Program to cultivate pride in the Riverina

ACROSS the Riverina businesses are gearing up to be part of a tourism program aimed at fostering pride in the region.Riverina Regional Tourism's (RRT) Riverina Ambassador Rewards Program is about to be launched, with about 50 business signing up to be a part of it.The program involves businesses offering deal and discounts to Riverina residents, which can be redeemed when they bring visiting friends and family to the businesses.Meetings have been held throughout the Riverina over the past three weeks to explain the program to tourism and business operators.RRT publicity officer Linda Tillman said she was pleased with the number of business which had shown an interest in the program."A lot of people didn't understand how it worked at first, but the meetings have pushed them onboard," she said."We are pushing for local businesses to join to get as many discounts as we can for residents."The program is based on a system in the Southern Highlands, but the size of the Riverina region means it will run on a larger scale.Ms Tillman said while the program was not new, it was unique given the number of towns and local government areas it would cover.RRT hopes the program will encourage Riverina residents to become ambassadors for local towns and take visitors around the region, as opposed to taking them to other areas for day trips."The idea is for locals to be proud of local businesses," Ms Tillman said."We want residents to be ambassadors who are proud of the Riverina."