There’s a sure steadiness about Victoria’s new 2030 Visitor Economy Plan, a confidence born not of slogans, but of history. The state that turned its laneways into an art form and its sporting calendar into a global attraction is once again betting on what it does best: welcoming the world.
Premier Jacinta Allan calls the plan “a clear course for a visitor economy that’s sustainable, inclusive and world-leading.”
In a world of short-term fixes, that’s an unusually long view that looks well beyond the next budget cycle to a broader ambition: a $53.4 billion visitor economy by 2030.
For Allan, tourism is not a sideshow. “When tourism grows, communities grow too with more local jobs, stronger businesses and a real sense of pride,” she says. It’s an old truth, perhaps, but a timely one. Victoria’s cafés, vineyards, art galleries and hotel foyers have always been more than commercial ventures; they’re the State’s cultural handshake with the world.
A Strategy With Muscle, Not Mantras
The new 2030 plan, published by Visit Victoria, isn’t content to reheat old travel clichés. It’s a structured, data-driven framework for an industry that now accounts for more than $43 billion in annual economic contribution and supports almost 300,000 jobs.
The document notes that tourism “creates jobs, drives investment, and shows the world all that we have to offer.”
There’s no mistaking its intent. The plan seeks to elevate Victoria from recovery to leadership, moving beyond “good coffee and better festivals” and cementing the State as a benchmark for sustainability, accessibility, and creativity in the global visitor economy.
Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos frames it neatly:
“This strategy reflects our ambition to grow and adapt. It charts a path that supports jobs and strengthens our economy, ensuring Victoria is a world-class destination where culture, Country and community combine to deliver experiences that are Every bit different.”
It’s the sort of sentence that belongs on a lectern, but behind the polish lies a serious premise: that the future of tourism depends on substance, not spectacle.
The Numbers That Matter
The plan’s headline target of $53.4 billion by 2030 isn’t just optimistic arithmetic. It’s grounded in current momentum: Victoria’s visitor economy has surged 45 percent above pre-pandemic levels. Tourism Research Australia’s forecasts suggest that, with a strategic focus, the State can sustain that growth curve through a mix of high-yield international markets, regional dispersal, and more innovative event integration.
Behind the scenes, the model driving it is disarmingly simple: Create, Convert, and Connect.
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Create demand through storytelling, branding, and a global events calendar that keeps Melbourne on the map.
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Convert that demand into bookings via airline partnerships and cooperative marketing.
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Connect Victorian operators with international distribution networks to ensure that when visitors arrive, they stay longer and return.
It’s a marketer’s formula but with the discipline of an accountant. A KPMG review found that every $1 spent on destination marketing generates up to $27 in visitor expenditure. Few investments deliver that sort of multiplier.
Every Bit Different – By Design
The plan continues to heavily rely on Victoria’s brand platform, Every Bit Different, a line that has evolved from a campaign slogan into an identity statement.
Visit Victoria’s Chair, Andrew Penn AO, sums it up with the calm of a boardroom veteran:
“Visit Victoria 2030 is our roadmap for growing the Visitor Economy. It balances aspiration with accountability and acknowledges the enormous contribution the Visitor Economy makes to our State, while setting out practical steps to ensure growth is sustainable, inclusive and resilient.”
He’s not overstating it. The document reads less like a tourism brochure and more like a governance framework. It puts measurable discipline around a creative industry — a rare thing in government circles.
Global Vision, Regional Heart
Victoria’s plan recognises that Melbourne may be the drawcard, but regional Victoria is the experience. The aim is for each primary market, international, interstate, and intrastate, to deliver roughly one-third of total visitor value by 2030.
That means equal attention is paid to the Great Ocean Road and Gippsland’s lakes, Bendigo’s cultural cachet, and Ballarat’s growing events scene. The plan’s emphasis on regional dispersal ensures that the glow of Melbourne’s skyline reaches the towns beyond it.
For Brendan McClements, Visit Victoria’s CEO, that’s essential:
“At Visit Victoria, our role is simple yet powerful: to harness the power of our extraordinary visitor experience to inspire more travellers to visit Victoria. To do that well, we must be laser-focused on the opportunity to grow the Visitor Economy and be bold in how we respond.”
It’s the kind of plain-speaking ambition that Victorian operators understand as practical, measured, and intensely local.
Events: The State’s Beating Heart
If Melbourne has a religion, it’s the calendar. The Australian Open, the Grand Prix, the Comedy Festival, and Moomba each occupy their corner of the collective psyche.
Events are the State’s soft power; they drive visitation, shape global perception, and fill hotel rooms from Docklands to Daylesford. The plan gives them pride of place.
Major international sporting events feed the Create phase, drawing global attention. Cultural and regional festivals like Frida Kahlo: In Her Own Image at Bendigo Art Gallery support the Convert phase, bringing audiences into communities. Business events, like Amway China’s 2025 Leadership Seminar, which brought 16,000 delegates and $100 million in impact, embody the Connect phase, translating exposure into lasting economic return.
It’s a sophisticated approach, less about fireworks and more about continuity, a kind of rhythmic prosperity that builds year after year.
Sustainability and First Peoples Leadership
Perhaps the plan’s most significant evolution is its ethical clarity. Sustainability, inclusivity, and First Peoples leadership are no longer footnotes; they’re central themes.
“First Peoples’ rich living culture is at the heart of Victoria’s identity and offering,” the plan states. And not as a platitude. Visit Victoria has committed to developing a First Peoples Tourism Proposition that amplifies Aboriginal-led businesses and connects them with global distribution channels.
It’s a welcome shift. Visitors increasingly seek meaning, not just movement. They want authenticity, stories, and experiences that feel rooted in place. With its strong partnerships and respect for the Country, Victoria is positioned to deliver exactly that.
Risks, Realities, and Resolve
The authors don’t sugarcoat the challenges. Aviation access, workforce capacity, and economic volatility are all listed as potential brakes on progress. Technology is both a blessing and a curse; it will continue to reshape how travellers book, spend, and share.
Yet the tone remains confident. The strategy reads like a mature conversation between government and industr,y clear-eyed about risk but quietly convinced that Victoria’s best decade lies ahead.
A Measured Optimism
As strategies go, Visit Victoria 2030 doesn’t trade in hype. It trades in confidence earned, not assumed.
The State that gave us laneways, live music, and world-class events now seeks to provide us with something rarer: sustainable prosperity built on identity, not imitation.
If it succeeds, the dividends will reach far beyond Melbourne. They’ll be counted not just in billions, but in something more enduring: pride, purpose, and the quiet satisfaction of a well-done job.
By Michelle Warner
BIO:
Michelle Warner is a storyteller with jet fuel in her veins, the sort of woman who could turn a long-haul delay into a lesson in patience and prose. She began her career in media publications, learning the craft of sharp sentences and honest storytelling, before trading deadlines for departures as a flight attendant with several major airlines. Years spent at thirty thousand feet gave her a keen eye for human nature and a deep affection for the grace and grit of travellers everywhere.
Now happily grounded, Michelle has returned to her first love, writing, with the same composure she once brought to a turbulent cabin. Her work combines an editor’s precision with a traveller’s curiosity, weaving vivid scenes and subtle humour into stories that honour the golden age of travel writing. Every line is a small act of civility, polished, poised, and unmistakably human.
