Echuca Moama Tourism chief executive Kathryn Mackenzie said the twin towns saw strong visitation throughout the weekend.
“Our hospitality and retail sector did really well,” she said.
“There were a lot of people in and around town, and our accommodation sector achieved excellent occupancy.
“There were terrific crowds and although it may have been a bit quieter than usual, I think we did quite well.”
Ms Mackenzie said she was thrilled with the organisation of the event.
“The success of the weekend really just demonstrates and indicates that our destination does have the capacity to run a successful, high-profile event in May, which is kind of a shoulder period for us,” she said.
“Through this event, it’s now been validated that people will still come up and visit, even in the colder months.
“Now that we know that we can do it, the tourism sector and the council can perhaps work towards adding or planning a significant event (other than the Southern 80) in one of these shoulder periods.”
Jarman Hospitality Group director Paul Jarman, who operates three hospitality venues in Echuca, said he agreed with Ms Mackenzie that the event was a success.
“For the event to be held in May, the Moama Water Sports Club did a fantastic job,” he said.
“They did a great job and deserve a lot of credit.”
Mr Jarman said the weekend helped to boost the economy of the twin towns.
“We had more visitors in town than we would on any other regular weekend in May,” he said.
“Our venues were busy on both Saturday and Sunday, which was all helped by good weather.”
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