Hospitality businesses in Orange were run off their feet during the Easter long weekend with cafes, hotels, restaurants and wineries opening their doors.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Cargo Road Winery Cafe was among the businesses that open every Easter and owner James Sweetapple said business was booming this year with 150 people visiting on Saturday.
"It's been terrific, we've had a lovely influx of tourists and locals," he said.
"There was a huge increase, 80 per cent up on last year."
He said the increase was in sales and came following a decrease last year.
It's been terrific, we've had a lovely influx of tourists and locals.
- James Sweetapple
Mr Sweetapple said promotions with FOOD Week and the Wine Festival combined with what will be a second long-weekend for some people due to Anzac Day on Thursday as well as school holidays led to increased visitation.
Orange Mountain Wines owner Terry Dolle said having spoken to people from other wineries, the boom in business seemed to have spread across the district on Saturday.
He said west-bound traffic was so heavy customers told him it took them six to seven hours to drive from Sydney.
"It was pretty good, we had a pretty quiet January and February and even March wasn't as good as expected," Mr Dolle said.
"There was a lot of people around, especially on Saturday, we got smashed."
Cafes including The Burrow Cafe and Factory Espresso were also busy across the weekend.
Factory Espresso owner Nick Gleeson described the weekend as "gang-busters".
"I would say it was a little bit up on last year but not by much, it was very similar."
Mr Gleeson said Friday was the quietest day and Saturday was the busiest while Monday showed an increase in trade compared to 2018.
DO YOU WANT MORE ORANGE NEWS?
- Receive our free newsletters delivered to your inbox, as well as breaking news alerts. Sign up below ...