There is a misconception that Bathurst only has Mount Panorama to offer, but mayor Bobby Bourke says that is certainly not the case.

"Motor racing contributes a large and vital part of Bathurst's visitor economy. However, it is not the only drawcard for visitors to the region," he said.

"The Bathurst region is a unique regional destination in its own right with a diverse range of tourism experiences to suit a range of tourism markets. In 2018-19 council coordinated or supported major events had an estimated economic impact in excess of $50 million.

"Sports tourism is also a huge economic driver and carnivals like the Under 15s Australian hockey championships currently being hosted by Bathurst bring hundreds of visitors to the city."

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The Bathurst Winter Festival is at the top of the list for events, seeing around 60,000 people attend across the two-week period and having an estimated economic impact of about $1.6million.

"Events like the Bathurst Cycling Classic, the annual Penrith Panthers NRL match and Inland Sea of Sound also attract significant numbers and each event results in hundreds of thousands of dollars being injected into the local economy," Cr Bourke said.

Bathurst RSL Club general manager Peter Sargent echoed the mayor's comments, saying sports tourism in Bathurst is underappreciated.

"Motor sport is a no-brainer, but what I think is that people underestimate the value of the tourism we get outside of that, things like the sporting events, hockey, soccer, basketball," he said.

"It seems that almost every weekend in Bathurst there's some kind of sporting event. Bathurst has an incredibly strong events calendar I think. I think it's worth taking note of that and acknowledging that we actually do get a lot of visitors and a hell of a lot of tourism through sport.

"... I quite often hear people say 'All we have in Bathurst is motor sport' and I just think that is a myth and it's important to recognise how much sport tourism we get."

He said the RSL club has been particularly busy lately, even on days of the week that are typically quiet.

"We've been busy basically for the whole school holidays, but particularly the hockey has seen a significant increase in us for business," he said.

"We've had bookings for groups of up to 60 people coming into the club. Even on typically quiet Monday and Tuesday nights the club has been almost full."

While not all businesses get direct benefit from these events, Mr Sargent said they benefit "second or thirdhand" as the money stays in the Bathurst economy.

Events, while helping to promote the city and providing entertainment, also play an important role in the city's recovery from COVID-19.

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Cr Bourke said council was committed to running events where possible in 2020 to help support businesses.

"In the last year, council's COVID-19 stimulus package has had a focus on supporting and nurturing events such as our Musicians in the Park project, which has provided opportunities for local artists to perform," he said.

"More broadly, council also continued its commitment to operating events, where it could, including the winter festival, to provide support to local businesses and to provide a sense of community for local residents."

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