VISITORS who spent the Christmas and New Year holidays staying at the four Lake Mac Holiday Parks injected an average of more than $247,000 per day into the local economy.
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The windfall highlights another bumper season for the council-owned holiday parks which again played host to thousands of tourists.
Occupancy rates across the four-star rated Belmont, Blacksmiths and Swansea Holiday Parks and 3.5-star rated Wangi Point Holiday Park reached 90 per cent during the period from December 23 to January 2.
Belmont Lakeside Holiday Park achieved almost 98 per cent occupancy.
Lake Macquarie City Council’s holiday parks coordinator, Garry Ellem, said about 2500 tourists stayed at Lake Mac Holidays Parks during the festive season.
They contributed almost $2.5 million in economic value to the local community.
“With 32km of stunning coastline and a vast saltwater lake at our heart – made for fishing and water sports – it’s no surprise more people are choosing to holiday here in Lake Macquarie,” Mr Ellem said.
“The strong occupancy rates we saw over the Christmas-New Year break are indicative of a wider increase in visitation across our holiday parks.
“From July to the end of December last year, we saw a healthy increase in our tourist visitor nights, up from 37,400 in 2017 to 39,800 in 2018. These stays translate to an economic benefit of more than $16 million for Lake Macquarie.”
Some 1.18 million tourists visit Lake Macquarie City each year.
Mr Ellem said Lake Mac Holiday Parks were nestled on the shores of Lake Macquarie or within walking distance of some of the state’s most pristine beaches and family-friendly swim spots, so they provided the perfect backdrop to a family getaway, with accommodation to suit all budgets.
The parks’ facilities included swimming pools, playgrounds, and recreation rooms. And they received visits from local food trucks, so there was always something available to keep the family entertained, he said.
The parks also had a school holiday program offering kids discos, movie nights, and arts and crafts.
Bookings are available throughout January. To find out more, visit lakemacholidayparks.com.au or follow Lake Mac Holiday Parks on Facebook.