Christmas brings in the bucks again for Geelong

RESEARCH by the City of Greater Geelong has revealed the Christmas in Geelong program attracted 259,801 visitors last year, injecting an estimated $17.3 million into the local economy.

The program, which ran from November 10 to January 8, included the floating Christmas tree and City Hall projections, along with a number of other activities in central Geelong.

The floating Christmas tree generated 164,872 visits on its own, up from 128,490 in 2016.

Overall attendance was up from 216,050 in 2016.

Face-to-face and online surveys conducted by the city found that 97.3 per cent of visitors rated the floating Christmas tree as important or very important, while 92.9 per cent of respondents viewed the City Hall projections as important or very important.

In other survey results:

• 93 per cent of survey participants agreed they felt safe and welcome in central Geelong while participating in Christmas activities
• 92 per cent agreed they felt proud of central Geelong during the Christmas program
• 91 per cent agreed they enjoyed the vibrancy and activity in central Geelong during the Christmas program
• 83 per cent agreed they felt connected to people in the community when they participated in Christmas activities.

The floating Christmas tree is funded until January 7, and the city says assessments are under way to determine its long-term future.

The proposed 2018-19 council budget includes $10,000 for Christmas decorations on Pakington Street in Geelong West and $50,000 for decorations on High Street in Belmont.

The funding is aimed at helping to generate increased economic activity for traders on these prominent shopping strips during the festive season.

“Our Christmas program brings a lot of joy to the Geelong community, particularly the floating Christmas tree. Central Geelong is buzzing with people and activity during the festive season, providing a big boost for local traders during one of their most important periods,” Geelong mayor Bruce Harwood said.

These figures are very positive. They show Council’s yearly investment in the program has been returned many times over in terms of increased economic activity, and that it’s highly popular with the community.”