Express MIDLAND
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Tuesday, February 16, 2021
Back B ack tto o tthe he courts courts After a difficult 2020, Kyneton Netball Association is looking forward to seeing local kids back on the netball courts. Pictured are Milla Beattie and Matilda O'Brien ready for the 2021 season. Photo: Tenylle Stringer Full story, page 39.
Helloooo... big spenders! COVID’s regional tourism windfall
Eve Lamb While COVID has crunched overseas and interstate travel plans for many Victorians, regional Victoria has just quietly been benefiting from a visitor boom. Local accommodation venues, dining venues, visitor attractions - and even local artists - have all been among those enjoying a financial uptick as Victorians have taken time out to holiday in their own state. Mount Alexander Shire began benefiting even before the state government implemented its regional travel voucher scheme, observed Aileen Walsh, customer services
manager at Castlemaine Visitor Information have been visiting." Centre. The trend now seems to be amplified by "Between November to the end of Januthe state's introduction in December of its ary 48 per cent of people who came into regional travel voucher scheme offering a our two visitor $200 reimbursecentres here ‘In January alone we’ve had almost ment for those in Castlemaine who spend $400 10,000 people just through this visitor on accommodaand at Maldon had never been tion or ticketed information centre’ here before," Ms visitor attracWalsh said. tions in a regional Victorian destination "Some of these people might normally and stay at least two nights. be spending their summers skiing in Austria "In January alone we've had almost so we've also been seeing a higher pro10,000 people just through this visitor inforpensity to spend money among those who mation centre," Ms Wash said.
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She said 60 per cent of those had been from Melbourne and 30 per cent from regional Victoria - while it was unclear where the remaining 10 per cent travelled from. Castlemaine's Buda Historic House and Gardens is one of the local ticketed venues to see the benefits. "All I know is that we've been having a hell of a lot more visitors," house curator Lauretta Zilles said. "It's been terrific for us." Buda's communications and admin manager Vivienne Hamilton said the stats for January told the story. Continued page 2.
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