Ballot to be held for third round of Great State Vouchers, as tourists fill regions over Easter long weekend

Forget scrambling with the rest of SA to be first in to win a Great State Voucher. The third round will be held by ballot. Here’s how it will work.

A ballot will decide who will receive Great State Vouchers during the third round of the scheme, to be launched this month.

The South Australian Tourism Commission is introducing an electronic, randomised ballot system to ensure a fair and equitable distribution of vouchers.

Under the program, $50, $100 and $200 vouchers will be on offer for tourism experiences only.

More than 500 tourism experience businesses, such as shark cage diving, charter helicopter and winery operators, are expected to register to take part in the initiative.

The prior rounds of the voucher scheme offered discounts for accommodation.

The first round launched in October with discounts of up to $100 on accommodation across the state.

The vouchers were snapped up within 90 minutes and about 41 per cent of the vouchers were redeemed.

The second round opened in January and sold out within 40 minutes.

About 50 per cent of those vouchers were redeemed.

Helivista scenic flights owners, operations manager Mei Ling with her husband and pilot Paul Beck at Penny’s Hill Winery, McLaren Vale. Picture: Mike Burton

SATC chief executive Rodney Harrex said the agency has listened to industry and the feedback from previous voucher rounds in developing this voucher iteration.

“This latest round of vouchers will see locals spending up on tours and experiences which they might otherwise have overlooked while holidaying in their home state,” he said.

“We’re looking forward to seeing bookings roll-in the door for hosted tour and experience operators across the state, and to creating a whole host of ambassadors who can spruik all of the incredible experiences we have on offer across the state – giving their families and friends more reasons to get out and keep seeing SA.”

All South Australians over the age of 18 will be eligible for Great State Experiences Vouchers while a limited number of vouchers will be made available to adults in New South Wales and Victoria.

Eligible consumers will be able to enter the ballot at southaustralia.com/voucher at any time between 9am on Wednesday, April 21 and 10pm on Friday, April 23.

They will have two option when they register – One options puts them in the draw to win either a $50 or $100 voucher, while the second option is for a $200 voucher, which can be used for overnight or multi-day tours only.

The $50 vouchers can be used to all experiences participating in the program while $100 vouchers can only be applied to experiences valued at $100 or more.

Those who are successful will be notified via text message and email.

Bookings can be made after from 9am on April 27 until 11.59pm on May 23.

The travel period runs from April 27 to July 31.

Tourists flock to SA parks over Easter

Bumper Easter bookings in holiday parks across the state are set to continue into the cooler months as South Australians hit the road.

Beautiful weather, no overseas travel and nervousness about snap interstate border closures has seen holiday-makers flock to caravan and camping sites as well as cabins and holiday homes.

Last year’s pandemic lockdowns also fuelled the travel appetite, and caravan park operators are saying many visitors this Easter rolled over their cancelled bookings from last year.

Melissa Martin, of Moonta Bay Holiday Park, said they had been packed over Easter.

“We were fully booked, at full capacity – it has been a little bit crazy,” she said.

“I’d say about 97 per cent of people rolled over their booking from last year and are having a great time enjoying the good life here. Our forward bookings are very strong, too – way above last year.”

Beautiful weather, no overseas travel and nervousness about snap interstate border closures has seen holiday-makers flock to caravan and camping sites as well as cabins and holiday homes. Pictured is Rawnsley Park Station in the Flinders Ranges. Picture: SATC

At Murray Bridge Tourist Park, Hephzibah Davies said they could have “filled three times over, there have been that many inquiries”.

“We seriously could have tripled-booked, and the other caravan parks that I have been speaking to have been saying the same thing – demand for spots has been huge,” she said.

“Bookings are looking very strong for the future, too. The grey nomads are travelling and as we are a quieter park we get a lot of return business from people who might want to settle in for a couple of weeks.”

Chief executive of Caravan and Camping Industries Association of SA Stuart Livingstone, pictured, predicted demand for sites would continue strongly.

He said record numbers of people attended the Caravan and Camping Show in February and sales of recreational vehicles were up 3 per cent.

“That means there will be a long flow-through effect which is great news for regional areas as people go touring,” he said.

SA Tourism Commission chief executive Rodney Harrex said that before Easter 2020 he made the “painful, unheard of” plea urging South Australians not to travel.

“Now, I am urging South Australians and Australians alike to see SA. Regional accommodation rates are hitting never-before-seen highs,” he said.