The Tourist Park Policy Platform – Unlocking Victoria’s Next Generation of Tourist Parks sets out 24 recommendations designed to support ‘investment in new and improved accommodation and strengthen regional economies’.

CRPVic Chief Executive Officer Scott Parker said tourist parks were the cornerstone of regional tourism, providing affordable and flexible accommodation and supporting all other tourism providers and local businesses across the state.

“For far too long, tourist park operators and their businesses have been taken for granted,” he said. “These recommendations, if adopted, will unlock stalled growth by adapting policy settings to keep pace with unprecedented demand and accommodation innovation and bring much needed investment back from interstate.”

The recommendations focus on reforms across planning, Crown land leasing, emerging accommodation such as glamping, and measures to support workforces, environmental sustainability and guest accessibility.

CRPVic General Manager for Tourist Parks, Gary Anderton, said planning reform was central to unlocking the investment the sector desperately needs.

“Right now, there is a clear opportunity to streamline planning pathways for routine upgrades and new accommodation within existing tourist parks,” he said. “Park operators are ready to invest in cabins, eco-accommodation and park improvements, but inconsistent interpretation and lengthy approval processes are slowing projects that should be straightforward.”

CRPVic has also called on the Victorian Government to extend Crown Land lease terms from 21 years to 40 years ‘to unlock long-term investment and modernisation of tourist park infrastructure’, and for more Crown Land lease opportunities be made available ‘to encourage the development of new tourist parks in high-demand regional tourism areas’.

“Areas near lakes, rivers, national parks and coastal corridors could accommodate high-value tourist parks over the next decade that integrate environmental protection with visitor amenity,” it said. “Expansion of Crown Land leasing opportunities provides a managed, environmentally sensitive activation of public land that benefits the broader community.”

The organisation says that recent assessments indicate that each dollar of caravan park revenue is estimated to generate about $1.38 in additional economic activity in the local community, stimulating jobs and business opportunities.

Another recommendation was that the Victorian Government develops improved waterways camping regulations to ‘optimise fairness for regulated tourist parks, environmental protection and consistent compliance across Victoria’.

It said the introduction of waterways camping regulations had highlighted the need to better align environmental management objectives, public access and the role of existing Crown land tourist parks.

“While encouraging public use of waterways is important, there is an opportunity to ensure these settings are applied consistently and support positive outcomes for both visitors and the environment,” it said. “Strengthening coordination and clarity across the system would help address emerging challenges such as inconsistent enforcement, environmental impacts, safety considerations and the interaction with established tourist parks that operate under comprehensive regulatory frameworks.”

Other key recommendations included:

• The Victorian Government establish a Tourist Park Development Grant Program to support park upgrades, modernisation, accessibility improvements and nature-based tourism expansion.
• The Victorian Government establish a Green Parks Transition Fund to support renewable energy upgrades, EV charging infrastructure and water-efficient facilities across tourist parks.
• The Victorian Government create a co-funding program for risk mitigation infrastructure to protect tourist parks from climate change impacts such as flooding, storms and bushfire.
• The Victorian Government support an independent investigation into the Victorian Managed Insurance Authority’s (VMIA’s) insurance model as it relates to tourist parks to ensure fair premiums, transparent risk assessment and incentives for mitigation investment.

“Insurance affordability and accessibility have emerged as critical challenges to the long-term viability of tourist parks, particularly those operating on Crown Land,” it said.

In Victoria, the tourist park sector provides nearly half of all holiday accommodation, contributing more than $2.6 billion to the state economy and supporting approximately 17,000 jobs.

Click here to see the CRPVic policy document.

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