Many were kept busy ringing up sales over the Melbourne Cup weekend.

Taylor's Surfodesy owner Max Taylor said he had a very good weekend of trade.

"It's been flat out for three days," Mr Taylor said.

"People are buying for summer already - even though we haven't had a great run of summer weather."

Mr Taylor said wetsuits, body boards, leg ropes, surfboard wax and summer clothing were the most popular items.

However, he urged people wanting to buy Christmas presents to get in early due to issues with sourcing stock.

"A lot of people are buying up for Christmas," he said.

"We're going to be running short on stock.

"A lot of the Asian factories have had to close down due to COVID-19 cases, making a lot of stock hard to get a hold of."

Mr Taylor said he was hopeful of a busy summer after a challenging 18 months.

"It's been a major rollercoaster ride," he said.

"You get to the top of the rollercoaster and you think things have improved and then you crash again."

The Melbourne Cup weekend was a busy one for the Junction Hotel in Allansford.

Owner Diana McLean said trade would have been on par with other years.

She said there were a number of people who booked accommodation on the weekend, while many others enjoyed a meal.

"Going by the pre-bookings we have over Christmas and right through January, I think we're going to have a bumper summer," Ms McLean said.

Timboon Fine Ice Cream owner Caroline Simmons said it had been a busy weekend for the town.

"It was really busy," she said.

"We had a lot of visitors from Melbourne."

Ms Simmons said the majority of customers were extremely happy to be out and about.

"Saturday was a bit slow - I suppose people were still creeping out of Melbourne but Sunday and Monday were on a par to last year," she said.

Ms Simmons said she was feeling positive about the summer period.

"We're an integral part of the food trail here and we're all feeling really positive, just based on inquiries," she said.

Ms Simmons said Australian businesses were lucky the end of lockdowns was coinciding with summer.

"People might be a bit cautious to travel interstate or take up the overseas opportunities so we're predicting a busy summer."

The pandemic has not had a negative impact on all south-west businesses.

Oliver Cassidy, the owner of Port Fairy's Ironbird Bookshop, said he had experienced a busier than usual 18 months.

"People have gone back to reading books," he said.

"We've been busy and there are also more people travelling around regional Victoria."

Mr Cassidy said the Melbourne Cup weekend had been busy and he was confident the seaside village would be a popular haunt for visitors over summer.

The staff at Down Under Ugg Boots in Killarney were kept busy on the long weekend, according to manager Sue Robinson.

"We had a constant stream of customers, which was great," Mrs Robinson said.

"We get a lot of through traffic from people on their way to Port Fairy or Warrnambool."

Mrs Robinson said the pandemic had proved a challenge to most businesses.

"It's been pretty challenging for most businesses, but it was really busy on the weekend, which was wonderful," she said.

Mrs Robinson said south-west residents had still shopped at the business.

"The locals have been very supportive of the business all year round," she said.

Mrs Robinson said she believed it would be a busy summer, with people choosing to travel in their own backyards, rather than interstate or overseas.

"We're all hoping for a bumper summer," she said.

A Macarthur business owner, who asked not to be named, said a number of former Melbourne residents had moved to the district during the coronavirus pandemic.

Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism chief executive officer Liz Price said tourism operators had reported a busy Melbourne Cup weekend.

She said operators were expecting a busy summer but there was some uncertainty about how they would fare beyond the traditional busy period.

"We are hearing good bookings for summer but there is a concern that it will be for the key school holiday period and there is uncertainty what February and beyond will look like," Ms Price said.

She said some businesses had been affected by the state government's decision to move forward the double vaccination requirement date.

"Double vaccination mandates are not an option for businesses but the reopening earlier than anticipated has impacted some businesses whose staff are in the process of getting vaccinated," Ms Price said.

She said some businesses were still facing an uncertain future and needed government assistance.

"The impact and hence length of recovery on individual businesses depends on type of business, their ability to have pivoted and had some form of trade through lockdown, their customer base and their reliance on Melbourne, interstate or international visitation and their capacity to operate at capacity now given workforce challenges," Ms Price said.

"Beyond January, mid-week will again be a challenge."

She said the tourism industry was lobbying for more support for businesses affected by the pandemic.

"We are still seeking targeted support for businesses and events that continue to be impacted and we are seeking acceleration of planned public and private investment to stimulate businesses off-peak and ensure we are a more competitive destination domestically and internationally as markets return," Ms Price said.

A campaign to encourage people to seek employment in the tourism and hospitality industry - Tourism Jobs Bank - has also been launched to address staff shortages.