Port Campbell accommodation providers call for tourism campaign promoting wider area

Best Western Great Ocean Road Motor Inn owner/manager Liz McKenzie said the majority of her guests only stayed for one night.

"We're getting a lot of daytrippers - mostly one night stays," Ms McKenzie said.

"The rest of the coastline and inland needs to be promoted - we've got so much more to see than just the Twelve Apostles."

Port Campbell Community Group secretary Marion Manifold agreed with the sentiment. "The group's view has always been that the government should be encouraging international tourists to go further down the road as well," Ms Manifold said.

"I think the marketing needs to ease off the Great Ocean Road and encourage people to go to Warrnambool."

Ms Manifold said she believed Port Campbell was struggling to cope with the huge number of visitors to the town every year.

"The pressure needs to be taken off the Great Ocean Road," she said. "It's just gotten out of hand."

Ms Manifold said she believed the enjoyment of visiting attractions such as the Twelve Apostles was lessened when there were hundreds of people all trying to view them at once.

"We need to encourage people to go to other places," she said.

"People need to experience Victoria's beautiful coast - not just the Twelve Apostles," she said.

Corangamite Shire mayor Neil Trotter said the council would conduct a survey of accommodation providers and tourist operators in the area in the coming months in a bid to look at ways to increase returns and length of stay.

He said people were spending on average 45 minutes at the Twelve Apostles and were often unaware of the other attractions in the area.

"We want to make people aware of what the area has to offer over and above the Twelve Apostles," Cr Trotter said.

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