The Bellarine has taken out the 25th spot and Geelong the 69th in Leading Places: The 100 Most Loved Destinations Around the World for 2021, released by the Tourism Sentiment Index.
For the first time ever, destinations around the world have been ranked to uncover those that visitors love most.
These Leading Places are the 100 most loved destinations in 2021 according to consumer sentiment.
Being named in the rankings means Geelong and The Bellarine have earned the love and an impressive Tourism Sentiment Score® during one of the toughest years the tourism industry has faced.
“Geelong and The Bellarine have been much-loved destinations for generations of visitors. It’s wonderful to see the region recognised in this way by new audiences,” said Tourism Greater Geelong and The Bellarine Deputy Executive Director, Tracy Carter.
“The incredible experiences we offer are clearly having a positive impact on the conversations people are having online.”
The Bellarine received a sentiment score of 29.15 and Geelong a score of 25.11.
A 25th spot for the coastal destination has ranked The Bellarine higher than Bordeaux, France (#49), Queenstown, New Zealand (#44) and Las Vegas, United States (#32).
“As we continue to work with our industry to build the brand of Geelong and The Bellarine and recover from the impacts of the pandemic, this recognition and positive buzz about the region will be really important,” said Ms Carter.
Geelong and The Bellarine is increasingly becoming known as a region of saltwater indulgences, enterprising local artisans, world-class food and wine and cultural experiences for all.
Tourism Sentiment Index conducted an intensive study of its data – more than 1.6 billion online conversations and content pieces publicly available about 21,330 global destinations – to identify the 100 Most Loved Destinations.
Tourism Sentiment Index is cutting-edge technology that applies the power of artificial intelligence to the challenge of deciphering sentiment from human expression.
This technology produces a novel metric for destination marketing: Tourism Sentiment Score®.
For inspiration on things to see and do in Geelong and The Bellarine, go to the Visit Geelong & The Bellarine website.
To see Geelong and The Bellarine and the other 98 Most Loved Destinations, visit the Tourism Sentiment Index website.
This article was originally published by Tourism Greater Geelong and The Bellarine.
