“Dynamic pricing” for Twelve Apostles tickets could spread the tourism load across year

“Dynamic pricing” - a sales technique that sees ticket fees rise and fall in real time based on demand - could be employed at the Twelve Apostles in order to alleviate the annual summer rush.

What happened? The Victorian government will introduce a charge and a new booking system for visitors accessing the $128 million Twelve Apostles visitor experience centre when it opens later this year.

It’s been labelled “controversial” in some quarters and dismissed as a “cash-grab” by the state opposition leader, but regional tourism and local government leaders say an entry fee for the Twelve Apostles could offer long-term benefits.

Common practice: Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism general manager Liz Price told the Brolga paid entry was unlikely to deter visitors.

🗣️“I do think at world class attractions that it is becoming the norm,” she said. “Especially if it is … going back into the revitalisation of the coast, most people will understand that.”

How much will it cost? The exact price of the fee will be “shaped by targeted stakeholder engagement”, according to the Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority (GORCAPA).

• Local residents will not be charged to visit, although it’s unclear who will be considered a local and how they would prove it.

🗣️“All revenue generated is set to be reinvested back into the coast and parks of the Great Ocean Road. This is a legislative requirement for GORCAPA,” it said in a statement.

🗣️“Fees will be consistent with other popular nature-based attractions across the country that have had entry fees for some time.”

Keep it fair: Price said the fee needed to be “reasonable, to ensure it encourages people to still visit the site”.

🗣️“I think there's a real opportunity with a booking system and with the pricing system, that you can use dynamic pricing … to encourage people to come all throughout the year, rather than just that peak visitation in summer.”

Look after locals: Corangamite shire mayor Kate Makin also welcomed the announcement, with the condition local residents and the Shipwreck Coast receive real benefits.

🗣️“This is our home and district residents have a right to visit our own back yard. The definition of local needs to be more than just people who live nearby,” she said in a statement. “We will work through that as part of the consultation before the charge starts.”

• Makin called on the government to upgrade the road infrastructure around the site ahead of the new visitor centre opening to reduce “safety and congestion concerns due to the overburden of traffic”.

• She also urged fees “should be reinvested back into the precinct and surrounds and the Shipwreck Coast where it is raised”.

🗣️“What’s needed now is vital improvements in Lochard Gorge and the Arch.”