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WHILE the Challenge event on November 23 “did not run smoothly”, Great Lakes Council tourism manager Richard Old said he was confident it would bring an economic benefit to the area.
The more than 1000 competitors from the day’s event have been surveyed to find out where they came from, how long they stayed, how many people they brought with them and other activities they did while in the Great Lakes (shopping, visiting eateries or exploring out of town).
Mr Old said this standard survey was carried out for every major event for the area, and would measure the economic benefit for the Great Lakes of hosting the Challenge, which has approval to be staged for another four years.
“Anecdotal feedback is telling us that restaurants and coffee shops in Forster’s CBD had a busy Saturday night and an even busier Sunday morning,” he said.
He said, while the road blocks meant restricted access to areas outside Forster on Sunday afternoon, athletes were encouraged to explore by information provided in their race packs, emails in the lead-up to the event, and fliers.
Mr Old said getting data on the economic benefits of events such as the Challenge were important in making sure there was a positive balance between the disruption caused and the pluses for the community and economy.