Bendigo is featured in Australian Traveller's new special edition, '100 Ways to Holiday Here this Year', which aims to boost domestic tourism.

"It's the latest reinforcement from an iconic publication that Bendigo and the region have amazing things to see and visit," City of Greater Bendigo tourism and major events manager Terry Karamaloudis said.

Mr Karamaloudis said a destination did not get such recognition unless its offerings were current and relevant.

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He believes the extra publicity afforded by the magazine will bring new people to the area.

"The potential for new visitation is endless," Mr Karamaloudis said.

While international visitation was off the table due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he said most of Bendigo's visitors came from around Victoria or interstate anyway.

Last year, the Loddon region saw 4.6 million visitors, of which 78,000 were from overseas.

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Mr Karamaloudis said the region would welcome back international visitation, but he was more interested in drawing in people from other parts of the country.

He said the area had focused on diversifying its tourism messaging since the pandemic began, as major events and other big drawcards had either been called off or restricted.

Instead, Mr Karamaloudis said, the region had put greater emphasis on its nature-based tourism, gastronomy offerings and pet-friendly experiences.

He said the industry also continued to focus on visiting friends and relatives, who made up half of all visitation annually.

Australian Traveller's entry on Bendigo highlights the city's food and wine offerings, its heritage buildings, street art, attractions such as the Central Deborah Gold Mine, cultural institutions like the Bendigo Art Gallery and the Golden Dragon Museum, and of course, the famous trams.