TOURISTS returned to the Border and North East in their droves during the Easter long weekend, buoying towns and villages impacted by the summer bushfire crisis and global pandemic over 16 months.
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Tens of thousands of visitors headed for the mountains, wineries, festivals, sports matches, racing carnivals, rodeos and live music events over four days.
Alpine Shire Council Dinner Plain marketing and events officer Nathan Fenton said the 2000-bed village was fully booked out over the Easter long weekend.
Mr Fenton said the occupancy rate remained strong for the school holidays with only a few vacancies.
"Easter is always really popular but we've seen our busiest green season on record," he said.
"Over December to January our numbers are up 200 to 300 per cent on figures from a couple of years ago.
"The summer holidays were massive and we expect that this autumn will see similar growth to summer."
Mr Fenton said more than 2500 people packed out Dinner Plain over the weekend in a massive resurgence for the Easter celebrations in the alpine village.
He said people of all ages joined high country bushwalking, mountain biking, Easter egg hunts and special circus-themed performances by family troupe The Dreaming Space.
"We're seeing a real resurgence in people coming back to the mountains," Mr Fenton said.
"What's really pleasing is that we're seeing some people coming here for the first time."
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Rutherglen-based Stanton and Killeen Wines chief executive officer Wendy Killeen said the Easter weekend trade had been phenomenal for the North East.
She said with Rutherglen and Yarrawonga booked out, visitors had booked into Wangaratta to explore the Rutherglen wine region.
"It was double our expectation and double that of Easter weekends in 2018 and 2019," she said.
"Everybody has benefited from the Easter break.
"It's said that tourism is everybody's business and it's certainly proved that at the weekend."
The owner of Rutherglen shop Gelatina, Tina Cozzi, said they were flat out the whole weekend with queues winding out the front door and along Main Street.
She said it was their biggest weekend of trade since they opened in early 2019.
"Rutherglen was booked out and it was perfect weather," she said.
"We had people in from Sydney, Canberra, other small country towns and the locals."
The 150th running of the Tocumwal Gold Cup on Easter Saturday attracted a strong crowd amid ideal autumn weather after it was postponed last year.
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