Tourists visit Tamworth region towns like Nundle and Bendemeer on New Year's weekend

The New Year's weekend brought with it a public holiday on Monday and places like Nundle and Bendemeer have been welcoming visitors across the silly season.

It marks the end of a good year for retail businesses, Nundle Woollen Mill owner Nick Bradford told the Leader.

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The loosening of COVID restrictions throughout the year combined with the continuing presence of the virus in the community brought both positives and negatives for the store.

While doors were closed, online sales grew "exponentially".

"People seem to have found a dollar in their pocket, and they were willing to part with it," Mr Bradford said.

"People do feel warm and fuzzy about supporting an Australian-made product."

The business expects some pullback in retail sales due to rising interest rates, but Mr Bradford hopes to match 2022 this year.

He said 2023 was off to a good start for Nundle, with the new year long weekend.

"Long weekends are our harvest," he said.

The town's Fossickers Caravan Park has seen nearly a 400 per cent increase some months of 2022, largely because of COVID shutdowns. Owner Ben Pratt said domestic tourism boomed last year.

"It's great to see people out and about with their families," he said.

The occupancy rate during the festive season was at 80 to 90 per cent, he said, and for the past two weeks, there hasn't been a site to sell.

Mr Pratt hopes momentum continues into 2023, but expects a bit of dilution as more people head overseas again. Country and rural areas are still popular for people wanting to get away from coastal crowds, he said.

"There's a lot of people hitting the road," he said.

Last year was the busiest Nikki Langbein had seen in eight years working at the Bendemeer Hotel.

The pub was packed from December 24 until New Year's Eve, with a huge country music festival on the cards too.

"I hope the pub continues getting supported by not only the locals, but the visitors as well," she said.

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