Wagga's hoteliers and hospitality owners have enjoyed a "bonanza" weekend which brought thousands of people to major events.
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Visitors from all over Australia were among almost 10,000 people at the Gold Cup races on Friday, while graduates of the Kapooka army barracks held their ceremonial march, before 6600 people watched the Canberra Raiders and Newcastle Knights clash on Saturday.
Australian Hotels Association Wagga president David Barnhill said the city had experienced its busiest week of the year with possible "record numbers" of people out after months of coronavirus restrictions.
"It brings a lot of tourist dollars into town and people are looking for an opportunity to get out to regional areas and support local businesses," he said.
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Mr Barnhill said he would prefer to see the NRL match and Gold Cup held on different weekends to reduce people "scrambling for accommodation post-Gold Cup".
"From our perspective the business owners will take what we get. I don't know why they're on the same weekend but someone thinks it's a good reason. But we're not complaining," he said.
Mayor Greg Conkey said the economic boost from the doubling up of events had been "phenomenal" though he was "in two minds" about holding them on two separate weekends.
"After COVID I think it's a very welcome relief for our business community that flows onto the whole community. It's been fantastic," he said
Wagga Airbnb superhost Glen Oakman said most of his 22 short-stay properties had been booked out three months in advance for the Gold Cup, with visitors staying on for the Raiders game on Saturday.
"I think the combination worked well in terms of getting numbers to the football because numbers were already here. It would be interesting to hold it on a different weekend," he said.
Publican Sean O'Hara, who recently took over the Murrumbidgee Turf Club-adjacent Sporties Hotel, said about 400 people turned up on Friday night after the Gold Cup.
"I think it's great and they should actually try to get an AFL game on the Sunday, even if the league was in the afternoon and they had a night game of AFL as well," he said.
Junee Tourist Park manager Jody Elliott said most of her cabins were booked out a few months in advance, with people "coming for a bit of everything" and happy to stay outside of Wagga.
"Hopefully they visit a few of our things while they're here," she said.