It is hoped efforts to engage people in Bendigo's famous tulip display and other springtime attractions online has built up an appetite for the city among prospective visitors.
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The COVID-19 pandemic and associated restrictions and border closures meant fewer people have been able to come to Bendigo in recent months to enjoy the city, so Bendigo Tourism turned to the internet to take experiences to them.
Glenn Harvey, tourism and major events marketing manager with the City of Greater Bendigo, said the online Bloom spring program had been viewed more than 10,000 times.
Virtual curator tours of the tulips, the Botanic Gardens and Canterbury Park, were "really well-received", he said, and a live stream of the tulips in the Conservatory Gardens attracted about 3500 views, with each lasting an average of three minutes and 47 seconds.
The online program has also involved videos and activities giving people access to Bendigo's gastronomy, arts and culture, and heritage, from a distance.
These include virtual hot air balloon rides, art activities for children, virtual walk-throughs of historical buildings, and virtual wine-tastings.
Mr Harvey said there were more online and in-person experiences to come as part of the Bloom campaign, such as the Blues and Roots Festival, Heathcote's Summer of Cellar Doors, and Piinpi, the contemporary Indigenous fashion exhibition at Bendigo Art Gallery.
He said a big part of the campaign was keeping the Bendigo brand out in the public's consciousness.
Most of the visitors to the website were from Melbourne, Mr Harvey said, and 79 per cent of visitors since early September were new.
"Hopefully that will inspire a new form of visitation... now and into the future," he said.
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With the Melbourne border reopening, Mr Harvey said he expected a rush of people getting out and about.
While people are now moving more freely, the approaches taken to ameliorate the impact of the pandemic are likely to continue to influence tourism marketing.
"We've always done a lot of digital marketing, but I think the COVID period has allowed us to do even more in that area," Mr Harvey said.
People in general had also learnt more about technology, he said, and felt more comfortable using it.
He believed the use of digital elements would continue, and in different ways, into the future.
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