Awards flow to central Victoria

CENTRAL Victoria has announced itself as the top place to travel following the announcement of recent accolades.

At Victoria’s Top Tourism Town Awards Bendigo received the highest honour, winning gold among cities with a population of over 5000.

Echuca won silver in the same category, while Heathcote was awarded bronze in the Top Small Tourism Towns, for localities with populations between 1500 and 5000.

Mount Macedon won the top tiny tourism town award, a new category this year.

City of Greater Bendigo mayor Cr Andrea Metcalf said the awards demonstrate the importance of tourism to central Victorian communities.

“Our visitor economy has roared back to life, with our Elvis: Direct from Graceland exhibition leading the charge to draw people back to our region,” she said.

“Over many years the City of Greater Bendigo and the local industry have worked hard to build our arts and culture brand and it is wonderful to see these efforts rewarded again.

“We are delighted that people have found Bendigo and Heathcote to be such wonderful and memorable places to visit, and I could not be prouder of the way our local business community has rallied to warmly welcome people back as pandemic restrictions have eased.

“Tourism is so important to us, and we have an amazing and passionate local industry of hospitality, accommodation, attraction, marketing, and other professionals that are wonderful ambassadors for our region. These awards are a win for everyone that contributes to this critical part of our economy.”

Bendigo will now compete at the national tourism town awards, expected to be announced in the next few months.

Elsewhere in the region, awards were also received by the Bendigo Visitor Centre and the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion.

Both sites won Travellers’ Choice awards from Tripadvisor, with the recommendation website placing them in the top rated 10 per cent of listings.