Tourists flock to Orange for long weekend escape from coronavirus lockdown

Orange360 general manager Caddie Marshall said Orange had received a boost from people eager to get out of the capital cities for a holiday after the coronavirus lockdown.

"Certainly people have been ready to escape," she said.

Ms Marshall said regional areas had benefited from the overseas travel ban. "[Usually] there's $45 billion leaking out of our country on overseas travel," she said.

Ms Marshall said tourism operators were reporting a strong weekend.

"We are seeing [accommodation] was 100 per cent booked, or in the high-90s in some places," she said.

"Cellar doors have had record days.

"Most of them are up on last year even compared to a non-COVID period.

"The numbers in town are extraordinary."

She said the wineries had seen strong sales.

Ms Marshall said unusually for Orange tourists had outnumbered friends and relatives of local residents visiting.

"[About] 85 per cent at Heifer Station [cellar door] were from out of town," she said.

"We've worked really hard for a long time to put Orange on the map.

"This was about us securing our piece of the pie."

Ms Marshall said the July school holidays and the Winter Fire Festival weeekend [July 31-August 2] would be the next big times for tourists to visit Orange.

"Anecdotally I believe booking are strong," she said.

She said this year's WFF would be restricted to smaller events to meet coronavirus social distancing rules.

That included having to cancel the opening Friday night markets and entertainment event in Millthorpe.

Ms Marshall also urged businesses to let Orange360 and the Orange Visitor Information Centre know when they were open so the organisations could inform tourists.