Businesses rejoice as $107 million spent in bumper summer for Warrnambool

Many of those tourists flocked to Flagstaff Hill where numbers reached a five-year high.

From December 26 to January 26, a total of 11,182 entered its gates, more than 1500 up on the previous year across the same period (9608).

That's in comparison to 10,066 from 2020-2021, 9751 (2019-2020) and 9165 (2018-2019).

The city council's latest Spendmapp data also indicated those visitors spent big while in town.

The total local spend across December was $107.21 million, an increase of four million from the previous year.

The retail and hospitality industries made up for most of that spending.

The largest of the spend ($20.7 million) was splurged on dining and entertainment.

Images Restaurant Cafe And Cocktail Bar owner Jonathan Dodwell said it had been a "very busy" summer.

"It's been an excellent season," he said.

"I can't complain at all. Overall it's been better than pre-pandemic levels.

"I found it started to happen when Melbourne opened back up in about October 2021 and from then on we've been flying along quite nicely, really.

"Last summer was an absolute ripper because everyone was coming out of lockdown and this year has been just as good.

"Let's just hope this continues because it's been better than ever.

"Warrnambool's going really well at the moment."

The second largest spend ($18.3 million) was reported in grocery stores and supermarkets, while $12 million was spent on general retail.

That's a figure which has bucked the national trend.

According to a report released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics late last month, retail turnover fell 3.9 per cent in December 2022.

Two retail stores on Liebig Street closed during the month - Southern Country and Phones & Photos.

But such was the overall urge to spend that visitors also splashed $11.7 million on specialised and luxury goods, which is classified as hobby stores and sporting goods retailers as well as merchants selling luggage and leather, stationery, cosmetics, books, art, watches and jewellery.

A further $8.9 million was spent on specialised food retailing which entailed money spent at speciality food shops, bakeries, convenience stores, butchers and liquor outlets.

Meanwhile, a further $8 million was injected into the city after more than 30,000 people were estimated to have attended the Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic over the three-day event.

Speedway Australia chief executive officer Darren Tindal said that was about $1 million more than average.

He said the turnout for the 50^th anniversary event was "just staggering".

Member for Wannon Dan Tehan said he'd spoken with Speedway Australia and would work with the peak body and all levels of government to future-proof the facility, which was only expected to grow.

"We now do need to look as to whether the facility needs to be expanded given the growth we're seeing," he said.

Mr Tindal told The Standard he'd heard some accommodation venues had already started to book out for 2024, when the event was estimated to generate $10 million.

"Next year in Warrnambool is going to be crazy I can tell you because the week after the Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic will be the Australian Sprintcar Title and a week later you've got the Classic," he said.

It comes as most accommodation providers reported they had no vacancy early in the peak tourist period.

The Standard was contacted by a number of visitors to the city concerned about the cost of some motels being significantly higher than in previous years.

Cheaper options, including caravan parks, were full.

Latest data showed the total number of guest nights booked (calculated per guest) at council-owned caravan parks between December 26 and January 29 was 89,855, similar to pre-pandemic levels.

Warrnambool mayor Debbie Arnott said a full calendar of events contributed to the boom.

"Warrnambool is a fantastic place to be at any time of the year, but in summer, it's almost magical," she said.

"To have great beaches, playgrounds and walking trails along the foreshore, plus all of the conveniences of a large regional city - it's not a combination you can find anywhere else in Victoria and it makes Warrnambool an ideal place for a summer holiday.

"There was a full calendar of events, so there was always something to do, and attendees at Flagstaff Hill were at a five-year high.

"To have so many visitors in the city is obviously great for our economy too and the summer period is an especially important time for many local businesses, especially those in the tourism and hospitality industries."

Annual summer carnival organiser Trent Woodall said he didn't believe the large crowds observed at his event were a "one-off" turnout.

"It was really good, it was far better than a normal year," Mr Woodall said. "The numbers were definitely up and there were big crowds. I think since COVID people have changed their attitude to travel and they're looking internally and regionally.

"A lot of people discovered Warrnambool and while they might not have had a choice in the beginning, they definitely fell in love with it.

"It's just got so much to do in summer - not just the carnival - but there's everything from the beaches and all the outdoor activities, the market on a Friday, the mini golf. I think it's a good trend and I don't think it's going to be a one-off. It's the new normal, hopefully."

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