After months of being crowded out of restaurants, wineries and cafes across Orange by visitors, locals are set to benefit this weekend.
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Sydney's COVID crisis has led to widespread cancellations at restaurants, wineries and accommodation venues.
Orange360 general manger Caddie Marshall said the school holidays had been fully booked in Orange but now there were vacancies.
This weekend is the opportunity to go out and support local businesses
- Sarah Crowley, The Union Bank
Ms Marshall said it was an opportunity for locals to step up and support local businesses and have a night, or day, out.
She said businesses were being pro-active in targetting areas where people were still able to visit Orange to re-fill their vacancies.
Ms Marshall said accommodation venues including Quest Orange and The Oriana had suffered cancellations but were working on new bookings.
"It's not going to be disastrous," she said.
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Union Bank restaurant venue manager Sarah Crowley said they had a fully-booked weekend until Sydneysiders had to pull out.
"We've lost half our bookings," she said.
However, Miss Crowley said it was a chance for local residents to get back into their favourite restaurants with minimal booking needed.
"We want it to be an opportunity to bring a little bit of spontaneity back into the region," she said.
"This weekend is the opportunity to go out and support local businesses."
In a Facebook post she said: "Have you been trying to check out a restaurant, but they are always booked out? Book in this week. Been holding off on that local wine tour because of too many out of towners? Book in this weekend. Is your local coffee shop too hectic to venture out on a Sunday? Make breakfast plans this Sunday."
Borrodell Vineyard's Gaye Stuart-Nairne said their annual truffle hunt would still be going ahead on Saturday with fewer numbers.
"We've swapped an audience, we've worked around it, we've worked hard," she said.
"We spent all day [Wednesday] checking where everyone is coming from."
Ms Stuart-Nairne said a lot of Sydney guests had cancelled.
"We had a waiting list, we've increased the number of local people."
She said there were now more people from Orange and the Central West plus Newcastle and Canberra instead of from Sydney.
"We had about 105-110 [people], now we've got 80."
Ms Stuart-Nairne said the cancellations had flow-on effects throughout Orange from coffee shops to bus operators and petrol stations which would see reduced business. "It certainly matters," she said.