Despite a high number of tourists during summer to date, local business fortunes have been mixed.
Swan Hill Inc. marketing co-ordinator Julie Wiggins said the Swan Hill Information Centre had just over 12,000 enquires between October and December last year.
“2016 (tourism numbers) were slightly up on previous years,” she said.
Lolly Arcade co-owner Gaylene King said trade at her shop had “quietened down at the moment” despite a high number of tourists in town.
“January is usually a pretty quiet month for us,” she said.
“During the heat people just don’t want to go shopping.
“But there have been quite a few tourists coming in which is great because it means tourists are wanting to come to Swan Hill.”
Jilarty cafe owner Brett Mimmo said trade had been very consistent.
“There have been a lot of tourists in town,” Mr Mimmo said.
“All the bakeries were closed over the Christmas break so we picked up a lot of business from them,” he said
Mr Mimmo said tourism would grow in Swan Hill if more business owners stayed open during the town’s busiest time of year.
“If everybody in town stayed open over the break, the town would be a lot better off tourism-wise,” he said.
“I understand how expensive it can be to pay holiday rates but it would be good for Swan Hill to stay open.”
To read more about this story, grab a copy of Wednesday’s Guardian (January 25).
