A new survey finds the Murray River region has lost almost $130 million in revenue due to recent flooding.
About 130 industry participants took part in the survey which was organised by Murray Regional Tourism and Destination Riverina Murray New South Wales.
Murray Regional Tourism's interim CEO Will Flamsteed said local communities and the tourism industry had felt the impacts of a trading halt and cancelled bookings.
"We have recognised with the first survey that at least $128 million of impacts has occurred," he said.
"That season between the Melbourne Cup long weekend and the Australia Day long weekend is the key time for our industry and our communities to directly benefit from tourism and the visitor economy.
"For the third year in a row we're seeing our communities and out tourism industry limited by trade and directly impacted financially."
Lost revenue figure expected to rise
A second survey by the groups, which is gauging more specific responses to financial losses, is still open.
Mr Flamsteed said they were expecting the nearly $130 million lost revenue figure to climb once the results of the second survey were known.
"We expect with the second survey that that figure will most likely double," he said.
"So we expect to be closer to $250 million worth of impacts and that's impact in lost bookings, cancelled bookings ... direct revenue impacts."
'The industry has lost so many bookings'
The revenue impacts have been felt far and wide across the Murray River including in Corowa where a local caravan park had cancelled more than 500 bookings by late November.
Local tourism operator and president of the Echuca-Moama Accommodation Association Steve Shipp said he had lost about $100,000 due to recent flooding.
"I couldn't tell you the number of [cancelled] bookings because we sort of lose them [and] we pick them up," he said.
"But it's right across Echuca-Moama there, the accommodation industry has just lost so many bookings."
Yarrawonga Holiday Park manager Michelle Driscoll said they were down by about $30,000 in November compared to the same time period last year.
"We have had probably about six cabins that couldn't be used for a period of about three to four weeks and probably about 50-odd sites that we had to cancel particularly over the Melbourne Cup weekend," she said.
