OVER the past year, tourism has played a major part in boosting the region and has injected more than $44M into the local economy. Throughout the 2018 year, 266 major events drew in big numbers, with 351,946 attending the events, of which 140,054 were visitors from outside the region who spent a total of 103,823 nights in local accommodation.
Greater Shepparton City Council Mayor, Cr Kim O’Keeffe said, “This year has seen Greater Shepparton go from strength to strength by hosting a range of different events. We have hosted events most weekends that have been very beneficial for our local businesses, community and visitors.
“The streets, parks and shops have been filled with visitors to the region as part of the events calendar, which has drawn more than 350,000 attendees throughout the year,” Cr O’Keeffe said.
Greater Shepparton City Council Director Sustainable Development, Geraldine Christou said hosting significant events had a flow on effect for the wider community.
“We are coming off the back of perhaps the busiest month of visitation weekends for Greater Shepparton, creating a boom for our accommodation, retail and hospitality industries,” Ms Christou said.
“Major recent events such as the Victorian State Netball Titles, Basketball Australia Under 14 Girls Club Championships, Australian Football Skools International Soccer Championships, Challenge Shepparton Triathlon, Victorian Open Bowls and the upcoming Junior Basketball Tournament are packing out the region which has seen more than 100,000 nights of accommodation generated this past year.
“Not only do these major events generate a growth of spending for our local businesses but they also bring jobs to the region, with this past year seeing 319 full time equivalent jobs supported by the major events program.”
