Tourism push

By EMMA SUN
THE Mount Evelyn Chamber of Commerce (MECOC) is encouraging community groups and businesses to help the town make its mark on the Yarra Ranges tourism map.
MECOC have joined forces with Yarra Ranges Business and Tourism (YRBT) to promote the town and encourage more visitors to the area.
The move comes as part of the chamber’s recent calls for more businesses to boost tourism.
YRBT, a not-for-profit organisation, looks after content for Visit Victoria’s Official Visitor’s Guide to the Dandenongs.
During last week’s MECOC meeting, members expressed their disappointment that Mount Evelyn only received a half-page mention in the 40-page guide, despite having many attractions to offer.
However, Mount Evelyn businesses since have banded together and purchased advertising, ensuring the town will have five pages worth of content for the next publication, which will mean a huge boost in awareness for the town.
MECOC president Kathie Freeman said it was a wonderful achievement for the town and hoped it would draw some much-needed attention to the area.
She said it was concerning that many people drove straight through Mount Evelyn without even realising they were passing through a town and hoped the added publicity would also raise the town’s profile.
“People drive through (Mount Evelyn) and don’t even realise we’re here, but we have a lot to offer with flora and fauna, such as nature walks and our beautiful scenery,” she said.
Sally Coyle from YRBT said businesses and community groups who joined with the organisation would not only help promote Mount Evelyn to tourists, but could also benefit from savings on their bills.
“We aim to have as many members as possible so our members can benefit from group buying deals and save as much money as possible,” she said.
“We have deals for gas, insurance, electricity and telephones, with some saving about $22,000 over three years.”
She encouraged local community groups to also jump on board and the Mount Evelyn RSL has already expressed its interest.
Secretary Anthony McAleer, who was at the MECOC meeting, said while the RSL was not run as a business, they also had bills they could save money on and could do with the boost in publicity in the general and wider community.