Strong Sustainable Communities Priority 2: A placemaking approach to destination planning to recognise the unique challenges of each destination and drive relevant priorities and responsive strategies Develop or enhance products, experiences and support infrastructure to be reflective of their ‘place’ Build supportive & engaged host communities Destination planning provides the greatest capacity to respond to crisis and/or funding opportunities when they become available Building strong destinations is critical to capturing a longer length of stay, repeat visitation and encouraging dispersal FOCUS STRATEGIES ACTIONS GORRT ROLE Pursue a placemaking approach through the development of destination action plans to build strong, unique tourism destinations that are supported by the host community Develop, maintain & monitor implementation of Destination Action Plans FACILITATE Support the attraction of resourcing for the implementation of Destination Action Plans ADVOCATE Support enhancement of town centres and townscapes as the commercial centres to support visitation and increase spend Support revitalisation and master planning for Torquay to enhance connectivity across visitor nodes ADVOCATE Support Master planning for Colac to recognise its role as a tourism hub and Gateway to the Otway ADVOCATE Enhance streetscapes and urban planning to increase visitation appeal and encourage visitors to stop and explore towns & villages ADVOCATE Cluster tourism development around town centres and identified visitor nodes Support the creation of designated tourism hubs and precincts where town planning rules and regulations offer greater flexibility to support business growth ADVOCATE Improve quality & accessibility of natural attractions Enhance & maintain natural attractions through fit for purpose infrastructure, improved wayfinding and interpretative signage and upgraded car parking and amenity blocks ADVOCATE Focus on improving maintenance and quality of existing trails, tracks and supporting infrastructure Create trail hubs with parking, amenity blocks, trail signage, etc to support visitation and active events. ADVOCATE Grow support for the visitor economy from host communities Develop and implement a host community awareness & education program to share the value of building a sustainable visitor economy FACILITATE Recognise and support local leadership Develop programs to engage, educate and support local leaders through tourism & trader organisations FACILITATE