Business leaders call for new Kangaroo Island ferry subsidies to help hospitality and tourism
More ferry subsidies are needed to get Kangaroo Island hopping again, local business leaders say, as transport costs and car fares threaten to weighdown the economic recovery efforts
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Kangaroo Island’s business association says subsidised ferry costs are vital to help drive more visitors to the region and save its ailing tourism and hospitality industries.
While SeaLink and Kangaroo Island Connect are both offering cut-price passenger tickets, bookings have to be made by the end of this month for travel before July.
“To counter the economic damage that’s happening now, we need to encourage people to come in June, July, August and September – that will help the small businesses having cash flow problems,” Kangaroo Island Tourism, Food, Wine and Beverage Association chairman Pierre Gregor said.
The cut-price ferry tickets did not include cheaper car fares, which Mr Gregor said could be subsidised by the State Government.
He said there were still huge freight costs for moving goods to the island, which should be subsidised by the Federal Government during the recovery.
He said the measures should remain in place for 18 months.
“Everything that’s required for the recovery and rebuild process comes from the mainland,” he said.
“There’s a 25-30 per cent premium because of the cost of access.”
Mr Gregor hoped ferry operators would extend their cut-price passenger fares.
While the fire-ravaged Adelaide Hills were just a short drive from Adelaide and therefore easier for locals to support through extra day trips, the “water gap” between the city and Kangaroo Island was a major hurdle, and Mr Gregor said lowering travel prices would be a huge help.
Transport Minister Stephan Knoll said the Government was considering a range of measures to help rebuilding efforts. “We have been working with Livestock SA to get fodder donated to the island and we are covering the cost of transporting donated fodder on the ferry to help farmers,” he said.
Kangaroo Island Cup vital boost to tourism
Kangaroo Island locals are enjoying a well-deserved celebration weekend as horseracing fans flock to the SeaLink KI Cup Carnival, buoying a tourism industry battered by devastating bushfires.
The island is heavily booked for accommodation as South Australian mainlanders and people from further afield show their support by converging for today’s showpiece race.
Local operators say that the SA Tourism Commission’s #BookThemOut campaign has proved an economic lifesaver, following mass cancellations last month as bushfires raged.
More than 4000 people are expected over the two days of racing at the Cygnet River Racecourse, with some flying in from as far as Brisbane on charter flights.
Premier Steven Marshall said there had been enormous support for the Kangaroo Island community from across the country.
“We’ve seen this with special events held on the island, such as the recent Kangaroo Island Fringe, and the huge support shown for the #BookThemOut campaign, which has resulted in more than 700,000 visits to the southaustralia.com website,” he said.
“The Kangaroo Island Cup day has given many holiday planners that extra nudge to book a visit to the island, enjoy the action of the carnival and spend some money with local businesses.”
SeaLink’s general manager of marketing Phil Boyle said there was limited vehicle space left on the ferry this weekend, and just a few last-minute options available with their accommodation partners.
“It has been fantastic to see the interest from people wanting to attend the KI Cup this weekend, which is great for the community,” he said.
“There has been strong interest from the community for our $15 passenger fare specials driving visitation to the island following the bushfires.
“There is still a couple of weeks for people to take advantage of these fares for travel up to 30 June.”
Tourism operators say the racing carnival could not come at a better time as the island recovers.
Nicole Purvis, of Penneshaw’s Kangaroo Island Seafront Group, said there had been “an overwhelming response to the #BookThemOut campaign”.
“We were hit dramatically with cancellations, but once the campaign had started, we have seen a 50 per cent increase for February,” she said.
“At some stage, reception staff couldn’t keep up with phone calls and emails – what a great problem to have. We can’t get back what we lost in January but the future doesn’t look as worrying.”
Leanne Woods, of Kokumi Airbnb accommodation, said half their bookings dropped out last month.
“Since the #BookThemOut campaign started, interest and bookings have come flooding in,” Ms Woods said. “We had six bookings in just 24 hours last weekend.”
— Brad Crouch