New-look visitor guide and tourism partner program launched

Wagga's newest collaborative approaches to tourism were officially launched last night.

More than 100 Wagga tourism and entertainment operators came together to celebrate the launch of the Wagga Tourism Partner Program and the Wagga Wagga + Surrounds Visitor Guide.

The tourism program and guide offer a combined approach to encouraging and enabling tourism in the region, Manager Economic Development and Visitor Economy Richie Robinson said.

"The Wagga Tourism Partner Program enables more effective promotion of Wagga and the region allows operators and Council to work together to build a sustainable tourism industry," Mr Robinson said.

"It gives local businesses a platform to market their product and experience through the city's official visitor guide, the Visit Wagga website and the See Riverina smart phone app."

The new-look visitor guide is a 112-page publication featuring 80 tourism operators, including business, individual and industry listings, which showcases Wagga and the region and aims to boost visitation to the city.

The easy-to-carry A5 size guide also has maps of the region, shares stories from locals, and gives an overview of the city, including location, events, sights and day trip options. Copies are available at the Wagga Wagga Visitor Information Centre.

The program and guide are part of The City of Wagga Wagga's strategy to enrich tourism in the region. Other projects that work towards this goal are Riverside at Wagga Wagga Beach, the Marrambidya Wetlands, an expansion of the terminal at Wagga Wagga Airport and the multi-purpose stadium at the Exhibition Centre.

Annually, about 1.3M tourists choose Wagga as a destination for short or long stays for work or leisure and spend about $340M at local businesses.

"Wagga already has great visitor numbers. Our aim now is to work with those who represent and market Wagga locally, nationally and internationally and make our city an even more attractive destination for visitors," Mr Robinson said.

To join the Wagga Tourism Partner Program or to find out more visit, www.visitwagga.com/partners.