Murray Regional Tourism

What Murray Regional Tourism does

Murray Regional Tourism (MRT) is a non-profit, cross-border regional tourism organization founded in 2010 and headquartered in Echuca, Victoria, Australia. It operates as an officially designated Regional Tourism Organization (RTO) for 13 local government councils spanning Victoria and NSW, with funding from Victorian and NSW state tourism bodies (Visit Victoria, Destination NSW) and Regional Development Victoria. Its functional role is to coordinate cross-border destination marketing, deliver industry development programs, and advocate for tourism infrastructure investment across the Murray region.

MRT's core technology stack includes the Murray Digital Platform (launched 2015) connecting 8 destination websites with live booking capabilities, the Australian Tourism Data Warehouse (ATDW) integration distributing listings across 150+ partner sites, the Localis analytics dashboard (powered by Visa transaction spend, Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, TripAdvisor, and Skyscanner data) for partner councils, and Murray River Cameras providing real-time river condition monitoring via Microsoft Azure-hosted infrastructure. The organization runs a portfolio of marketing campaigns (Love The Murray, Murray Moments, Murray Sunsets, The Murray Best Shared, Mates of the Murray) and supports operators through training programs including the PR Accelerator, Tourism Awards Support, and the RTN Industry Strengthening Program.

MRT's business model is government-funded and member-supported. Revenue comes from state government core funding agreements, local government council contributions, and project-specific grants (e.g., $28M secured for Ports of the Murray River). Industry Partner membership for tourism operators is free, with services funded through the public funding base. The customer base is structurally dual: 13 local government councils as funders, and hundreds of regional tourism operators as service recipients under the freemium membership model. Strategic Plan 2024-2027 targets $3 billion in direct visitor expenditure and 8.17 million visitors by 2027.

Name

Murray Regional Tourism

Legal name

Murray Regional Tourism Board

Website

https://murrayregionaltourism.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Murray Regional Tourism is a cross-border, non-profit regional tourism organization founded in 2010, serving 13 local government councils across Victoria and NSW. It operates digital platforms, marketing campaigns, training programs, and data analytics to drive the Murray region's visitor economy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Tourism and Destination Marketing Services

NAICS

Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Other (4879), Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Land (487110), Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water (4872)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Permitting, Reservations & Visitor Information Services (Passes, Booking, Visitor Centers) (THAAAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Tourist & Scenic Ferry Services (THAEAGAE), Wetlands, Rivers & Freshwater Nature Tours (THAJAIAH), Community-Based & Indigenous Tourism Enablement (Local Ownership, Benefit-Sharing) (THAAANAI), Safety, Rescue & Emergency Services (SAR Support, Medical Stations, Risk Management) (THAAAGAH)

Keywords

• Regional tourism marketing
• Destination promotion services
• Tourism industry development
• Visitor economy support
• Cross-border tourism coordination

Headquarters

HQ city

Echuca

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations

Revenue model

1. Government Core Funding: Primary funding from Victorian and NSW state government tourism bodies. MRT receives core funding agreements to deliver regional tourism strategy, marketing campaigns, and industry development programs.
2. Grant Funding: Secures project-specific funding from government bodies for infrastructure initiatives. Ports of the Murray River project secured approximately $28 million in infrastructure investment across local governments with state and federal grant support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Murray Regional Tourism (MRT) is a cross-border regional tourism organization that delivers destination marketing campaigns, digital platforms (including Visit The Murray and the Murray Digital Platform), industry development programs, training, research data, and crisis management resources to grow the visitor economy across 13 local government council partners in Victoria and NSW. MRT supports tourism operators with marketing toolkits, ATDW listing distribution, PR training, awards coaching, and visitor analytics, while coordinating regional tourism strategy across two Australian states.

