

Geographically the Mornington Peninsula region is defined as the local government areas of Frankston City Council and Mornington Peninsula Shire Council.

MORNINGTON PENINSULA REGION TOURISM DESTINATION

Includes the geographic area of Mornington Peninsula region and visitor attractions and experiences in surrounding areas that may be undertaken by tourists primarily visiting the Mornington Peninsula Region.

SUSTAINABLE TOURISM Tourism development that enables business viability, environmental values and community amenity to be maintained into the long term.

TOURISM The activities and expenditure of persons travelling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes not related to the exercise of an activity remunerated from within the place visited. For the purposes of this plan ‘from outside their usual environment’ relates to areas outside of Mornington Peninsula Shire Council and Frankston City Council areas.

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CONTENTSACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I

AUTHORS I

FOREWORD II

DEFINITIONS IV

CONTENTS V

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY VII

INTRODUCTION TO THE PLAN 1

WHAT IS DESTINATION MANAGEMENT? 1

WHY HAVE A DESTINATION MANAGEMENT PLAN? 1

HOW IS THE DESTINATION MANAGEMENT PLAN PRESENTED? 1

HOW SHOULD THE DESTINATION MANAGEMENT PLAN BE USED? 1

HOW DOES THE DESTINATION MANAGEMENT PLAN LINK WITH OTHER PLANS? 2

HOW WAS THE DESTINATION MANAGEMENT PLAN DEVELOPED? 3

ABOUT THE DESTINATION 8

WHAT ARE THE DESTINATION’S CHARACTERISTICS? 8

WHO VISITS THE DESTINATION? 8

WHO IS INVOLVED IN THE TOURISM INDUSTRY? 9

DESTINATION PERFORMANCE 13

TRENDS & CHALLENGES IMPACTING THE DESTINATION 15

INFLUENCING MACRO TRENDS 15

REGIONAL AUSTRALIA CHALLENGES 16

MORNINGTON PENINSULA CHALLENGES 16

FUTURE MANAGEMENT OF THE DESTINATION 19

DESTINATION MANAGEMENT OBJECTIVES 19

DESTINATION VALUES 20

DESTINATION MANAGEMENT INITIATIVES 23

1. REGIONAL INITIATIVES 25

1.1 AGRITOURISM 25

1.2 MORNINGTON PENINSULA COASTAL TOURISM PLAN 28

1.3 ECO-TOURISM CAMPING INFRASTRUCTURE 28

1.4 LUXURY LODGES 29

1.5 REGIONAL FUNCTIONS & EVENTS ASSETS 30

1.6 EVENT ATTRACTION (INCLUDING BUSINESS EVENTS) 31

1.7 TOURISM DRIVE PROJECT 32

1.8 COMMUNITY AWARENESS PROGRAM 32

2. SPECIFIC INVESTMENT INITIATIVES 32

2.1 FRANKSTON TOURISM HUB 34

2.2 VEHICULAR FERRY TO PHILLIP ISLAND 35

2.3 MARINE PRECINCTS 35

2.4 BRANDED ACCOMMODATION & ATTRACTIONS INVESTMENT 36

2.5 BACKPACKERS / AFFORDABLE ACCOMMODATION 37

2.6 SPA & WELLNESS ASSOCIATED DEVELOPMENTS 38

3. SUPPORTING INFRASTRUCTURE INITIATIVES 39

3.1 ESSENTIAL INFRASTRUCTURE AND SERVICES 40

3.2 PUBLIC TRANSPORT & CAR HIRE 41

3.3 MORNINGTON PENINSULA VICTORIAN PARKS MANAGEMENT PLAN 42

4. ONGOING OPPORTUNITY INITIATIVES 43

4.1 DIGITAL STRATEGY 43

4.2 GOLF ASSOCIATED DEVELOPMENTS 44

4.3 SPECIAL INTEREST TOURS 45

4.4 ARTS & CULTURE TOURING ROUTE 45

5. CATALYTIC INITIATIVES 48

5.1 MORNINGTON PENINSULA TOURISM LOCATION FRAMEWORK 49

COMMUNICATION, IMPLEMENTATION, MEASUREMENT & REVIEW 51

EXECUTIVE SUMMARYTourism is a key sector of the Mornington Peninsula region economy contributing 11% to the region’s Gross Regional Product and employment. However, its continued success as an economic driver depends on the management and development of this diverse destination for current and future generations.

