Visit the Blue Mountains, locals urge

Travellers are being encouraged to return to NSW's Blue Mountains, as the region continues to recover after last year's devastating bushfires.

Lithgow Mayor Maree Statham says October 2013 was a horrendous time for locals, particularly those who lost homes.

But, she says, the main message to come out of the fires is that the area is open for business.

More than 200 homes were destroyed and many damaged as three fires burned at Springwood, Mount York and Lithgow, from October 16.

As a consequence, tourists avoided the area for months, which had a knock-on effect across a region that depends heavily on the tourist dollar.

Blue Mountains deputy mayor Chris Van der Kley says the community is resilient and bouncing back.

He says this summer they'll be able to tell if tourism figures have returned to pre-bushfire levels.

The Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area attracts four million visitors and $550 million per year.

Ms Statham says businesses will recoup some of the money lost if visitor numbers increase over the next six months.

"What we can do now is try and stop people from going overseas," she says.

"The dollar's dropped, so we need now to make a big sound out there that we are open for business."