Visitors to the Eurobodalla Shire spent big during the past summer. Photo: Eurobodalla Shire Council.
After the Black Summer bushfires of 2019-2020, and the ensuing border closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic which all but cut off the region’s tourism industry for months, the NSW South Coast was overdue some good news.
That good news has now arrived in the form of the latest data from modelling app Spendmapp, which shows Eurobodalla Shire visitors spent big in the region during the past summer.
The data was made available to Eurobodalla Shire Council in April, and clearly shows spending was up not only on last year’s smoky season but on the summer before the bushfires, as well.
During the 2020-2021 summer period, the shire’s total spending was $270 million. Of this amount, $132 million was from visitors.
This compares to $201 million ($72 million from visitors) during the summer of 2019-2020, and $224 million ($110 million from visitors) during the summer of 2018-2019.
Spendmapp gives an accurate snapshot of the local economy by using bank data on actual expense transactions by location, time and industry. It also allows local government areas to compare their economy with that of other regions.
Eurobodalla Shire Council’s tourism manager, Tim Booth, said this news bodes well for local businesses.
“We’re also seeing strong growth with accommodation bookings through March and April so we are looking forward to seeing this data in the coming months,” he said.
The next focus will be on encouraging visitors from Canberra, Sydney, regional NSW and regional Victoria to continue visiting the South Coast throughout the cooler months ahead.
Events such as Narooma Oyster Festival and Goodnessgravel Mogo during May are also expected to be visitor drawcards.
Visit the Eurobodalla Tourism website for more information or to plan your upcoming trip.
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