Outback tourism to benefit from COVID-cautious travellers and big rivers

Sydney tourists are choosing to head to inland destinations to avoid COVID-19 risks. (ABC Western Plains: Robyn Herron)

When Sandip Shrestha decided to book a family holiday for his daughter Emirea's birthday, the initial choice was a trip to Tasmania.

But amid uncertainty about border restrictions and testing requirements for COVID-19, he decided instead to take his family inland.

"We thought it's not safe to go there because you never know what's going to happen with the border," Mr Shrestha said.

Mr Shrestha said with COVID-19 cases starting to again climb due to the Omicron variant, Dubbo offered a lot more safety for his family.

"We can maintain the physical distance," he said.

Summer tourism surge

Taronga Western Plains Zoo expects to see more families like Mr Shrestha's making similar choices this summer.

Director Steve Hinks said accommodation at the zoo was booked well into January.

He said while the summer heat sometimes deterred tourists, after two years of lockdowns and cancelled plans many people were willing to tackle warmer weather for a holiday.

"Two years ago, we had more than 40 days over 40 degrees, which turned a lot of people away," he said.

"Last year was record numbers for the Dubbo region for tourism off the back of COVID lockdowns. We expect to see something similar this year."

He said many people also felt safer in the open spaces that regional New South Wales had to offer.

"Being a large open range zoo, we could not be better designed for this type of situation, where people are looking to physically distance from others," Mr Hinks said.

The Darling Baaka River at Bourke is already high and expecting further high flows in the coming months. (ABC Western Plains: Robyn Herron)

Outback rivers a 'rare' sight for tourists

Further inland in the state's north-west, the Bourke Shire Council is hoping people will come to see the Darling Baaka River while it is full of water.

Economic development officer Melanie Milgate said it was an opportunity to see the river in a rare state.

Kidman's Camp at Bourke is expecting high flows in the Darling Baaka River will attract tourists. (ABC Western Plains: Robyn Herron)

"As a local girl, I can't wait to continue to watch the peaks come down; the river is absolutely stunning," she said.

She said while most main roads were open, there were still some areas that were flooded, and people needed to plan their trip accordingly.

"You know, with a big river there come a few extra dangers," she said.

"Take care, plan ahead, and take in all the beauty."