A leading Wagga tourism operator says increasing “curiosity” in the Riverina is paying dividends for the sector.
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The assessment of the region’s tourism performance comes as five operators are announced as finalists in the NSW Inland Tourism Awards.
Wagga-based Food I Am principal Tania Sibrey has heralded the recognition as a boon for the entire region.
The business has again collected a finalist spot in the awards. Last year, Food I Am won a gold gong and progressed to claim bronze in the larger NSW Tourism Awards.
Ms Sibrey attributed the nomination to increasing interest in the Riverina as a tourism destination.
“I really think the Riverina seems to be in the national media a lot more and is getting much more attention than it used to,” she said.
“It’s generating an increased curiosity about this region and what makes it so special.”
Ms Sibrey’s analysis of Riverina tourism is bound to be "music to the ears” of the region’s tourism decision-makers, who have attempted to promote a whole-of-region visitation strategy in recent years.
The latest venture is a multi-council smartphone application, known as “My Appventure”, that collates Riverina tourism destinations in “one-stop-shop” for the travelling market.
The app development is in line with the favoured tourism strategy of the Regional Tourism Network, which stresses the importance of creating an “experience” for tourists.
Ms Sibrey said already tourists want to know the next Riverina destination after Wagga.
“They are really interested in what is happening elsewhere in the region and where next they should visit,” she said.
“So we should really play to that.”
Other finalists for the awards included the Griffith Visitor Information Centre, BIG4 Deniliquin, Lockhart Sculpture and Heritage Trail and Lockhart’s Greens Gunyah Museum.
It is the first time the museum, run by the Lockhart and District Historical Society (LDHS), has entered the awards.
"It is very exciting, we were shocked (to be finalists) but we were very hopeful," LDHS president Heather Trevaskis said. “We are hopeful to come away with an award but we are up against other organisations who have been doing it for years."
The awards are held on July 25 in Broken Hill.