Way ahead of 2028 target of 1.3 million visitors
Community leaders, politicians, councillors, businesses owners and passionate locals gathered at Quality Hotel Parklake on Monday to receive an update on Shepparton’s booming tourism industry and to look forward at many of the exciting projects planned.
The visitor economy is predicted to be the biggest industry in the world by 2035 and Greater Shepparton is well on the way to establishing itself as one of Victoria’s premier tourist destinations.
In 2016, Greater Shepparton City Council set a goal to try and reach a target of 1.3 million visitors by 2028. However, that goal looks set to be achieved almost ten years ahead of schedule, with 1.2 million visitors recorded in 2018 alone.
During the tourism event, the community were commended on their great efforts and also given an update on the progress of construction of the two new exciting museums coming to town.
As many around town would’ve already noticed, works on the new Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) site are well and truly underway with construction still on schedule to be completed by March 2020.
Chair of Tourism Greater Shepparton, Ross Graham said that supporting the SAM is a crucial part of ensuring the continued growth of tourism in the region and was proud to announce they will be donating $2000 to SAM Foundation Board chair, John Head, with plans to contribute a further $3000 later down the track.
“There has been a lot happening in the last couple of months and one of the most important things we see is supporting SAM,” Mr Graham said.
“Although we are not a large financial organisation, Tourism Greater Shepparton believes that SAM will put us on the map and determine visitor economy and that’s why we’ve decided to put our money where our mouth is.”
Further to learning about the developments of SAM, attendees were also given updates on the new Museum of Vehicle Evolution (MOVE).
MOVE Shepparton will be an innovative and ambitious project that celebrates the role transportation, motoring and trucking have played in shaping the Shepparton way of life and the characters and industries that have been a part of this journey.
MOVE Shepparton chairman, Peter Hill said, “MOVE provides the Goulburn Valley with the unique and long-awaited opportunity to tell our story as one of Australia’s original food bowls.”
Construction is currently scheduled to commence in November 2019, with the museum set to be fully operational by mid next year. The new museum will be built on the site of Shepparton Motor Museum and Collectables and will include 10,000 square metres of indoor and outdoor multipurpose space.
Other exciting events on the horizon that were discussed during the tourism event include the new major music event Land of Plenty, the 2020 UCI BMX Supercross World Cup, the 50th Anniversary of the Murchison Meteorite, the 2020 CFA Championships and many more.
For the full calendar of forthcoming events in Greater Shepparton, visit www.visitshepparton.com.au/events/calander or visit the Greater Shepparton Visitors Centre.
