The long weekend brought signs of life to inland New South Wales as tourism businesses that have endured drought, fires and the coronavirus welcomed back visitors.
It was the first weekend since the NSW Government allowed unrestricted travel to any region in the state.
Visitor numbers to the New England and North West regions increased significantly.
Tam Wilkes owns a caravan park at Walcha on the Northern Tablelands and has celebrated her busiest weekend in a year.
She said it was an emotional moment when about 200 caravans rolled into the park.
"I tried not to cry, so many times," Ms Wilkes said.
Ms Wilkes said the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the lingering effects of drought and bushfires in the region.
"We were looking at losing our business towards the beginning of the year.
"We managed to pull through it, so if we can pull through that, we can pull through anything," she said.
Signs of life as borders stay closed
The long weekend was the first test of whether the tourism industry in the North West would benefit from the ongoing closure of the Queensland border.
Tourism Moree chief executive Tammy Elbourne said the enthusiasm among domestic travellers to visit the region has been higher than average.
"The phone calls and conversations that we've had [with visitors] is that 'We just want to get out, we want to get in the car and we want to travel'" Ms Elbourne said.
"It's exciting, because there are a lot of people who haven't travelled in regions before … maybe they would have got on a plane."
Tam Wilkes said her caravan park had good bookings for July, and she was hopeful people will get more comfortable to travel as restrictions continue to ease.
"We put everything we own into this business, and we still owe so much money back to the bank," she said.
Tamworth slower to recover
Meanwhile, the return of tourists to the Tamworth region was not expected to reach its peak until later in the year, according to Tamworth Business Chamber president Jye Segboer.
"We rely heavily on events to fill our accommodation venues and to fill our restaurants and cafes," Mr Segboer said, in advance of the June 1 easing of restrictions.
"We are seeing a return of events back into the calendar from about October onwards."
