Mildura’s COVID exposure is a mixed blessing

Mildura Regional Development chief executive Brett Millington said there were “pros and cons” for the local tourism industry in the wake of the unwanted national exposure.

“If you think about the number of times that Mildura has been mentioned in the national media, (the exposure) has been significant,” he said.

“If you want to look for the silver lining in this, it is that people are more aware of the situation we’ve been in because it’s been elevated at a national scale of media.

“So people may be prepared to come here to support Mildura in its recovery.”

Mr Millington said there was tourism industry analysis to show this week’s local COVID battle “may not deter people from coming here”.

“The real indication from the data that was presented to the Victorian tourism industry conference earlier this year was that people aren’t scared of catching COVID while they are travelling,” he said.

“Instead, they were more scared of being trapped in places because of lockdowns.

“This may have changed a bit because of the Delta variant, but that data is still important to take into consideration.

“Our community has responded well to this week’s challenge, and this will have also been recognised on the national stage.”