Hahndorf. Handmade. Handcrafted. Hand-picked may return as annual event
A month-long festival held to help Hahndorf recover from COVID-19 could become a permanent fixture. The September event helped secure more than $300,000 in revenue for local traders.
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A month-long festival aimed at boosting tourism in Hahndorf could become an annual event.
Discussions are underway to make Hahndorf. Handmade. Handcrafted. Hand-picked an annual fixture on the local events calendar after it turned more than $300,000 in revenue for the historic village during the month of September.
Just over $50,000 alone came from ticket sales with the remainder spent on accommodation, shopping and dining.
Event Marketing Manager, Mikyla Gilbert said well over 3300 visitors attended the festival which offered a selection of intimate and unique activities for young and old.
These included leatherworking classes, food and wine masterclasses, craft workshops and historic walking tours.
“The event exceeded all of our expectations, especially during these difficult times,” Ms Gilbert said.
“We had 62 of activities sold, many within days, forcing us to add more experiences to the calendar.
“It’s been so popular that many businesses are planning to run similar workshops at other times throughout the year (and) we’re now seriously considering making it an annual event.”
Ms Gilbert said local tourism providers had also benefited from the influx in visitors.
The BIG 4 Hahndorf Resort had an increase of 7.5 per cent in occupancy throughout September, with a strong 20 per cent increase on weekend bookings.
Equally strong results were recorded by The Haus Group – which includes The Studios, The Manna, and The Lodge - which had a combined 13.3 per cent increase in occupancy.