SeaLink, Discovery call for SA travel incentives, as NT, Tasmania lead tourism strategies
SA tourism businesses are calling on the state government to put the industry ‘front of mind’ and boost local travel by introducing incentives similar to those now in place in the NT and Tasmania.
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MAJOR regional tourism operators SeaLink and Discovery Parks want the South Australian government to follow interstate leaders in rolling out local incentive schemes to boost travel.
Major transport and KI ferry services operator SeaLink said it had seen an uptick in numbers for June and July, thanks to the school holidays.
“But these are short bursts. KI is reeling from the aftermath of the bushfires and related destruction, and COVID-19 has added to it,” SeaLink chief executive Clint Feuerherdt said.
“Victoria is KI’s biggest market for travellers. If we are going to keep borders closed – and we have done well to keep COVID-19 under control in SA – we need to keep tourism front of mind,” Mr Feuerherdt said.
“Absolutely we need to be doing more. As a company, we have remodelled our advertising to attract local travellers, but generic incentives like those introduced by Northern Territory recently could help too,” he said.
The NT government has introduced three staged rounds of Territory Tourism Vouchers worth $200 each since July 1 to support its struggling tourism industry by matching an equal spend by travellers.
From September 7, Tasmanians can register to access ‘Make Yourself at Home’ travel vouchers of $100 per adult for accommodation and $50 towards an experience.
The Caravan Industry Association of Australia (CIAA) has proposed another stimulus to the Federal Government in the form of a subsidy on the purchase of new RVs (caravans, motorhomes camper trailers). The proposed ten per cent discount would apply to new recreational vehicles, including motorhomes, caravans or camper trailers, up to the value of $150,000.
SeaLink, which employs 8600 staff across its bus, tram and ferry transport and tourism services nationally and internationally, said it had received some support from the state towards port charges and was receiving funding from the Federal JobKeeper scheme.
“This is about focusing on more levers that SA may have to stimulate travel to KI and other regional areas,” Mr Feuerherdt said.
He also said not much of the Federal Government’s $2 billion bushfire recovery fund had come into KI.
SeaLink said the ongoing outlook for the industry and its own “uncertainty” with regards to the KI ferry contract, which expires in 2024, had also put on hold its plans for a “fast ferry” from Glenelg to KI and the rebuild of its Vivonne Bay Lodge on KI, which was destroyed in the summer bushfires.
KI Mayor Michael Pengilly recently said the cost of travel was a huge impediment to attracting South Australians.
As reported recently, the region needs urgent help to draw more tourists after suffering a 20 per cent economic blow from bushfires and coronavirus.
Separately, Discovery Parks owner G’Day Group chief executive Grant Wilckens has called for longer-term, more sustainable outcomes, by rebooting an industry that gets visitors out and spending in our regions.
“As overseas travel is postponed or cancelled, opportunity exists to assist communities that have struggled through bushfires and the pandemic via tourism-driven government incentives,” Mr Wilckens said.
“For every $1 spent on regional accommodation, $2 of economic benefit goes to the community overall. By this measure, each $200 accommodation voucher will generate $400 for local NT economies through flow-on spending of tourists.
“We need forward focused initiatives for stimulation rather than just survival if we hope to see our industry rebooted and regions recovering,” he said.
A state government spokeswoman said more than $122m in stimulus is being provided to support the industry and the 40,000 South Australians it employs.
“From large-scale infrastructure projects to enhance visitor experiences at iconic destinations, such as the Flinders Ranges and on Kangaroo Island, to $10,000 emergency cash grants for small business operators and millions in extra funding for domestic marketing campaigns to boost visitation, we are committed to ensuring the sector survives the greatest economic challenge of our time,” she said.