Discover Your Own Backyard TOOLKIT

This second edition of the Discover Your Own Backyard (DYOB) Toolkit has been developed in partnership with Local Government across Melbourne.

It is a testament to the evolution of tourism across Melbourne and the shared vision of Local Government professionals who can see the value that visitors bring to their municipalities.

Discover Your Own Backyard has revolutionised the way councils relate to tourism and represents a new strategy for generating social and economic wellbeing.

During 2011 and 2012, twelve councils discovered their backyards. They embraced the idea that a council’s most precious tourism asset is in their own backyard of attractions, precincts, views, identities and most importantly, residents and business operators.

The Visiting Friends and Relatives market offers councils an enormous opportunity to make the most of what you have. By focussing on the aspects of community life that support both the liveability and visitability, Local Government can create synergies that deliver meaningful results in their municipalities.

This DYOB toolkit is the proven recipe book for success. Destination Melbourne published the first edition in April 2011. It shows just how quickly a successful idea can grow and develop. Just over one year later, we are publishing a second edition.

Building on the success of the past two years, Destination Melbourne now has a website dedicated to Discover Your Own Backyard and the experiences on offer across Melbourne. Every Melbourne council has a landing page on the website www.dyob.com.au

The relationship between Destination Melbourne and Local Government is built on mutual respect. We believe that by ‘Playing it Forward’ and ‘Looking after the Neighbours’ we can help tourism thrive in Melbourne and Victoria.

We provide this toolkit for free. The knowledge was gathered through a collaborative process and we want people to use it.

If you want to tap into tourism and find this toolkit a source of inspiration, please feel welcome to contact us at Destination Melbourne. We offer consulting and project management support to a number of Councils across Melbourne.

We also understand the challenges and opportunities faced by Local Government and have the enthusiasm and expertise to help you turn your next tourism project into a winner.