The tourism industry across the Dubbo Regional Council (DRC) Local Government Area is well and truly back in business with the figures in April 2023 matching those seen before the COVID-19 pandemic at the same time of the year.
One of the highlights of the data is the long-term average stay figure increasing significantly to an average night stay of 2.7 nights. From 2014 to 2019 the average night stay hovered around 2.2 nights. This represents a 23 per cent increase. In addition, the average accommodation occupancy in Dubbo for the month was up 10 per cent on the four-year average, reaching 79 per cent, while Wellington saw a rate of 60 per cent, equalling the four-year average.
While consistently beating the existing monthly average of the last four years across almost every tourist attraction and measure of accommodation occupancy, April 2023 was a particularly strong month for the Western Plains Cultural Centre.
The centre almost doubled its numbers going from 6,403 unique visitors in April 2022 to 12,153 last month.
All other numbers are in the vicinity of those from the months of April 2018 and April 2019, the last two years before the pandemic hit the region.
Average expenditure per trip has also been increasing across the region while airport passenger numbers are also back to pre-COVID heights, reaching 17,729 during the month of March.
"Seeing these strong numbers is really exciting both for Council and for tourism operators across our area," Dubbo Regional Council Mayor Mathew Dickerson said.
"Tourists are visiting the Dubbo region despite having overseas options available again, which goes to show that what we are offering is unique, diverse and irresistible to many people from across the country."
"The Dubbo region is one of the heavy hitters in the state's tourism sector, with a range of fantastic events across the region in coming months, including the DREAM Festival.
"These results show that our region's tourism sector is one we should all be proud of. With the ongoing delivery of a great visitor experience we should be confident that this trend will continue," Clr Dickerson said.
In other notable news the Cathedral Cave at Wellington Caves reopened to the public last month with discussions and investigations ongoing about the potential for the reopening of the Phosphate Mine.
A feasibility report focusing on the reopening of the Phosphate Mine will be given to Council later in the year.
