The Great Ocean Road’s rich hinterland is still one of global tourism’s best kept secrets if the findings of a group of international student researchers are anything to go by.
More than 90 Monash University masters students from the international sustainable tourism program were in Timboon on Friday as part of a study tour of the region.
Monash Univeristy’s associate director of Australia and international tourism research Joseph Cheer said there was a perception that the Twelve Apostles was the only attraction in the region.
Hidden gem: Masters students Michelle Bloch, from Colombia, and Balder Lysen, from the Netherlands, were among the students researching tourism along the Great Ocean Road. Picture: Rob Gunstone
“There’s a lack of awareness of what’s out here but also this perception that it’s a day trip rather than somewhere you stay,” he said.
Dr Cheer said Monash was working alongside the Twelve Apostles Tourism and Business Association on a research project examining visitor perceptions along the Great Ocean Road.
“We want to paint a picture of the tourism industry over a period of time because then that research can inform decision making and development,” he said.
http://www.standard.net.au/story/4227740/putting-region-on-map/