Visitors are already pouring into the Ridge ready for next week's Opal Festival which is set to showcase some of the best opal in the Southern Hemisphere.
Lightning Ridge Tourist Association president John Murray said he anticipated accommodation would be booked out this weekend.
"It's been really busy, we've been averaging of about 50 people a day dropping in to our Visitors Information Centre.
"There are even more people coming into town because statistics show only 20 per cent of travellers actually drop into a tourist or visitors information centre.
"We're also expecting more people in town for the Opal Festival next week than in the past, because it has been better promoted now the Opal Jewellery Design Awards Association (OJDAA) has taken it on board."
The annual festival is a highlight for the town, helping create more awareness about opal and its association with Lightning Ridge to visitors.
Mr Murray said while the festival had existed for the past 30 years, the opal jewellery design awards introduced about five years ago had gone a long way to raise the profile of opal as Australia's national gemstone and showcase what could be done with opal.
He said the festival also aided in showing the unique culture and lifestyle of the Ridge itself.
"I believe tourism is very important for Lightning Ridge to help drive the economy and I hope that it could go hand-in-hand with the opal industry."
Mr Murray said the main age group of visitors coming into the Ridge were the 50 to 65 year-old couples, who were not part of the senior bracket yet, but had found a new independence to see Australia with the children no longer at home.
"I see them as a big mover in the current market," he said.
Meanwhile, the OJDAA reports entries for the Opal Jewellery Design Awards (OJDA) are now in for this year's design competition.
The pieces are exquisite and reflect the latest in international and national designer trends.
About $300,000 worth of jewellery will be on display at the OJDA and exhibition in the function room of the bowling club from next Thursday to August 3.
Pieces by professional jewellers, apprentices, non-professionals and carvers have been entered into this year's competition.
OJDAA president Lyn Carney said the entries were "truly amazing".
"We have a fantastic range of jewellery from commercial contemporary pieces to creative designs that will go on display.
"The apprentice section is also a great way of showcasing the up and coming talent within the Australian jewellery industry.
"All entries reflect a high level of talent and creativity and will make the judges' decision an extremely difficult one".
High profile jewellers including Cameron Marks of Percy Marks, Nic Cerrone of House of Cerrone and Chris Sherwin of the North Melbourne Institute of Technology will judge the competition.
All three judges have an extensive background in the jewellery industry and have a number of awards in recognition of their craft.
"While we cannot show pictures of this year's entries, we are looking forward to showcasing the jewellery on Thursday July 31.
"The opal collection will also be spectacular.
"We have a great range of pieces from the private collections of miners and buyers.
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"While the Rainbow Collection has set a high precedence, we are delighted to boast the range is all local product and will be a magnificent showcase of black opal," Mrs Carney said.
The Opal Festival will kick off tomorrow with an Opal Nera (black sambuca) promotion and on Saturday there is the official launch and presentation of the Opal Queen. The evening is set to be fun with plenty of glamour and a fantastic Brisbane band booked for the night.
For families, there is a fun day on Sunday at Spider Brown Oval. There are plenty of competitions including home brew, cake bake and Australian miners' challenge.
The Opal Jewellery Design Awards presentation cocktail party is on next Thursday and the Awards Gala Dinner is on Saturday August 2. Brisbane band, Platinum (with Savage Garden's guitarist) will be playing on the night.
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