The Melbourne Tourism Industry Leadership Program (MTILP) was recognised for its contribution to tourism industry development at RACV 2012 Victorian Tourism Awards.

Taking top honours in the William Angliss Institute Award for Tourism Education and Training at the gala event on 19 November, MTILP was among over 150 tourism initiatives competing in 27 categories.

“We are proud to be equipping the next generation of leaders with the passion, drive and skills to take the industry to the next level,” Denise Castro, Industry Development Manager, Destination Melbourne said of their flagship industry development program.

“We have a vision for collective and sustainable leadership, and the program is specially designed to provide practical learning and strengthen succession management and entrepreneurship within the industry,” said Castro, who also picked up the industry Young Achiever Encouragement Award.

Now in its fourth year (2012), MTILP provides industry-specific leadership training by bringing together diverse groups of people, ranging from small business operators to public sector managers, in an ‘in situ training’ environment that facilitates networking and mentoring by industry leaders.

MTILP was developed from the highly successful Gippsland Tourism Industry Leadership Program (GTILP), established in 2006. Under the stewardship of Chris Buckingham, former Gippsland Tourism General Manager and now Destination Melbourne (DML) CEO, GTILP set the benchmark for tourism leadership programs in Australia. In 2011, Tourism Industry Leadership programs were also launched by Goulburn River Valley Tourism and High Country Tourism in regional Victoria. The strategic advice provided by DML to its regional counterparts has been critical to their program development, with each adapted to suit the operating environment of its region.

The program has demonstrated significant positive impact on participants and the visitor industry. In May 2012, DML and Victoria University conducted a longitudinal survey of MTILP graduates to measure long-term career outcomes, finding 89% have remained in the industry.

“Watching people fulfil their dreams of making a difference in the tourism industry is one of the most rewarding aspects of working on the program,” said Mel Neil, a consultant with The Langley Group who facilitates the program in Victoria and has built cutting edge leadership theory into the curriculum.
“This program has the potential to become the benchmark industry development program nation-wide,” said Neil. As a Victorian Awards-winner, MTILP will be a finalist in the Qantas Australian Tourism Awards in Hobart in February 2013.

“We are looking to partner with tourism organisations throughout Australia who want to play an active role in facilitating leadership from industry to regional levels and would like to benefit from our experience. We have a range of funding and delivery models that will enable the Tourism Industry Leadership Program to be successfully adapted to suit different regions.”