Victorians are being encouraged to take a break in their home state as part of a multi-million-dollar campaign to back our local tourism industry – and the thousands of jobs it supports.

The Stay Close, Go Further campaign will promote Victoria across multiple platforms – television, print, radio, digital and social – as the state prepares to further ease restrictions from 11:59pm tonight.

From tonight, Victorians will be able to travel between regional Victoria and Melbourne, while accommodation will open across the state for holidays.

As part of the campaign, advertisements will run across the state from tonight, highlighting the creativity, culture and unique offering of Victoria and its people.

The campaign showcases Victorian makers and creators in some of the regions hit hardest by the summer bushfires and global pandemic, including Gippsland and the High Country. Other locations, including the Great Ocean Road and the Grampians, will be featured in coming weeks.

Visit Victoria is working with regional tourism boards across the state to help spread the message and encourage more Victorians to explore their own backyard.

The new initiative complements Click for Vic, which encourages Victorians to buy local and support Victorian businesses and jobs. The campaign, supported by an $8.5 million boost by the Victorian Government in September, has helped many businesses stay afloat and prepare to welcome visitors again.

More than 70 per cent of people surveyed by Visit Victoria said the Click for Vic campaign made them look forward to visiting regional Victoria and Melbourne once it was safe to do so.

Last year the domestic overnight intrastate market was worth $9 billion, larger than both interstate overnight and international overnight markets.

The Stay Close, Go Further campaignwill encourage more Victorians to experience everything our state has to offer, as our visitor economy makes steady steps towards recovery.