Dubbo Chamber of Commerce president Matt Wright is urging business owners not to miss any opportunity to make money during the drought including the visit to the city by Prince Harry and his wife Meghan.
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He wants them to be aware of all major events and consider how to benefit from them.
“We really do encourage businesses to have a look at the calendar and take advantage of the opportunities when they arise to put themselves in front of those out-of-town shoppers,” he said.
The president said there was “no better example” than the visit to Dubbo on October 17 of the royal couple. “We will have a massive influx of visitors to the city,” Mr Wright said.
“There have been reports of people staying up to a week.”
The excursion to Dubbo by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex was one of several major events that Mr Wright highlighted. He said the hosting of the NSW Aboriginal Rugby League Knockout attracted “nearly 10,000” people to the city last weekend.
“Derby Day is coming up again in early November and it brings a huge amount of business to the city,” the president said.
Mr Wright was speaking as the rain fell. He said it would lift spirits but would not be a quick economic fix. “We’re not going to see benefits for possibly another 12 months or before improvement in the agricultural sector,” he said.
The president identified retail and agricultural services in Dubbo as among the hardest hit by the drought, while noting that other sectors such as real estate and finance were faring well.
He sees investment by the state and federal governments in projects such as the regional rail fleet maintenance facility, the Western Region Institute of Sport and the inland Rail as buffers against a drought yet to break.