Cost of living pressures, high airfares and a still slow trip on the Captain Cook Highway coastal road may have hobbled tourist numbers and spending a bit, but most Port Douglas traders are upbeat about the last splurge before the wet season.

Comment from cafe traders gathered on a wander down Macrossan Street last week suggests tourists are tightening their belts a little, going for cheaper take away options and shopping smartly to make their dollars go further, but they are still out and about.

“Coles is busy… it’s empty by the end of each day,’’ The Daintree Shop owner Irene Cats said.

“It’s good to see that tourists are around. We obviously started slow this year and everyone was very happy when July hit and it got busy,’’ she added.

“This time of year is the time when the people that come every year are here and they don’t necessarily do all the tours and spend all the money. They just come here to relax for a few days. They know their favourite restaurants, they might do an activity, but they’re not out and about every.’’

Ms Cats said she felt the Douglas region had “nearly forgotten about the whole cyclone and rain stuff’’.

“We’re getting there. Up until July we had people saying ‘we can’t get to Cape Trib’ and we had to tell them that they can, but we don’t hear that too much anymore,’’ she said.

The Daintree Shop’s Emily Silverstone said “backpacker numbers are still pretty pumping’’ and added it was proving difficult for them to find accommodation.

Nectar smoothie and juice business was buzzing with customers, manager Bec James happy with the busy trade.

“It’s great to see the influx of people around. It’s good for the town,’’ she said.

But nearby, Cafe Dulce owner Danny Rodriguez was shutting up after his only decent day of trade in a week.

“It’s been a very quiet season for us. Compared to other years, it has been very quiet,’’ he said.