The bustling summer that was predicted for the Great Lakes has lived up to expectations by all accounts, with some business-owners declaring it their busiest season on record.
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Accommodation providers in particular reaped the benefits of the ongoing domestic tourism boom, as new and old visitors alike vied for places to stay across the already popular holiday region.
Beaches International, Forster owners Tammy and Greg Randall said they had never before fielded so many enquiries.
"The summer season is traditionally always very busy for our business, however the increase of enquiries to stay with us has been unprecedented," Mrs Randall said.
"Domestic tourism is certainly booming in our region and we are seeing strong bookings well into 2021."
It was a similar story at Big 4 Great Lakes Holiday Park, with general manager Nick Jacobs reporting the demand for accommodation far outweighed what the park could supply.
The influx of visitors combined with relatively mild weather also saw local tourism operators run off their feet.
Phil Gogerly from Forster-based fishing charter, Reel Ocean Adventures, said he'd had his best summer in three years thanks to the amount of tourists around and the lack of strong north-easterly winds.
"Every day the boat has been full," he said.
"We've only missed five days since Christmas with bad weather, which is really good."
Forster Tuncurry Business Chamber president Megan Lewis said by and large the feedback she had received from business-owners was that trade had been very solid across the holidays.
She also said the brief COVID scare that occurred in Forster in the lead up to Christmas didn't appear to affect business too much, with many business-owners using it as an opportunity to ensure their COVIDsafe protocols were up to scratch.
Lobby's Fresh Seafood owner Karen Foster said while some days were better than others for her business, it was a vast improvement on last year's bushfire-affected summer.
"There were definitely a lot more people in town and a lot more people spending money compared to last year," Ms Foster said.
"I think everyone is very thankful that COVID didn't really impact Forster and we had the opportunity to make back what we might've lost."
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Down at Pacific Palms, Blueys Cellars owner Nick Montague said it was the busiest summer he'd experienced in the 13 years he'd lived there.
"It's been enormous," he said.
"Just the intensity - we didn't see it slow down."
With international travel still largely off the agenda, Mr Montague doesn't think things are likely to slow down much across the region either.
"I can't see any reason why, unless the virus pops up here," he said.
It's a sentiment shared by many in the business community.
"Domestic tourism will continue to go from strength to strength while ever we have state and international border closures," Mr Jacobs said.
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