The month of April is shaping up to be a bumper for the area with the combination of Sail Port Stephens, the school term break, Easter and Anzac public holidays falling into the same period to create a "perfect storm" for tourism.
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A week out from the school holiday break two of the Port's largest accommodation providers, Port Stephens Council and Alloggio, were reporting its occupancy rates to be in the 90 to 95 per cent range.
"This year is a really interesting one for tourism given the 'perfect storm' with Easter and Anzac Day public holidays falling within the second half of the school holiday period," Kim Latham, Port Stephens Council's holiday parks section manager, said.
"We're seeing really high occupancy rates in that second week of the school holidays - up to 95 per cent occupancy across our holiday parks over the Easter weekend, though we do have some accommodation still available in the first week before Easter.
"We know many people want to enjoy the last glimpses of the Autumn warm weather before things start to cool down towards May."
Port Stephens Council's accommodation hubs include the Halifax, Shoal Bay, Fingal Bay and Beachside holiday parks plus Treescape at One Mile.
During the two weeks from Boxing Day through to the second week in January, the council's accommodation parks are near to 100 per cent capacity.
Ms Latham said that while those "golden two weeks" were the busiest period for accommodation and tourism as a whole in Port Stephens, the October long weekend and Easter closely followed.
It is expected Easter tourism will be a bumper this year as it falls in the first week of the school break and will be followed by Anzac Day and its public holiday.
The lingering warm weather is also expected to play a role in visitation numbers during this period.
Easter will also come off the back of Sail Port Stephens, which kicked off on Monday and will finish on April 14.
The week-long regatta, held during what has traditionally been a low season for tourism and accommodation, is expected to inject $1.5 million into the Port's economy.
"Sail Port Stephens is now in its 12th year and has grown from a small sailing regatta to a nationally recognised flagship event which provides a really valuable economic boost prior to the April school holidays and the very busy Easter period," Janelle Gardner, Port Stephens Council's economic development and tourism coordinator, said.
"Sail Port Stephens has attracted a record number of entries which includes more than 160 individual boats and is expected to welcome more than 3000 visitors to Port Stephens.
"This event is expected to generate more than $1.5 million into the local economy. This spending filters down to all parts of our local community from our resorts and holiday lettings, cafes, restaurants and bars through to a huge range of small business across Port Stephens.
"This Easter and school holiday break is looking great, particularly the second week of the holidays which also includes the Anzac Day public holiday."
Simon Glover, the operations manager for Alloggio, said about 90 per cent of the 500 holiday let properties the company manages in Port Stephens were booked for the school holiday and Easter break.
"For the Easter weekend we only have 67 properties left," Mr Glover told the Examiner on Tuesday.
"The second week we're booked to about 80 per cent. With the Anzac Day public holiday, cracker weather, warm water we're on track to fill up fast. We're looking at a really good April."
This year is a really interesting one for tourism given the 'perfect storm' with Easter and Anzac Day public holidays falling within the second half of the school holiday period.
- - Kim Latham
Mr Glover said weekend bookings had been consistent since the December and January holiday period.
While there had been some "drop off" since that time, bookings ramped up again in the lead up to April and the start of the week-long Sail Port Stephens regatta, which Alloggio has signed on as a sponsor.
So that there was no competition between holiday makers for berths or beds, Sail Port Stephens moved its dates to take place during the lead-up to the Easter school holidays to encourage families to extend their holiday plans.
"We're right behind internationally recognised events like Sail Port Stephens that extend the booking season for our property owners and the many local businesses that depend on a healthy visitor economy," Alloggio's general manager Will Creedon said.
"Increased demand for 'stay and play' experiences boosts bookings significantly over this period as people come for the regatta then stay a few days to enjoy more of Port Stephens."
The trend accommodation providers are seeing across the world is toward short breaks rather than the traditional two week holiday.
Mr Creedon said Port Stephens was no exception to this trend.
"The big travel trend in recent times has been the decline of the traditional two week holiday, in favour of the short break," he said. "In Port Stephens, three night stays have become a frequent booking request and look set to continue well into the cooler months.
"We are seeing increased calls for shorter stays spread across the Easter holiday period and not as concentrated over the Easter long weekend."