Private investors to be encouraged to put forward projects for SA’s protected places
Steven Marshall will unveil the first of several expected stimulus measures aimed at getting the economy back on track. But there are fears it destroy what people love about SA.
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Nature-based tourism will be given a $22 million injection – and higher priority – in a bid to boost South Australia’s economy after major hits from devastating bushfires, the drought and now the coronavirus crisis.
Premier Steven Marshall will tomorrow launch his Parks 2020 plan to help build several new projects, including a visitors precinct at Antechamber Bay on Kangaroo Island and a multi-day hiking trail in the Flinders Ranges.
The initial funding outlay is the first plank in what is expected to be a broader stimulus package in the lead-up to the State Budget.
Mr Marshall told the Sunday Mail the funding for SA’s “iconic” nature-based tourism sector would boost the economy and create jobs in the wake of the bushfires, the drought and the ongoing impact of coronavirus.
“This investment will be a major shot in the arm for our world-class eco-tourism industry and help fast-track the recovery of our regional economies,” he said.
The plan includes a Nature-Based Tourism Co-Investment Fund that will encourage tourism operators to invest in expanded or new operations.
In return for access to the protected areas, tourism operators will be expected to contribute to conservation programs such as restoring habitats and revegetation.
Mr Marshall wants to double the state’s nature and heritage tourism expenditure to $3.4 billion over the next decade, creating 4000 jobs.
A focus on nature-based tourism is another theme he has taken from Tasmania’s playbook that has helped the Apple Isle earn a reputation as a tourism economy trailblazer.
The Marshall Government’s first major foray into private development in public spaces – huts and a walking trail in Kangaroo Island’s Flinders Chase National Park – has been subject to a Supreme Court challenge by environmental groups.
Conservation Council of SA chief executive Craig Wilkins, who is yet to see the plan, welcomed any investment into the state’s protected areas.
“National parks are a tremendous attraction for visitors and they are a big part of our identity as a state,” he said.
“It makes sense for us to encourage people to get out and experience them.
“The challenge is that we have to ensure that the values that attract people to come and experience these wonderful places are not damaged by people loving them to death.”
Last month, Mr Marshall, in his first major speech to industry leaders after taking on the tourism portfolio, said he would draw inspiration from Tasmania’s MONA museum, the winter festival Dark Mofo and the state’s aggressive push into nature-based tourism.
“The taxpayers have incredible assets in our national parks and our conservation parks … but we really need to make sure that we are getting the very best out of this and creating the most excellent opportunities in terms of employment that flows from them,” he said at the time.
Federal Tourism Minster Simon Birmingham said: “This is a smart investment to make in times of trouble that will better prepare SA to take advantage of the opportunities of the future,” he said.