The number of people who stayed overnight in Ballarat has significantly jumped in a tourism boom for the city.
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There were 789,000 domestic overnight visitors to Ballarat in the 2016-17 financial year, up 21 per cent on the year before.
A rapid rise in longer stays has coincided with day visitors also spending more money while in the city.
The Mallow Hotel owner Dallas Robb said he had seen an increase in patronage when during major events.
“You have a lot of money being spent on billboards in Melbourne to push Ballarat and ultimately I think businesses benefit from that,” he said.
“The basketball tournament or south street, even when the Bulldogs played here in Ballarat, there seemed to be an increase in out of towners.
“The David LaChappelle event at the museum attracted a massive amount of people to Ballarat, which was great because he is a world-renowned photographer, so that was a massive coup.”
Day visitors spent $231 million at an average of $118 per trip last year.
Fifty-one per cent of those visitors said eating out at restaurants or cafe’s was a primary activity while in Ballarat.
Visit Ballarat chairman Sarah Beaumont said the statistics showed tourism’s value was not underestimated.
“As more and more people discover what Ballarat has to offer, so too do they spend more money at our cafes, eateries, accommodation providers and major attractions,” she said.
“This leads to the overall growth and health of Ballarat’s visitor economy, and is definitely cause for celebration.
“We have hosted major events and festivals including the Winter Festival, Archibald Prize, our Summer of Sound, the inaugural White Night and Restaurant Ballarat.”
Ms Beaumont said the events had attracted “tens of thousands” of visitors to contribute to a healthier, more robust community
The recent Visit Ballarat statistics also showed younger people were starting to find the city more attractive as a destination .
Visit Ballarat said in a media release the extra numbers were in part due to Visit Victoria’s latest campaign in Melbourne.
“The strong growth was a result of industry and government partnerships, with Visit Ballarat and other Regional Tourism Boards,” the release said.