Maitland diverse economy is its strength, says business chamber president

The Hunter Valley wine country and Port Stephens are bearing the brunt of the reduction in international visitors, and with no end in sight, both have turned to the domestic traveller in a bid to survive.

Maitland's diverse range of businesses and industry is its strength in the wake of this unfolding pandemic and that has put the city in a position to reach out and help its wine and beachy cousins.

"We can carry it a little better than wine areas where if the tourists aren't there they aren't staying in the accommodation and eating in the restaurants," Maitland Business Chamber President Judy Brown said.

"We have to have a 'we're all in this together mentality'. This is very much a shop local and holiday locally time to get us over this hump in the road."

Without that approach businesses could be forced to close their doors for good, and that means less jobs.

"We don't want to see businesses close. That has a flow-on effect - our children may not be able to get jobs in the area and then have to move away," Ms Brown said.

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"We need to be looking after our own backyard. Holidaying locally and shopping locally are the only ways we are going to protect ourselves."

Hunter Valley Wine and Tourism Association president, and Tulloch Wines CEO, Christina Tulloch and Destination Port Stephens CEO Eileen Gilliland are urging the Hunter to support local businesses.

Ms Gilliland said the toll in Port Stephens went well beyond the cruise operators and accommodation providers and noted there were many different types of businesses that relied on the tourist's dollar.

"Even businesses that wouldn't normally classify themselves as being part of the tourism industry have been affected," she said.

Ms Tulloch said it was very uncertain times for operators who had already had a very tough start to the year thanks to the bushfires.

"Visitation is down and February was really quiet. It is one of the quieter months of the year but it has been significantly quieter than what it would normally be," she said.

"We are the most visited wine destination in Australia and the the second most visited place in NSW, so without those people coming to us from Sydney airport that is definitely having a flow-on effect."

The visitor economy in the Hunter Valley is worth about $15 million a month. If those visitors aren't coming in we will continue to see that drop in revenue. The revenue loss in Port Stephens since the coronavirus took hold is still being calculated.

Conference and business events already scheduled are also now in doubt.