Photo: businessesVIEW.com

In southwest Victoria today, Minister for Regional Development Jaala Pulford announced a grant of $150,000 from the Andrews Labor Government’s Regional Skills Fund for Warrnambool City Council to deliver the project with a range of local partners.

Warrnambool and the Great South Coast has experienced a significant increase in the number of Chinese tourists over the past five years.

For local tourism providers to make the most of the influx of tourists, they need an understanding of key market drivers, communication channels and cultural expectations.

The training program includes a workshop series that will provide regional tourism business operators with the tools, knowledge and key contacts needed to succeed. The workshops will cover topics such as:

• Understanding the tourist demographics
• The cultural expectations required to be a good host
• e-Commerce and marketing
• Souvenirs and other take home experiences.

The second stage of the project will extend the training to the tourism workforce and provide job ready participants for the sector.

The training programs will be created by Asialink Business, which will be tailored to the region and specific to the industry needs.

The aim of the project is for the region to have a network of China-ready businesses that are capable and confident in catering to the Chinese tourist market, supported by an upskilled workforce.

The Labor Government’s Regional Skills Fund is a targeted, place-based regional skills grants program driven by industry in partnership with the tertiary sector, working to build local capacity and resilience, and support jobs creation.