Deserted businesses feel the strain as manhunt drags on

Alpine towns gearing up for the school holiday and summer peak are instead facing huge losses. (Simon Dallinger/AAP PHOTOS)

By Allanah Sciberras, Rachael Ward and Callum Godde in Melbourne

Businesses in a popular Alpine region should be gearing up for a bumper school holidays but are instead grappling with the impact of a massive hunt for an accused police killer.

Residents and tourists have been told to limit movements through the region as police search for accused gunman Dezi Freeman, wanted for more than a week since a deadly confrontation at Porepunkah, about 300km northeast of Melbourne.

Local operators report a 60 per cent loss of income since the search started on August 26, according to Bright and District Chamber of Commerce president and Pepo Farms chief executive Marc