Regional SA is booming in the tourism sector and the Limestone Coast can be part of the resurgence

South Australia is in the throes of a tourism boom and regional areas are cashing in on the increased visitation.

But while some regions have already hit their 2025 targets and some have experienced record tourism-related income, the Limestone Coast has some work to do.

Operators and associated industries throughout the Limestone Coast have also seen strong numbers on the back of post- COVID travel and the increased special events that are placing South Australia in the national and international spotlight but Member for Mount Gambier Troy Bell believes now is the time to ramp up efforts and be part of the economic windfall.

“The wider Limestone Coast has an opportunity to learn from other successful regional areas experiencing tourism growth,” Mr Bell said.

Regional South Australia has rocketed toward its 2025 tourism target and a new record-high, hitting almost $4 billion in 2022 – some three years ahead of schedule.

Latest data shows regional visitor expenditure hit an all-time high $3.98 billion in 2022, just $200 million shy of its $4billion target set for December 2025.

Six of the state’s 11 tourism regions have surpassed their 2025 visitor expenditure target, with four regions hitting a record high.

The Barossa and Yorke Peninsula have hit an all-time high and surpassed their 2025 targets by $35 million and $65 million respectively.

The targets are set as part of the South Australian Regional Visitor Strategy 2025, a strategy developed by the regions for the regions which outlines priority action areas as identified by the state’s 11 tourism regions after extensive consultation with more than 800 stakeholders.

The 2025 Strategy is the second iteration after the 2020 plan was released in May 2018 with the then regional tourism target of $3.55 billion.

The South Australian Regional Visitor Strategy 2025 aligns with the South Australian Visitor Economy Sector Plan 2030, which sets a target for total visitor expenditure in the state of $12.8 billion.

“Four regions, including Barossa and Flinders Ranges & Outback, have hit record high visitor expenditure so let’s look at what they are doing right and take our lead from that,” Mr Bell said.

“Post-COVID people are enjoying travelling again and we need to look at what we can do to continue their journey down to the Limestone Coast.”

The Member for Mount Gambier said it was imperative the local industry needed to plan and foster partnerships to maximise visitor movement from such major events as the AFL Gather Round and LIV Golf.

“There are plenty of incredible attractions in the Limestone Coast but perhaps they are not marketed as well as they should be, with a region-wide approach,” Mr Bell said. “There’s not too many places in South Australia you can walk along the crater rim of a dormant volcano or snorkel in a sinkhole but we have those experienced right here just 10 minutes drive from Mount Gambier.

“In the South Australian Visitor Strategy, the Limestone Coast’s priorities are marketing, experience and supply development, collaboration, building industry capability and opportunities around leisure and business events,

“We have many successful tourism operators and accommodation providers and now’s the time to spruik them.”

And as far as the Member for Mount Gambier is concerned, his first step in ramping up the region’s tourism-related revenue will be a visit this month from the new South Australian Tourism Commission CEO Emma Terry where Mr Bell will showcase the region and tap into the CEO”s expertise to see how we can join other SA regions in smashing records and targets in the tourism space.

“We’ve just had a bumper summer season in the Limestone Coast and I’d like our tourism operators to be able to say they’re experiencing that year round,” he said.

SA Tourism Minister Zoe Bettison was thrilled to be able to announce the strong regional tourism figures.

“Regional tourism is a huge contributor to South Australia’s visitor economy – now worth a record-high almost $4 billion to our state,” Minister Bettison said.

“For every tourism dollar spent in South Australia, 48 cents is spent in the regions – up from 44 cents in 2019.

“With six of the 11 regions having already beat their targets set for 2025, and four regions cracking an all-time high – these are fantastic indicators that our plan to recover the industry from the impacts of the pandemic is on track.

“The South Australian Regional Visitor Strategy sees the sector working together to continue to drive this strong progress for our state.”

SA Regional Visitor Strategy steering committee chair Helen Edwards also welcomed the trajectory of regional tourism.

“There’s no doubt we’ve made fantastic inroads for regional tourism,” she said.

“This is an outstanding result, achieved through strong collaboration across the regions involving local, state and federal governments, regional tourism bodies, and importantly, hundreds of operators.

“The results also reflect the support from many South Australians who visited our regions during the pandemic.

“As a strategy developed ‘by the regions for the regions’, the Regional Visitor Strategy is our roadmap to continue to drive outcomes for regional tourism and keep the industry strong for the tens of thousands of South Australians it employs.”

Latest regional tourism results (year-end December 2022):

• Total visitor expenditure in regional South Australia in the 12 months to December 2022 reached a record high $3.98 billion. It puts it just $200 million shy of the December 2025 target of $4.0 billion, and up $380 million on 2021 total regional visitor expenditure of $3.6 billion.

• Six of the state’s 11 tourism regions have surpassed their 2025 visitor expenditure target: Barossa, Clare Valley, Eyre Peninsula, Fleurieu Peninsula, Murray River Lakes & Coorong, and Yorke Peninsula.

• Four regions hit record-high visitor expenditure: Adelaide Hills, Barossa, Flinders Ranges & Outback, and Yorke Peninsula.