Geelong

Often considered a ‘little brother’ to nearby Melbourne, Geelong is just 1.5 hours outside of Victoria’s capital, boasting a slower pace, a broad food and beverage offering, and stunning views of Port Phillip Bay. 

Geelong welcomes visitors looking for, beachfront activities, a bustling esplanade, a family friendly events, as well as popular surrounding wineries, microbreweries and boutique producers. The area is also a popular starting and stopping point for travellers’ Great Ocean Road getaways, and a hub for business events, driving a range of international and domestic business guests to the area.

With Avalon Domestic Airport only a 20-minute drive from Geelong, and Tullamarine International Airport just an hour away, the region is highly accessible to both domestic and international guests, both of which frequent the region in high numbers. With temperatures dropping below 20 in the late autumn and winter months, tourists tend to visit Geelong over spring and summer, with February typically being the city’s warmest month.

Geelong and the surrounding Bellarine region welcomes an average of five million visitors each year, with domestic visitors staying approximately 2.5 nights. International guests are likely to spend longer, at an average of 15 nights. Visitation is expected to grow to seven million per year by 2030, with this growth also expected to be matched by accommodation and infrastructure in the area.

While manufacturing is the area’s biggest industry, tourism in Geelong generates an estimated regional output of $728 million per year.