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Online Tourism Projects

Regional Tourism Mapped Online

Funded by the Office of National Tourism this project was undertaken between July 2000 and March 2001 by the Centre on behalf of the Yarra Valley, Dandenongs and the Ranges Tourism Board.

Project Aims

  • provide national and international tourists with access to regional tourism information and services
  • provide regional tourism businesses with a closed communications site, links to libraries, news and discussion forums
  • establish eCommerce functions such as online booking and wine sales
 Food and Wine image

Project Partners

  • Yarra Valley, Dandenongs and the RangesTourism Board
  • YVDR Campaign Committee
  • Yarra Valley Business Network
  • Yarra Valley Winegrowers Association
  • Yarra Valley Regional Food Group
  • Swinburne University of Technology, Lilydale
  • The Shire of Yarra Ranges
  • Paradigm 4
  • Centre for Agriculture & Business
  • Office of National Tourism

This project established a regional tourism portal providing an easy to navigate introduction to tourism in the region, a source of information about the region and an image built upon the Jigsaw Maps. It also provides the capacity to "package" visits and encourage longer term stay. The Tourism Portal is taken to the next stage by its partner project: Yarra Valley, Dandenongs and the Ranges - Food, Wine and Tourism Online.

 

Yarra Valley, Dandenongs and the Ranges - Food, Wine and Tourism Online

Funded by the Department of Employment Workplace Relations and Small Business, this project aims to enhance the position of the Yarra Valley, Dandenong and Ranges as a premier Australian Food, Wine and Tourism destination thus growing regional food, wine and tourism businesses. The project will exploit the internet's potential to facilitate cooperative and collaborative business strategies through the portal which will:

  • showcase the region to Australian and international tourists and provide access to integrated WWW tourism information and booking services;
  • provide regional food, wine and tourism businesses with communications and e-commerce facilities, including electronic transactions, and on-line booking and ordering.

The project also includes development of:

  • a process for training industry leaders and gaining their commitment to be regional "online champions"
  • an online "introduction to the portal" module
  • online help desk facility
  • a hands-on demonstration module to be run for groups of small businesses
  • a managed, secure communications process for regional food and wine tourism businesses
  • a vehicle to identify vacancies in the three industry sectors and to notify the Job Network
  • a vehicle to promote New Apprenticeships, the services of the New Apprenticeship Centres and the Job Network to participating businesses.

The key emphasis of the project is on education and training of both leaders and participants.

 

Yarra Valley, Dandenongs & The Ranges Website Progress Report

The portal already offers a Calendar of Events & Specials, Package deals & Specials, Search functions, Maps and an eCommerce function.

  • 654 tourism operators have signed up
  • Over 462 have entered information onto the site
  • Training of Visitor Information Centre managers & volunteers has been developed and offered
  • Training for operators has been developed and is offered on an ongoing basis.
  • Student projects to put non-commercial products on site
  • Site visitation of approximately 200,000 hits per month.

Visit the Yarra Ranges Tourism Portal: www.yarrarangestourism.com

Chart from Report

 

The Yarra Valley Dozen

As part of the two Online tourism projects, an eCommerce pilot, the Yarra Valley Dozen was developed in conjunction with the Yarra Valley Business Network, a network of four regional wineries and the Yarra Valley Winegrowers Association.

Aims:

  1. To enhance visitation to the region and in particular the wineries. The website will enhance the Yarra Valley experience, encourage repeat business and will sell the Yarra Valley Dozen(s).
  2. To promote the Yarra Valley as a premium wine and food tourism region and to promote the individual wineries involved.

The Yarra Valley Dozen is not available through normal retail outlets, and two of the four wines are only available through cellar door.

All four wineries involved, Domaine Chandon, DeBortoli, Yering Station and Fergusson Winery, feature in The Age's 2001 Epicure List of Top 10 Victorian Cellar Doors.