Victoria’s alpine resorts are iconic tourism destinations, attracting over 1 million visitors every year who generate $2.14 billion in economic output and sustain over 12,000 regional jobs. Investment in supply and demand tourism efforts is critical to ensure the resorts continue to evolve to meet the needs of current and emerging markets. Across 2025, this included a detailed program of work that sought to improve the visitor experience through targeted marketing activities, enhancements to visitor services and the delivery of new visitor infrastructure.
Key Projects
Victoria's alpine resorts welcome 30% more visitors
The 2025 winter season kicked off with significant snowfalls over the Opening Weekend in June. This boosted public interest and confidence in visiting the resorts and gained media interest in the projected snowfall for the winter.
Visitation throughout the season remained higher than the 10-year average, both in visitor numbers to the resorts and the number of days spentat the resort, and also surpassed the visitation numbers for the two prior snow seasons.
With enhancements to the visitor experience, improved car parking capacity, and ideal snow making conditions, the 2025 season saw the alpine resorts operate for the full 18 weeks (until 5 October), with only Lake Mountain and Mt Baw Baw closing operations after 14 weeks (7 September) due to low snow cover.
Transforming the visitor's experience with parking, permits and resort entry
ARV is modernising how visitors enter and move through alpine resorts by replacing manual, labour intensive parking and permit processes with a new Digital Visitor Servicing Platform. With project works commencing in 2025, the new platform will introduce licence plate recognition cameras, automated vehicle counting and integrated digital permit systems, giving resorts accurate, real time data on vehicle movements, visitation patterns and car park occupancy. This will better manage peak visitation periods, as well as enable more proactive communication with visitors.
For visitors to the resorts, the platform will streamline resort entry with a single online sales system and clearer information about resort car parking capacity. Digital permit checking and compliance tools will also support faster, more transparent interactions and provide a safer working environment for ARV staff.
This project will be finalised ahead of winter 2026.
High quality medical services operationalised across three resorts
Ahead of winter 2025, ARV went to market seeking an operator who could provide medical centre services across the major resorts, enabling economies of scale between the three locations.
Australian Rural Medical Services (AusRMS) commenced operation of medical services in Falls Creek, Mt Buller and Mt Hotham following this competitive tender process.
AusRMS is skilled in remote and alpine resort medical centre management, with prior experience in this setting in the Perisher Valley.
By appointing a singular medical provider, ARV was able to secure a more effective, more efficient medical service offering, taking pressure off regional medical services and enabling better outcomes for visitors and the sector.
Enhanced marketing capability reaching bigger audiences
ARV undertook a coordinated “All Resorts” winter marketing campaign to increase awareness of Victoria’s alpine resorts and complement the destination marketing undertaken by each resort. The campaign aimed to generate interest in snow holidays and encourage overnight visitation across the alpine region.
The program was run in partnership with Visit Victoria under a matched funding arrangement, which expanded the overall reach of campaign activity and strengthened statewide visibility of alpine experiences. Marketing activity was timed to coincide with key phases of the winter season to support consistent promotion across visitor markets.
A multi channel approach was used, supported by resort led digital activity to assist in converting interest into visitation. The campaign elevated the profile of Victoria’s alpine resorts and enhanced the broader marketing efforts of individual resorts.
Completion of the international downhill MTB trail at Falls Creek
At Falls Creek, ARV installed a new international standard downhill mountain bike trail as part of the multi-year mountain bike park expansion project announced in 2021, which, so far has delivered over 11 kilometres of new single mountain bike trails. The addition of the downhill trail provides a technical gravity option which is new to Falls Creek and will open up opportunities to host major national and international events in the future.
Secured grant funding to deliver new MTB trails at Mt Buller
ARV secured $830,000 in Victorian Government grant funding towards a $1.1m mountain bike project that will add almost 10 kilometres to an existing 60 kilometre alpine trail network across Mt Buller and Mt Stirling.
The new trails, set to be complete in 2026, will provide riders with improved connections between Corn Hill and the Delatite River Trail, removing the need to travel along Mt Buller Road. Upgrades also include an extension to Woollybutt and new beginner, intermediate and advanced trails linking Abom to the Plough Shed, offering riders more variety and accessible options.
These trails will enable visitors to undertake a two day riding experience or a four hour loop beginning and ending at Mt Buller, increasing the range of recreational options available during the summer season.
The project forms part of the Regional Tourism Investment Fund and is expected to enhance Mt Buller’s appeal as a premier mountain biking destination, supporting increased visitation and broader regional economic benefits.
Page last updated: 05/10/26