AusLeisure

​Tourism injected $814 million into the Albury-Wodonga economy during 2017 according to a newly released survey.

The 2017 Albury Wodonga Visitor Economy Trends (AWVET) revealed the important role tourism played in the community with an extra $72 million added into the Border economy in 2017.

As reported by local newspaper The Border Mail, 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.

Events - such as Australian Country Junior Basketball Cup, Australian Dragon Boat Championships and last November’s Midnight Oil concert - played a significant role in the spending.

Midnight Oil’s sold-out concert at Gateway Lakes in Wodonga attracted 12,000 fans with people coming from as far away as Melbourne.

Commenting on the findings, Wodonga Mayor Anna Speedie stated “tourism continues to be a significant sector for Albury-Wodonga.

“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% 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.

He added “we’ve enjoyed a fantastic 23% increase in domestic overnight visitor trips to Albury-Wodonga.

“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.” 

Image: Murray Art Museum Albury.

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