City cashes in on events

TOWNSVILLE’S economy is set for a multi- million- dollar boost this weekend as the city hosts a number of major events.

Townsville Enterprise executive manager tourism and events Bridget Woods said this weekend was one of the “pivotal weekends” for the city when it came to hosting events.

“This weekend is an important one in terms of the number of people that visit the city because of the events held here,” she said. “It’s a fantastic mix of cultural and sporting events.”

Some of the events held in Townsville include the Austra- lian Festival of Chamber Music, Strand Ephemera, the pop- up North Queensland arts festival, the Townsville Cup and the Magnetic Island to Townsville Open Water Swim.

Also, nearly 400 delegates will descend on the city for the Australian Labor Party State Conference, which is expected to inject $ 350,000 into the local economy. Ms Woods said the chamber music festival alone generated over 10,000 room nights for the region during the 10- day event.

“We know that the average person attending an event in Townsville from out of the region injects about $ 254. That’s the economic impact of event visitors,” she said.

Mecure Inn hotel manager Steve Wellsteed said the most successful weekends of the year for the accommodation industry were event driven.

“The more events and the more strategically timed events the higher the visitation is,” he said. “July and August are, though, traditionally very strong months of the year.”

Townsville Chamber of Commerce president Troy Popham said many businesses in the city had already experienced an influx of visitors.

Townsville Mayor Jenny Hill said events such as Strand Ephemera and the Australian Festival of Chamber Music were amazing ways to showcase Townsville.