The Mornington Peninsula Region Destination Management Plan is the foundation document and a key element of the Mornington Peninsula Regional Tourism Board 2012 Strategic Plan. The Plan presents a blueprint for the future of the Mornington Peninsula region as a visitor destination focussed on presenting how the value of the tourism industry can be grown across the region along with improving key community and environmental values. The Plan serves to communicate with and provide direction to all those involved in managing the destination including Local Government, Victorian Government and industry stakeholders.

The Plan’s objectives aim to address the challenges met by the region and are to:

• Improve the Mornington Peninsula region’s competitiveness as a destination by addressing key product gaps, stimulating ongoing investment that is in tune with the region. • Improve the experience and satisfaction of visitors to the region though developing the destination’s core attributes. • Address industry, community and environmental sustainability issues that impact on visitor’s experiences in the Mornington Peninsula region. • Improve the potential for tourism to contribute to the Mornington Peninsula region’s economy and long term economic sustainability.

In formulating these objectives the destination values and development requirements of the region were considered in terms of the visitor experience, community needs, environment needs and investor & tourism industry needs.

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MORNINGTON PENINSULA REGION DESTINATION MANAGEMENT PLAN VIII

In total 23 initiatives are contained in the Plan and are grouped into 5 focus areas:

• Regional – Initiatives relevant to the entire region that realise the full potential of core visitor assets, e.g. coast line. • Specific Investment – Initiatives that describe a number of specific investment goals to fill gaps in the existing product mix. • Supporting Infrastructure – Initiatives that seek to address infrastructure and utility issues impacting on the visitor experience and which will also benefit the resident and business community. • Ongoing Opportunity – Initiatives that exist around durable product strengths already in existence thereby strengthening the competitive advantages of the region. • Catalytic – Initiatives that have the potential to be transformative for the entire tourism industry.

The Mornington Peninsula Region Destination Management Plan and management of the destination will only be successful if this document and approach becomes an active and continuous approach. Destination management needs to become part of stakeholder’s vocabulary and be included and referred to in regular communications about the region and tourism industry.

An Implementation Plan accompanies the Mornington Peninsula Region Destination Management Plan that provides guidance on how the initiatives can be pursued. Many contain challenges that can only be overcome by all stakeholders working together with common purpose.

The success of the Plan is subject to measurement and review. Measurement will occur via a Destination Scorecard that contains Key Destination Indicators against the objectives of the Plan. Annual progress and relevance reviews along with a triennial indepth examination of the Plan will ensure that destination management maintains relevance as the visitor economy and destination evolves.

INTRODUCTION TO THE PLANWHAT IS DESTINATION MANAGEMENT?

“Best practice Destination Management is a holistic process that ensures tourism adds value to the economy, social fabric and ecology of our communities. Tourism can be an economic driver, generating jobs and contributing vibrant lifestyle benefits to our communities. But equally tourism needs to be managed to ensure that it leaves a positive legacy for current and future generations.

Importantly the tourism sector needs to ensure that it is considered in the broader context of regional development and that it is recognised for its overall contribution and economic value to the region.” 1

WHY HAVE A DESTINATION MANAGEMENT PLAN?

Destination development is one of four priority areas the Mornington Peninsula Regional Tourism Board (MPRTB) has identified in its 2012 Strategic Plan to deliver on its vision for the tourism industry.

The Mornington Peninsula Region Destination Management Plan is the foundation document upon which destination development can occur and presents a blueprint for the future of the Mornington Peninsula region as a visitor destination.

The Plan is focussed on presenting how the value of the tourism industry can be grown along with improving key community and environmental values. The Plan serves to communicate with and provide direction to all those involved in managing the destination including local government, Victorian government and industry stakeholders.

HOW IS THE DESTINATION MANAGEMENT PLAN PRESENTED?

