Dubbo Regional Council's latest Tourism Market Report recorded consistent visitation to the Dubbo region in October, despite adverse weather events throughout the month that led to flooding, damaged roads and road closures across the state.
The October 2022 visitation figures were above the 4-year average across a range of attractions. There was a 38.8% increase in visitation at the Western Plains Cultural Centre and a 43.2% increase at the Wellington Caves, despite minimal tours being available due to flooding in the caves.
An increase was also recorded for accommodation operators across the region, with an occupancy rate of 81.5% in Dubbo and 55.5% in Wellington.
Whilst strong numbers were recorded during the school holiday period, almost all accommodation and attraction operators noted that visitation was affected by continual rain, flooding and road closures during October, impacting overall visitation and occupancy rates.
Mayor of Dubbo Regional Council, Mathew Dickerson stated: "The continuous rain events and flooding have been devastating for many communities across the state, including the Dubbo region. Many businesses have been impacted by the floods, so I am pleased that travellers have continued to visit and support our region and local visitor economy."
"Our attractions have also seen an increase in school group bookings last month which positively contributed to the high visitor numbers. I am happy to see so many schools making a trip to the Dubbo region to immerse themselves in educational and fun experiences," Councillor Dickerson said.
Events that were held in the Dubbo region during October included the PSSA Boys Cricket at Lady Cutler and Victoria Park ovals and the Dubbo Sixes Soccer Tournament at Apex Oval with combined visitor numbers of 1,500.
Visitor Information Coordinator, Jane Bendall said: "Due to major flooding of the Macquarie River in October, the Dubbo Visitor Information Centre was closed for three days, but we continued to take many phone calls from travellers enquiring about road closures in the region."
"Due to the rain and safety concerns, two popular DREAM Festival events, Fong Lees Lane in Wellington and DREAM Lanterns in Dubbo had to be cancelled unfortunately, but I am pleased with the number of visitors that we welcomed through our doors last month," Ms Bendall said.
