TOURISM has injected an extra $72 million into the Albury-Wodonga economy over 12 months, a new survey reveals.
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The 2017 Albury Wodonga Visitor Economy Trends (AWVET) revealed the the important role tourism played in the community with about $814 million added into the Border economy in 2017.
The survey found a total of 791,000 people visited Albury-Wodonga during 2017 while domestic visitor nights increased by 110,000, which was representative of a combined 1.58 million nights stayed.
Wodonga Council mayor Cr Anna Speedie welcomed the tourism boost.
She said events such as Australian Country Junior Basketball Cup, Australian Dragon Boat Championships and Midnight Oil concert were a real boon for the two cities.
Midnight Oil performed in front of 12,000 fans at Gateway Lakes in Wodonga on November 3. People came from as far away as Temora and Melbourne for the sold-out show.
“Tourism continues to be a significant sector for Albury-Wodonga,” Cr Speedie said.
“Our events attracted a combined total of 193,230 people, and of these, 86,481 were day or overnight visitors.
“Albury-Wodonga events attracted more than 193,000 people in 2017 and generated an estimated $68.54 million.”
The survey also revealed that tourists were increasingly engaging with online platforms both before and during their visits to the Border.
It found there were 151,243 unique visitors using the Visit Albury-Wodonga website in 2017. This was up 123 per cent on the previous year.
Albury City mayor Kevin Mack said the findings have shown that the Murray and Murray East regions, of which Albury-Wodonga formed a part, was now the sixth highest domestic visitation destination when ranked among other Victorian and NSW regions.
“We’ve enjoyed a fantastic 23 per cent increase in domestic overnight visitor trips to Albury-Wodonga,” Cr Mack said.
“When you consider that the average domestic overnight visit injects $177 into the local economy and the average domestic day visitor spends $169, it becomes clear that our booming tourism sector is a powerful boost to local businesses and the community in general.
“We’ve always provided a rewarding and vibrant tourism experience but the rise in visitor numbers shows that we really do have something special to offer, and our community is reaping the benefits.”
A full copy of the Albury Wodonga Visitor Economy Trends can be viewed on both the Wodonga Council website and the AlburyCity website.
