About 1000 vehicles are going in and out of the Bendigo camping site each week and those numbers could grow, those managing the site say.
The figures came from vehicle counters that had been installed by Colliers International, which managed the Bendigo and other lakeshore camping sites on behalf of Land and Information New Zealand, Colliers property manager Rose Quirk, of Queenstown, told members of the Central Otago District Council's community services committee yesterday.
A report from Ms Quirk said contractors were preparing for another ''busy summer season'' at the lakeside camping sites and that the areas would be ''in high demand'', particularly over the Christmas-New Year period.
The vehicle counters had shown an average of 560 vehicles a week accessing the Bendigo site about three weeks ago, so the growth between then and now had been significant, Ms Quirk said.
Vehicle counters have also been installed at Lowburn and Jacksons Inlet, where there were 472 and 76 vehicles a week respectively three weeks ago.
However, it was important to note the figures did not only represent campers, and would also include people visiting the site briefly, for example to use toilets there, councillors heard.
Fulton Hogan contractors would visit the camping sites seven days a week during December, January and February, and would do additional visits if required, Ms Quirk said.
Other work was also being done at the Bendigo site, including the installation of four additional portable toilets and solar-powered, self-compacting rubbish bins.
The work at Bendigo should be finished in about two weeks.
