Hospitality makes Bendigo a top town

BOOKING.com’s top ten most welcoming towns list has named Bendigo as its number eight.

The recognition was announced at the website’s Traveller Review awards. Western Australia’s Denmark and Margaret River, Queensland’s Hervey Bay and Rockhampton, and Victorian border town, Mildura were also celebrated.

City of Greater Bendigo tourism and major events manager Terry Karamaloudis said the acknowledgement highlights the region’s strong accommodation industry.

“This award is entirely due to the number of outstanding tourism operators we have in Bendigo,” he said.

“Congratulations to all of our hard-working accommodation providers who have undoubtedly had one of the hardest ever years.

“Being ranked in Australia’s top 10 most welcoming towns confirms what we already knew, which is that Bendigo has an outstanding tourism sector made up of really high quality and committed business owners, whether that is in retail, hospitality, experiences or accommodation.”

Towns vying for a spot on the top 10 list were only eligible if they had 50 accommodation providers, and if the venues were scored between eight and 10, on average, via booking.com.

Mr Karamaloudis said travellers enjoy Greater Bendigo even more when they get to experience the “quality” hospitality service on offer within the city.

“We are looking forward to 2021 being a better year for our tourism sector, and hope that lots more visitors can enjoy the Bendigo experience,” he said.