Anecdotal evidence from people involved in the tourism industry suggests more people than ever have spent time on holidays over the Christmas/New Year period in the Shoalhaven, compared to past seasons.
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Places like Jervis Bay are currently enjoying a bumper tourism season with loads of visitors flocking to the coast.
Coastal villages like Huskisson and Vincentia are, as normal, proving to be popular for visitors and locals alike.
The volunteers from the Jervis Bay Tourism office, located in Huskisson’s Jervis Bay Maritime Museum, have been run off their feet.
“We have been busy, busy and busy,” said volunteer Marlene Milgate.
“There are people everywhere and we are still getting calls from people looking for accommodation.
“People just don’t realise how busy we get down here.
“One person said they used to come down here with their parents and now they take their own children here.”
She said all the accommodation venues were full and even staff from places like Booderee National Park had called the Jervis Bay Tourism office to see if they could forward camping spot requests to them.
Head out to Booderee and you are greeted with camping full signs and people packing out the popular beaches like Murrays, Cave and Green Patch.
Other coastal areas like Shoalhaven Heads also experienced a busy season.
Manager of the Tall Timbers Caravan Park in Shoalhaven Heads Debbie Monie said she was happy with how the season went.
“It has died down now but over the Christmas and New Year period we were flat out,” she said.
She expects to get busy once again around the Australia Day period.
Manager of Badgee Caravan Park in Sussex Inlet Paul Russell said he was happy with the trade they got over the peak holiday season and thinks the area is becoming more popular.
“We seem to have got a lot more phone calls,” he said.
Mr Russell said they start getting calls about accommodation three months before the peak summer season commences.
With the extreme hot conditions people have been flocking to the beaches and president of the Nowra Culburra Surf Life Saving Club Mitchell Pakes said loads of people were getting out to enjoy a swim.
“I think the season has been on par with last year - if not busier,” he said.
The surf club volunteers have been doing a great job making sure the visitors and locals have a safe day on the beach.
“The majority of people swim between the flags and in general do try to do the right thing,” he said.
The current summer visitor boom builds on a report from National and International Visitors Surveys which showed the first time in history the Shoalhaven has cracked the three million tourists mark.
The report showed a total of 3.1 million visitors to the region for the year ending March 2016, an 11 per cent increase from 2015.