Confirmation this week of the Red Hot Summer Tour's 2023 Mildura venue was a valuable step in the region's events-led recovery from the Murray River floods according to Mildura Mayor Liam Wood.
It was confirmed on Wednesday that the first of three Red Hot Summer Tours in Mildura would be held at the Mildura Recreation Reserve in March this year in the wake of flood impacts to original venue Nowingi Place.
"While the event was never in doubt, it's great to see a venue confirmed and promotion continuing for what is such an important event for our region as we continue to recover from the impacts of Murray River flooding," Cr Wood said.
"Our tourism sector was among the worst hit by the flood, which came at what would normally be one of our region's busiest times of the year in terms of visitor numbers, leading to just a fraction of the tens of thousands we would normally welcome.
"Our ability to attract and successfully host large-scale events, reinforced last year with a string of high-profile major sporting and music events, including the massive Kings of Leon performance, will be central to our economic recovery.
"As was proven in 2022 with the SummerSalt festival in March, which attracted about 4,000 people, and Kings of Leon later in the year with between 10,000 and 15,000, these types of events are major drawcards for visitors, and not just from nearby towns. We had visitors from metropolitan areas well.
"These visitors spend money on accommodation, on dining out, in our retail sector, our small businesses and our tourism operators, such as paddleboat operators, which are about to get underway again.
"The timing of this news couldn't be better as we work hard to crank up our economy again leading into the traditionally busy Easter period."
Cr Wood said while the economic benefits of major events such as the Red Summer Tour were a given, they also played an important role in the region's social recovery.
"We know from working with our partner agencies in the recovery process that there are quite a few people in our region doing it tough at the moment as a result of the stresses caused by the flood event," the Mayor said.
"Providing a chance for our community to come together and let their hair down while taking in some of the biggest music acts in the country is a great way to help in this regard."
