Mudgee and the Mid-Western Region is bucking a trending state-wide downturn in overnight visitors.
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A report by Tourism Accommodation Australia (TAA) NSW reveals regional NSW’s share of the state’s visitor nights has fallen about five per cent.
The TAA said many regional accommodation operators have been struggling in recent years, and have the potential to slip back even further without government investment in regional tourism and infrastructure.
But Mudgee Region Tourism CEO Cara George said the figures are not indicative of the situation in the Mid-West where international overnight, domestic overnight and domestic daytrip visitors had jumped by 18,000 between 2012 and 2013.
She said statistics from Destination NSW (DNSW) show a steady incline in overnight and day trip visitors to the region.
“The recent TAA paper addresses the poor performance of the regional accommodation sector, however this is indicative of a much broader regional area,” Ms George said.
“It’s great to see that Mudgee Region continues to grow and develop, which is evidenced by expanding tourism assets and an upward trend in overnight and daytrip visitors.”
She said according to DNSW statistics, staying at a friend or relative’s property is on par with staying at a hotel, resort, motel or motor inn (each making up 33 per cent of overall room nights).
From its four year annual average of the region ending in September 2013, overnight visitor numbers totaled 316,000, spending $113 million, staying 859,000 nights.
“Our primary market is the adult couple (31 per cent), which the Mudgee region caters for extremely well,” Ms George said.
“From the luxury of establishments such as Horizon and Perry Street to a selection of affordable and welcoming caravan parks, the Mudgee Region caters to a wide audience. Additionally, the experiences on offer invite the visitor to escape the city and indulge in Mudgee country, to ‘reset their senses’ so to speak.”
Mudgee Region Tourism is undergoing a brand refresh including a strategic marketing plan for the next two years to target a continued increase in overnight visitation and spend, benefiting all tourism related (and a variety of non-tourism specific) businesses in the region, Ms George said.
