New August figures show domestic and international visitors have been taking advantage of the dry, sunny conditions.

There has been a 25 per cent increase in the number of visitors coming through the Kempsey Visitor Information Centre and a 22 per cent increase in visitors to the South West Rocks Visitor Information Centre.

There was also a 75 per cent increase in traffic to council’s tourism website: www.macleayvalleycoast.com.au.

It is predominately being accessed by those browsing the Macleay Valley Coast’s social media pages, such as Facebook and Instagram, which have also had increases in online traffic.

Kempsey Shire Council’s, manager of economic sustainability Susannah Smith said the statistics show that council’s marketing campaigns are on the right track.

“It’s very pleasing to see an increase in visitors to the Macleay Valley but it’s easy to see why.

“We have the best of both worlds from our pristine beaches, quaint country towns and the beautiful hinterland region,” she said.

“We acknowledge that tourism is a key driver for our local economy, so we will be continuing to focus on our target marketing campaigns to promote the best things that our valley has to offer.”

Visitors are also reaping the benefits from Australian Tourism Park Management’s takeover of the management contract of the Macleay’s five well known holiday parks located –  Crescent Head, Hat Head, Horseshoe Bay, Grassy Head, and Stuarts Point.

Since the transition, Australian Tourism Park Management has launched a new website with online booking capabilities and has improved branding across all of the parks.

For more, please visit the tourism website: www.macleayvalleycoast.com.au or the holiday parks website: www.macleayvalleycoastholidayparks.com.au