Businesses keen to explore Wintery Opportunities
Published on 24 January 2024
About 30 businesses attended a Bathurst Winter Festival consultation session at the Bathurst Rail Museum to get a first-hand look at how businesses can make the most of the festival and leverage the increased visitation to the region.
Deputy Mayor Cr Ben Fry said the evening was hosted by Council’s economic development and events teams to provide insights, guidance, support and advice for local business operators keen to maximise their involvement and returns from the Winter Festival.
“Last night’s workshop is about consultation and communication. Council wanted to give business owners and operators an insight into the festival; who attends, where they are from and the opportunities this provides for businesses in the region.”
“We had a great mix of businesses attend, from accommodation outlets, hospitality, retail, community groups and local churches.”
“The 2023 Winter Festival had more than 73,000 people attend the event across the two weeks of the July school holidays. Almost three-quarters of these visitors were from outside the 2795 region. This presents an opportunity for our local business community to tap into valuable tourism dollars.”
The event also included a brainstorming session, giving businesses a chance to share ideas and help develop festival-themed initiatives. Cr Fry says the more businesses we have supporting events and initiatives adds to the fabric of the festival and encourages visitors to stay longer and see more.
“The most recent evaluation shows that the total economic value created from the Winter Festival is $13.76 million to the local economy.”
“Bathurst is an event-driven city, boasting an incredibly diverse calendar of events every year – truly something for everyone. Our businesses are geared up for tourism, and often rely on visitors for economic boosts throughout the year. The more we can build on the festival by working with local businesses, the more we can grow this figure, and that benefits the entire community,” Cr Fry said.
If local businesses want to know more about the festival, how to get involved, or information presented at the session, reach out to the events team at events@bathurst.nsw.gov.au.