The Mornington Peninsula Region Destination Management Plan is divided into two parts:

• PART 1: Place, People & Performance. Describes the Mornington Peninsular region (place), the people who visit, the tourism industry, the performance of the tourism industry and the trends and challenges faced by the destination. This information provides the baseline research, analysis and evaluation to inform consultative planning and develop the destination.

• PART 2: Product & Process. Describes the parameters (objectives and values) within which the destination management initiatives (products) are framed and provides guidance on the process of communication, implementation and performance measurement. A more detailed Implementation Plan is provided as a separate document.

HOW SHOULD THE DESTINATION MANAGEMENT PLAN BE USED?

The Mornington Peninsula Region Destination Management Plan will be used to pursue management of the destination to address the unique challenges faced by the Mornington Peninsula region whilst upholding the destination’s values.

Management of the destination, through communication and implementation of the Plan, is achieved by collaborative actions and investments of stakeholders, including local government, State government and industry using the mechanisms of planning, policy and local laws, investment attraction, direct public investment, lobbying and coordination.

The success of the Plan will be measured in how destination challenges and product gaps are addressed and ultimately in the growth and economic contribution of the tourism industry.

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Mornington Peninsula is recognised as Victoria’s premier escape destination, renowned for its nature, lifestyle and gourmet food and wine experiences.

1 Australian Regional Tourism Network, The guide to best practice Destination Management.

MORNINGTON PENINSULA REGION DESTINATION MANAGEMENT PLAN 2

HOW DOES THE DESTINATION MANAGEMENT PLAN LINK WITH OTHER PLANS?

The Mornington Peninsula Region Destination Management Plan is designed to work in a framework with a number of existing plans and strategies.

Tourism and Local Government Plan Linkages

Numerous additional council and State plans and strategies coincide with the objectives and initiatives in the Mornington Peninsula Region Destination Management Plan and were reviewed during the Plan’s development.

NATIONAL

STATE

REGIONAL

LOCAL

National Long Term Tourism Strategy

Victoria’s RegionalTourism Strategy2013-16 (2013)

Victoria’s 2020Tourism Strategy

(2013)

Mornington PeninsulaRegional Tourism

Board Strategic Plan (2012)

Frankston CityEconomic

Development Strategy

Mornington PeninsulaShire Economic

Sustainability Strategy

Mornington PeninsulaDestination

Management Plan(2014)

HOW WAS THE DESTINATION MANAGEMENT PLAN DEVELOPED?

The development of the Mornington Peninsula Region Destination Management Plan was undertaken during the latter half of 2013. It has involved extensive input from industry, local and Victorian Government. The process for developing the Plan is summarised below and provides a useful model when the Plan needs to be revisited.

Destination Plan Development

Key focus areas during the development of the Mornington Peninsula Region Destination Management Plan were:

• Commercial and investment opportunities that drive new product development and employment.

• Addressing issues that require detailed planning, design or management solutions.

• Cooperative management between the tourism industry, local, Victorian and Australian Government stakeholders.

• Sustainability of Mornington Peninsula region’s economy, culture and community needs.

Consultation undertaken in the preparation of the Mornington Peninsula Region Destination Management Plan included:

• Consultation with leading tourism industry operators through round-table formats and visits to businesses.

• Surveys via an industry web questionnaire examining key issues to the industry.

• Review of approach and directions through consultation with industry, local and Victorian Government stakeholders through a series of workshops.

• Additional consultation and invited feedback regarding draft priorities from political representatives, industry representatives and representatives from local government and Victorian departments.

• Community feedback on the draft Mornington Peninsula Region Destination Management Plan.

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MORNINGTON PENINSULA REGION DESTINATION MANAGEMENT PLAN 4

Project inception

Gap Response Options

Draft Mornington Peninsula Region Destination Management Plan

Mornington Peninsula

Region Tourism Situation Review

Mornington Peninsula

RegionTourism

Objectives

Draft Mornington Peninsula Region Destination Management and Action Plan

Regional Tour

Tourism Dataand Studies

Industry Feedback

Stakeholder Feedback

Relevant Plans and Strategies

TechnicalConsultation

Stakeholder Feedback

IndustryConsultations

Relevant Local and State Strategies

Identificationof

Gaps

Working Priorities