WAGGA mayor Greg Conkey has written to accommodation centres to express his disappointment after instances of 'price gouging' in the lead-up to the city hosting touch football's Junior State Cup Southern Conference this week.
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The three-day event, which begins at Jubilee Park on Friday, will attract almost 10,000 people, with motels in the city and surrounding towns stretched to the limit.
However a minority have taken advantage by hiking their prices, and Conkey has made his disappointment known as council looks to renew its current three-year contract to host the event when it expires in 2021.
"I've written to all the accommodation houses last week and I pointed out it's a great event for the city and they should be mindful of the fact," Conkey said.
"It's a period of time where there's normally low accommodation rates and it certainly has been disappointing to hear that there's been a handful, and I stress only a handful, of accommodation houses in this city that have taken advantage and have not only inflated their rates, but put on other strict conditions such as a minimum four night stay.
"That's disappointing from where I sit and I've written to all the accommodation houses in town expressing my disappointment, and I've received positive feedback from the vast majority that are not price gouging."
NSW Touch Association general manager Dean Russell believes the number of participants playing in the carnival has justified the decision to take the event to Wagga.
Wagga City Council is keen to extend the partnership, which will be looked at more closely in the lead-up to the third and final installment next year.
"We're really pleased with the way the council has presented the venue once again. They've done the extra yards and noticeable work has gone into the venue, and the field presented are amazing.
"This is year two and our normal process is prior to year three we'd go to tender, but so far everything has been really positive.
"There are some slight hiccups we are dealing with with council and we're really pleased with how they're trying to address some of those things with some of the accommodation houses,and it's not many.
"One of the key reasons to bring this event to Wagga was we felt going back three or four years that we were having a disconnect with the south east of the state.
"The pathways just weren't available because of the tyranny of distance, and I think the numbers are proving that the decision was right."
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