MidCoast Council growth, economic development and tourism manager, Deb Tuckerman said the entire region had been very business from coastal hotspots to the hinterland and Barrington Tops.

It's great to see people moving around the Barrington Coast, Ms Tuckerman said.

"Tourism operators in Forster Tuncurry have told us vacancies for last weekend were extremely scarce and bookings for this week are also looking solid," she said.

"The Visitor Centre in Forster has been very busy.

"Staff say the centre feels as busy as January or Easter, but of course social distancing requirements has meant people are taking their turns with limited numbers inside the centre at any one time."

Postcode data collected from the centre indicated 34 per cent of visitors came from the Sydney region, while 27 per cent of inquiries were from Mid Coast postcodes looking for information on what to show visiting family and friends

Not surprisingly, most enquiries are for nature based activities - walks, cycling, lookouts and national parks, Ms Tuckerman said.

This trend was forecast during COVID-19 restrictions, and is reflected in the latest Barrington Coast statistics, with people looking for outdoor, fresh air experiences that may be healthier than indoor and the usual winter attractions, she said.

"Social media sentiment towards the Barrington Coast has been at an all-time high during the last couple of months.

"The inspirational content, coupled with the easing of travel restrictions and our proximity to Sydney and Newcastle have resulted in one of our highest visitation rates for winter."

While the region traditionally experiences a high influx of Victorian visitors at this time of year, they have been absent due to the COVID-19 situation and border closure.

Big4 Great Lakes Holiday Park, Tuncurry assistant manager, Michaela Breese said there had been a big change in who had visited these school holidays.

"This is the busiest we have ever been in the winter school holidays, and people have commented that they didn't realise how nice it is here in winter," she said.

"This would usually be the season that we welcome many grey nomads from southern areas like Victoria, but many cancelled their travel plans this year due to COVID-19.

"Instead, our visitors are much more like the groups that visit in summer; we're seeing many families and groups of families."

'We hope visitors see the beauty of the region in winter and opt to return at a similar time in the future and build what has traditionally been our off peak and shoulder seasons," Ms Tuckerman said.

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"The extra buzz across the Mid Coast is certainly welcome and a much needed boost for our local businesses."

Beaches International office manager, Nova Grosvenor said the past month had been fantastic with the accommodation site even turning holidaymakers away.

"As from June 1 when we opened back up we have been booked out," Ms Grosvenor said.

"The phones are ringing hot and there have been lots of on-line bookings."

During the same period last year bookings were around the 75 per cent mark, while this year bookings had jumped to 98 per cent.

Plunge Forster co-owner, Renee Miller said the cafe had welcomed a steady flow of visitors and locals during the holidays.

Business has been great, Renee said.

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