ALPINE Shire visitor numbers performed strongly over the Christmas and New Year period, according to the local council and Visitor Information Centres, with the three major centres recording a total of more than 88,000 visits for the calendar year.

An Alpine Shire council spokesperson said it was "pleasing" to see strong numbers.

"With the past two years being significantly impacted by bushfire and border closures, figures this year demonstrate that people are returning to enjoy the many attributes of our beautiful region," the spokesperson told the Myrtleford Times/Alpine Observer.

"Our accommodation providers have reported excellent occupancy rates, while businesses are also experiencing much better business conditions.

"The COVID–19 numbers in the past few weeks have caused some cancellations as more people are forced into isolation with the virus and businesses locally have been impacted by staff shortages also.

"Despite this, most business owners are feeling much more positive about the year ahead.

"In what has been an interrupted year due to COVID–19, in the 2021 calendar year we saw more than 65,000 visitors through our Alpine Visitor Information Centre in Bright, more than 13,000 through our Mount Beauty centre and more than 10,500 through our Myrtleford centre.

"While these numbers are down on figures pre–pandemic, they indicate strong recovery in our region as travel has opened up around the country."