Times are changing for local accommodation and attractions, with high demand providing an opportunity for tourism businesses to capitalise on the market while it’s hot. 

According to recent figures from Airbnb, Australia recorded an increase of 60 per cent in non-urban nights booked in 2022 from 2019. 

With more people than ever venturing into the area, accommodation providers like Mark and Wendy Osmond at the Dark Sky Eco Resort near Coonabarabran are needing to pull up their socks to meet increasing expectations. 



“We’ve increased our accommodation size to cater to larger groups, and we’ve also been driven to include catering,” Mr Osmond said. 

As a completely off-the-grid property and emu farm, Dark Sky has no shortage of drawcards for people travelling from the city, but that hasn’t led the team to halt on expanding their services. 

“We’ve also got the observatory on our second block that we recently just purchased on a property which we call Dark Sky Hill,” Mr Osmond said. 

Coonabarabran has some of the best night skies on earth, and the Osmund's have learned to make the most of it. (Supplied)

It’s innovations and upgrades that local communities and tourism businesses need to keep making to maintain the amazing amount of travellers they’ve been seeing this season. 

Airbnb figures suggest that almost half of respondents planned to travel more frequently to rural destinations that were not currently popular with tourists, while over two-thirds of Australians said they would be more likely to head to destinations that are not crowded. 

While the Western Plains has that in spades, so too does a majority of the state beyond the coastline.

As a result, communities are banning together to make their businesses stand out. 

“We’ve been driven to partner with Tibuc Gardens Cafe and they now provide full catering to all our guests…people are looking for an eating and experience are generally a little disappointed with the offerings in Coonabarabran,” Mr Osmond said. 

“We work with as many of the local tour providers as we can, like Crystal Kingdom…we take them up to the Siding Springs Observatory when it’s open and into cafes,” he said. 

Airbnb country manager Susan Wheeldon said that it’s exciting to see the impact of travellers looking to new destinations. 

“More than two years since the start of the pandemic, we continue to see fundamental shifts in travel that are creating tangible opportunities for communities that lay off-the-beaten track,” Ms Wheeldon said.