“My thoughts are with the people devastated by these bushfires and with the men and women of the Rural Fire Service and emergency workers who have toiled tirelessly to protect property and lives,” Mr Souris said.

“Tourism is a critical part of many of these communities. Once the fires have been controlled, the Government’s tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW, will work with local operators and community leaders to prioritise where help is needed the most.

“We will be doing all we can to assist these communities rebuild their businesses and tourism livelihoods”.

“Support will include ensuring in the lead up to a busy summer holiday period, that visitors know the regions are ‘open for business’.

Visitors planning to travel to any of the areas affected including, Lithgow, the Blue Mountains, Wyong (Central Coast), Heathbrae (Hunter region) and Balmoral (Southern Highlands) should check the latest bushfire information and advice on the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) website rfs.nsw.gov.au and for road closures livetraffic.com before they travel.

The local Visitor Information Centre can also be contacted. The locations of these can be found at visitnsw.com/visitor-information-centres/map

Visitors already staying in a bushfire affected region should follow directions from the RFS.