Port Fairy has had a record-breaking summer with visitors numbers up consistently throughout the holiday period.
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But some Warrnambool businesses are believed to have suffered a drop during the usually busy summer.
One business operator on the Warrnambool foreshore said his business was down 60 per cent compared to previous years.
Port Fairy Accommodation holiday accommodation manager Reinette van Rooyen said it had been a bumper summer, starting in November, soon after the second Victorian coronavirus lockdown was lifted.
She said while accommodation was as usual booked out between mid-December and mid-January, the summer season started much earlier, in November.
She said the big exodus was expected on January 31, instead of January 26 and weekends in February were already attracting unusual attention.
"It has been very busy," she said.
"We've had more of an extended peak season, starting earlier than normal and going on past January 26.
"It's been a much longer peak season. November definitely picked up quite a lot and that trend has continued."
Ms Van Rooyen said in those slower periods, from November and now into February, Port Fairy was attracting more visitors.
"We are definitely 20 to 25 per cent up in those slightly slower periods. We're already running at 75 to 80 per cent occupancy rates for weekends in February," she said.
Moyne Shire chief executive officer Bill Millard said numbers at Port Fairy's visitor centre were also on par with previous years.
"Port Fairy has been particularly busy this summer, with accommodation in the town at full capacity since Boxing Day," he said.
"While we usually see some slight drop in numbers from mid-January to the Australia Day long weekend, this year there has been consistent numbers throughout the whole period.
"Numbers through our Visitor Information Centre have been on par with the same period last year, with around 250 to 350 visitors through the door each day.
"Feedback from local tour operators indicates they are having their busiest summer on record, likely due to popular events such as the Moyneyana Festival not being held this year."
It's believed the Moyne Shire-run parks, at Gardens Oval and Southcombe Park, are averaging around 1000 people per night during January.
"At their fullest in the past month there were 1200 people at Southcombe Park and 1300 at Gardens," a spokeswoman said.
Those figures do not take into account the visitors staying at privately operated caravan parks in the town or private accommodation, which are expected to peak at a total of about 5500 people.
Both Warrnambool City Council and mayor Vicki Jellie were contacted for comment, but did not respond.
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