Tourism in Young has increased hugely this summer, with NSW and ACT residents accounting for the majority of people visiting the area.
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Approximately 5000 people entered Young's Visitor Information Centre during October, November and December in 2020, up from about 3100 during the same time in 2019.
A Hilltops Council spokesperson said there was a big difference in where most visitors were travelling from.
"With no international travel and the closure of some state borders during this time, most visitors were from NSW," the spokesperson said.
"Usually for Young, NSW accounts for around 50 per cent of visitors to the area with ACT at about 10 per cent. In 2020 NSW and ACT accounted for over 90 per cent of visitors to Young.
"In November and December the number of people almost doubled from the previous year."
In November and December the number of people almost doubled from the previous year.
- Council spokesperson
The spokesperson said there was huge demand for accommodation during the final three months of last year. Cherries were the major draw-card while wineries also proved popular.
"The main enquiry for November and December was pick your own cherries. A lot of enquiry also for wineries. We also noted that there was strong demand for accommodation for the October to December period in Young and across the region with the accommodation being booked out regularly during this time."
Visitor numbers for October to December last year are mostly consistent with 2018 and 2017.
The council spokesperson said a lull in tourism in Young in 2019 was possibly due to the state's bushfires. With a few weeks remaining in the school holidays, there's still time for visitor numbers to continue to balloon.
"The number of visitors to the Young Visitor Information Centre for January over the last few years has averaged around 1000. At a little under halfway through the month we are at around 600. We are seeing a lot of families looking for activities as well as a lot of couples of all ages exploring regional NSW."
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