The economic impact of the Bendigo Blues & Roots Music Festival
Economic impact statements and passionate musicians are not phrases you often see in the same sentence. However, our friends at the Greater City of Bendigo have forwarded us some interesting data that makes very impressive reading.
Apart from 100s of artists appearing in around 30 venues over four days entertaining thousands of people, just what are the benefits of the Bendigo Blues & Roots Music Festival to the city? Well, in purely economic terms we now know.
The City of Greater Bendigo’s Economic Development Unit sent Festival Director Colin Thompson their four page “Economic Activity Analysis” report for the 2013 festival. However, for those of us who zone-out or get the jitters when numbers, ratios, quotas and percentages get thrown together the basics are these:
• Around 5000 people attended the festival, 42% from outside the region.
• 30% of visitors stayed an average of two nights.
• The festival had a direct benefit of $481,000.
• The additional flow-on effects come to $436,000, meaning a total overall economic benefit of $917,000.
• Long-term, with the impact on tourism, this will lead to the creation of an estimated five jobs locally.
It’s great to learn that a still relatively young and fledgling festival is having such a positive economic impact in Bendigo as well as its undoubted impact on culture and entertainment.
