Strategy for alpine resorts' future

Victorian Minister for Environment Jaclyn Symes has endorsed the Alpine Resorts Strategic Plan 2026 - 2030. The plan sets a shared direction over the next five years for Victoria’s six alpine resorts of Mt Hotham, Falls Creek, Mt Buller, Mt Stirling, Mt Baw Baw and Lake Mountain - outlining the sector’s vision, long-term objectives, challenges, opportunities and strategic priorities. Alpine Resorts Victoria chair Ali Wastie said the plan had been developed through extensive stakeholder consultation and reflects the expertise, insight and passion of the stakeholders who make up the sector across the resorts. Ms Wastie said the plan's endorsement marks a defining moment for a sector central to Victoria’s regions, communities and visitor economy. “The endorsement of this plan gives Victoria’s alpine resorts a clear, shared direction and forward momentum,” she said. “It recognises the vital role our resorts play in supporting regional economies, local communities and year-round visitation, while setting the priorities needed to build a more resilient, sustainable and vibrant alpine sector.” ARV CEO, Amber Gardner, said the strength of the plan lies in the depth of insight, expertise and lived experience contributed by stakeholders across the sector. “This plan has been shaped by the people who know and care deeply about Victoria’s alpine resorts including industry partners, local communities, Traditional Owners, government and resort stakeholders,” Ms Gardner said. “Their contribution has helped create a practical, sector-wide roadmap for the future, and we look forward to working together to turn that shared vision into action. “The alpine sector contributes over $2 billion per annum to the Victorian economy and supports more than 12,000 regional jobs. "This plan creates a framework to not only sustain but grow the impact of this valuable sector." Ms Gardner said the endorsed Alpine Resorts Strategic Plan 2026–2030 will guide work to support the long term sustainability, resilience and success of Victoria’s alpine resorts. The full plan can be viewed on the ARV website. Mountains generate $165m into Alpine Shire economy Falls Creek and Mt Hotham are contributing around $165 million in economic output annually into the Alpine Shire. That's according to the Alpine Resorts Strategic Plan 2026 - 2030 endorsed last week, which said Mt Hotham and Falls Creek were also value adding a further $88m across the Alpine Shire from off-mountain spending and helping create 1131 jobs. The strategy said Falls Creek was seeing an annual on-mountain spend of $329m, a value added spend of $170m and creating 1955 jobs, while Mt Hotham has an annual on-mountain spend of $247m, value added spend of $126m and creating 1321 jobs. The strategy recognises visitors are core to the alpine sector’s purpose, attracting almost 1.38 million visitors annually to all six alpine resorts, with 68.1 per cent in winter. "Our goal is to grow this by at least 10 per cent by 2030 to 1.52 million visitors annually," the strategy states. "Central to achieving the vision is enhancing and prioritising the winter economy – winter is the economic powerhouse of the alpine sector generating 81 per cent of the $2.14 billion economic output annually. "Our goal is that by 2030 the economic output has grown by 10 per cent or $210m to $2.35b. "This makes continuing to adapt to the impacts of climate change and further building our climate resilience as a sector, paramount to the industry’s future and a key focus for the next five years."

Strategy for alpine resorts' future

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