Overnight visitors to the Bendigo-Loddon region has increased by almost 20 per cent in the last year.
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Data from Tourism Research Australia shows 1.3 million domestic visitors stayed a night in the region in the year ending September, 2019.
In the same time period, 27,000 international visitors stayed in the region - an increase of 13 per cent over the past 12 months.
The Bendigo-Loddon region includes City of Greater Bendigo, Central Goldfields Shire, Mount Alexander Shire and the Loddon Shire.
City of Greater Bendigo Tourism and Major Events Manager Terry Karamaloudis said the figures were positive news for the tourism industry.
"It's really pleasing to see the number of overnight visits increasing in domestic and international," he said.
"Words spreads about good experiences and that indicates to me people have had wonderful experiences in Bendigo, which has led to high number people wanting to come back. "
Mr Karamaloudis said the local tourism sector had worked hard for a number of years to entice more people to stay for one night or longer.
The data reflects this showing a 92 per cent growth over a 10 year period for domestic visitors and a 7.7 per cent growth of international overnight visitors in the last five years.
"Ten years ago we didn't have Qantas (flying into Bendigo), the quality of attractions in region wasn't as strong as it is today.
"(Regional attractions) have built over that time. That's an important thing for people to grasp. It's not an overnight sensation, it's a long game and requires persistence and determination."
As well as overnight visitors, the number of day trippers have also increased with 3.2 million domestic visitors (an 12-month increase of 7.1 per cent) and 57,400 international visitors (a 5.6 per cent growth) coming to the region in the last 12 months.
"Over the past 10 years we have been working hard to attract and market our major cultural and sporting events and exclusive Bendigo Art Gallery exhibitions," Mr Karamaloudis said.
"More recently we have also been working with our industry to develop and promote food, wine and other cultural experiences.
"It's encouraging to see people staying longer in Greater Bendigo and that we are able to offer enough activities and experiences to make it a truly worthwhile visit."