As COVID-19 case numbers continue to rise rapidly across New South Wales, tourism businesses are getting used to customers pulling out at the last minute after coming in contact with the virus.
Mark Stone, owner of Port Macquarie's Billabong Zoo on the state's mid-north coast, said it had been difficult to predict how many people would come through the gate each day.
"Traditionally you can understand when the busiest time will be," he said.
"We've had some really good days through the school holidays, and then we've had some that didn't meet what we thought would have been the expectation."
Mr Stone said he was trying to adapt to visitors cancelling their plans at the 11th hour.
"I guess that's living with COVID at this time," Mr Stone said.
Mr Stone said a horror run of floods, fires and the pandemic had created the most difficult few years in his role at the helm of the zoo.
"To go from drought to the fires, into two floods and then into this pandemic – it's been a very tumultuous few years.
"I've got staff that have never seen the zoo in normal times."
Julie Newman, owner-operator of Hunter Valley Tours, said she was getting calls "on a daily basis" from customers who needed to cancel their bookings because they had to go into isolation.
"When I have six or eight people or so cancel on me, or postpone, that can affect whether I can run an actual tour that day," she said.
"And that might be the only tour that I can run for a couple of days."
The vineyards are green and full of fruit at this time of year, but Ms Newman said everyone who made a booking wanted to make sure they wouldn't lose money.
Ms Newman said the COVID-disrupted summer season had prompted her to seriously consider offering other types of tours.
"I'm looking at horse studs, the mining industry and tourism around the Hunter River," she said.
"Diversifying into other areas is something I was looking at … so it may start to move forward now as things slow down."
