Rail trail visits jump as visitor spend exceeds $15 million
VISITOR numbers to the Great Southern Rail Trail and other South Gippsland tourist hot spots have remained strong over the New Year despite a cool start to summer.
The Visit South Gippsland website showed strong month-on-month growth in December attracting 33,000 online visitors compared to 31,000 in November.
The Great Southern Rail Trail web site jumped from 6,000 to 9,000 views over the same period. Visitor spending in South Gippsland for December exceeded $15 million.
South Gippsland Shire Council Coordinator for Arts, Culture and Visitor Economy Penni Ellicott said tourist numbers had initially been impacted by the cooler weather.
“Wilson’s Promontory has always been the jewel in the crown but the popularity of other attractions such as the Great Southern Rail Trail and the many wonderful food and drink experiences in South Gippsland have grown steadily,” Ms Ellicott said.
Early data has shown main street tourist spending jumped from $11.6 million in November to $15.6 million in December which was on par with previous years.
“South Gippsland Shire is anticipating a further increase in visitor spending over January,” Ms Ellicott said.
“We expect solid visitor spending right through to Easter with a gradual increase each month during summer and autumn.
“It’s always our towns that benefit first but we have hidden gems such as Agnes Falls, our pristine beaches, food and drink offerings, cellar doors and farm stays which have all remained popular.”
Owner of Great Southern Ride in Meeniyan Paul Zezula said there had been noticeable increase in traffic on the South Gippsland Highway particularly on weekends.
“More day trippers,” Mr Zezula said.
“The rail trail has been continually good.”
Mr Zezula said many visitors were experiencing the rail trail for the first time.
“It’s close to Melbourne and people coming to South Gippsland for the rail trail discover the fine food and wine in the region.
“Many restaurants feature food that comes from this area.”
For more information on visiting South Gippsland go to visitsouthgippsland.com.au or look for Discover Visit Gippsland on Facebook. To learn more about the Great Southern Rail Trail go to gsrt.com.au or look for Great Southern Rail Trail on Facebook and greatsouthern.railtrail on Instagram.