Product overview

Murray Regional Tourism (MRT) is a cross-border regional tourism organisation established in 2010, serving 13 local government partners across Victoria and NSW. MRT is not a technology product company but rather a membership-based regional tourism organisation whose 'products and services' consist of digital platforms, marketing programs, research tools, and industry development initiatives. The core consumer platform is Visit The Murray (visitthemurray.com.au), which is powered by the Murray Digital Platform — a 2015-built regional digital solution integrating ATDW listings and distributing them across 7 destination websites. MRT also provides the Localis Dashboard (powered by Visa, Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, TripAdvisor, Skyscanner, and mobility data) for partner councils. Key marketing campaigns include Love The Murray, Murray Moments (flood recovery), Murray Sunsets, The Murray – Best Shared, and Seasonal Campaigns. Industry development offerings include the PR Accelerator training program, Tourism Awards Support Program, Regional Tourism Industry Strengthening Program, ATDW listing support, Australian Tourism Accreditation Program, and crisis management resources. Tourism product development includes the Murray River Adventure Trail (1,040 km land / 1,390 km water) and the Ports of the Murray River initiative. MRT also publishes the Murray Region Fuel Intelligence Dashboard and a Tourism Research Data Hub with TRA visitation snapshots dating back to 2017.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Visit The Murray Primary consumer-facing website enabling visitors to discover attractions, events, and destinations across the Murray region; plan trips; and book accommodation. Content is automatically fed from ATDW listings across the Murray Digital Platform.
• Murray Digital Platform Regional digital platform connecting 7 destination websites (Albury Wodonga, Deniliquin, Gannawarra, Sun Country, Swan Hill, Greater Hume, Corowa) with live booking capabilities and ATDW integration.
• Australian Tourism Data Warehouse (ATDW) Listing Support Support service for Murray region tourism operators to create and manage ATDW listings distributed across 150+ partner sites including Visit Victoria, Visit NSW, and Australia.com.
• Localis Dashboard & Snapshot Reports Partnership with Localis providing partner councils with monthly Snapshot Reports and year-round access to a live dashboard tracking visitor spend, accommodation performance, mobility data, and flight insights.
• Murray River Cameras Live camera feeds from key Murray River locations providing real-time conditions including weather, river levels, and algae presence to reassure visitors and address misinformation.
• Murray Tourism PR Accelerator PR upskilling program for tourism operators including workshops, workbook, media release templates, media lists, and one-on-one mentoring for selected operators.
• Regional Tourism Industry Strengthening Program Practical training program covering marketing, PR, data, AI, and business operations for tourism businesses across the Murray region.
• Tourism Awards Support Program Program delivered with KO Tourism helping Murray region tourism businesses prepare competitive submissions for Victorian or NSW Tourism Awards, including mentoring and draft reviews.
• Australian Tourism Accreditation Program Program helping Murray region tourism operators achieve national accreditation standards and connect with recognised quality frameworks.
• Murray River Adventure Trail World-first multi-mode adventure trail extending from Lake Hume to Mildura Wentworth — 1,040 km land-based and 1,390 km water-based trail projected to attract 110,000 visitors annually and generate $12.8 million annual output.
• Ports of the Murray River (POMR) Strategic initiative covering nine key visitor port experiences from Albury Wodonga to Mildura Wentworth, with $28 million in infrastructure funding secured.
• Murray Region Fuel Intelligence Dashboard Real-time fuel price, supply status, and 14-day trend dashboard across all 13 partner councils, updating every 6 hours with regional pricing and station supply risk by LGA.
• Murray Region Tourism Research Data Hub Data hub providing Tourism Research Australia reports on domestic and international visitation, expenditure, and visitor behaviour across Murray destinations, including snapshot reports from YE March 2017 through YE December 2025.
• Crisis Management Resources Resources covering bushfire support, flood/high water management, blue-green algae, customer cancellation policies, airport security, fire danger ratings, and emergency information channels, including MRT's Crisis Management Plan.
• Murray Region Marketing Toolkit Centralised resource providing the Murray region's core marketing assets including regional brand guidelines, logo style guide, experience pillars summary, and target market documents.

Quantifiable outcome

• $3 billion direct visitor expenditure target by 2027
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration11 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Visit VictoriacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState tourism organization for Victoria, managing ATDW support team providing training webinars and enhancement sessions for ATDW profiles. Primary partner in cross-border tourism coordination.
• Destination NSWcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead government agency for NSW tourism and major events, operating Get Connected (NSW ATDW) program. Free membership for NSW registered tourism businesses and events.
• Destination Riverina Murray (DRM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional tourism organization partnership for cross-border collaboration, joint PR Accelerator program delivery, and Local Area Plans development.
• The Regional PR CosupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartnered with MRT and DRM to deliver Murray Tourism PR Accelerator workshops and mentoring program for tourism operators.
• KO TourismsupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDelivers Tourism Awards Support Program providing practical guidance, mentoring and feedback for businesses preparing award submissions.
• ExpediasupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerBooking conversion partnership as part of Murray Moments campaign to drive bookings to the region.
• WotifsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerBooking conversion partnership as part of Murray Moments campaign to drive bookings to the region.
• LocalissupportingTechnology or IntegrationRegional consultancy providing place-based data and economic insight. Delivers monthly Snapshot Reports and live dashboard access for MRT partner councils.
• 13 Local Government CouncilscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlbury City, Wodonga Council, Berrigan Shire, Campaspe Shire, Edward River Council, Federation Council, Gannawarra Shire, Greater Hume Shire, Moira Shire, Murray River Council, Swan Hill Rural City Council, Mildura Rural City Council, Wentworth Shire Council - 13 partner councils across Victoria and NSW.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Visit Victoria: State-level Destination Marketing Organisation for Victoria and one of MRT's primary funders. Operates as a broader portfolio body but directly enables MRT's regional marketing through ATDW and campaign alignment.
• Tourism Australia: National DMO that distributes Murray region ATDW listings via Australia.com. Operates one level above MRT in the Australian tourism hierarchy and sets the national marketing context for inbound demand.
• Destination NSW: State-level Destination Marketing Organisation for NSW and MRT's other primary funder. Operates the Get Connected (NSW ATDW) program and co-invests in cross-border campaigns with MRT.

Regional players

• Phillip Island Nature Parks: Victorian nature-based destination operator managing tourism, conservation and visitor services on Phillip Island. Comparable in nature-tourism product focus but operates as a single-destination manager rather than regional coordinator.
• Tourism Tropical North Queensland: Large Australian RTO operating in a different geography (Cairns/Great Barrier Reef region). Comparable in regional destination-marketing role but operates in a more internationally-oriented, nature-based market.

Direct peers

• Daylesford Macedon Ranges Tourism: Victorian RTO with comparable small-team, council-funded regional tourism mandate. Comparable in scale, governance model, and reliance on state-level tourism body support.
• Destination Riverina Murray: Neighbouring cross-border regional tourism organisation actively partnering with MRT on PR Accelerator, Local Area Plans, and joint programs. Closest comparable in mandate, governance structure, and cross-border scope.
• Tourism North East: Victorian Regional Tourism Organisation covering north-east Victoria with a comparable council-based governance model, marketing remit, and tourism development focus. Directly comparable in operating model.
• Visit Grampians: Victorian RTO covering the Grampians region with similar council partnership model, regional marketing scope, and adventure/nature tourism focus. Comparable in size and remit.
• Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism: Major Victorian RTO responsible for destination marketing and tourism development along the Great Ocean Road. Comparable in council-based mandate, marketing scope, and visitor information role.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks2 records

Key highlights3 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/visitthemurray
• Facebookfacebook.com/visitthemurray
• Instagraminstagram.com/visitthemurray
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/murray-regional-tourism

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Murray Regional Tourism