Figures from the Albury Wodonga Visitor Economy Trends report estimated the direct and indirect impact of more than 2,400,000 day visitors, domestic overnight and international visitor nights.

Albury and Wodonga Councils praised the results, saying they highlighted the Border’s diverse range of attractions and year-round appeal.

Last year 197,647 people attended special events, generating about $47.47 million in economic activity.

The top money spinners included the Australian Polocrosse National Championships ($8 million), Australian Country Junior Basketball Cup ($4.2 million), Chryslers on the Murray ($3 million), Country Tennis Week ($2.3 million) and the LambEx conference ($2 million).

Polocrosse championships event secretary Elissa Koch said at least 5000 people attended the titles in April 2016, with many staying for two weeks.

“They travel from all over Australia, quite literally,” she said. “So they bring with them their horse truck, their support vehicles, their horses, their kids, their grandparents.”

Visitation to the Border remained relatively stable all year, each quarter accounting for between 22 and 27 per cent of the total.

Wodonga acting mayor Danny Lowe said this balance benefited the local economy.

“There’s towns not too far from us actually that boom in summer and do nothing in winter and that’s really hard for businesses when you’ve got such fluctuations,” he said.

Albury mayor Kevin Mack said attracting special events continued to be a council focus.

“It’s encouraging to see that the figures are improving and it does give strength to the accommodation market,” he said.

Thirty-one per cent of domestic overnight visitors came from Melbourne and 24 per cent from NSW areas other than Sydney. Adult couples formed 36 per cent of the travel groups, followed by sole travellers (31 per cent). For 67 per cent of domestic overnight travellers, Albury-Wodonga was the sole destination of their trip. Day trippers spent an average of $177. Eighty-six per cent of visitors drove their cars to the Border, rather than travel by air (5 per cent) or any other way (9 per cent).