More than half of SA’s regions have already beaten a 2025 tourism target

If you’ve been struggling to find a booking at your family’s favourite holiday getaway, these new figures may explain why.

Rocketing regional tourism has propelled six of the state’s 11 holiday regions past their visitor spending targets four years ahead of schedule.

The boom helped drive total visitor expenditure in regional South Australia to $3.6bn in 2021, just $400m shy of the December 2025 target of $4bn.

The Eyre Peninsula beat its target by a whopping $91m, while Clare Valley and Kangaroo Island exceeded their respective 2025 targets by $40m.

Other regions to beat their targets were the Barossa, Fleurieu Peninsula, and Murray River, Lakes & Coorong.

Peter Barry, of Jim Barry Wines in the Clare Valley, which includes The Mill Apartments and Mill St Retreat, said the area had received strong support from locals and benefited from schemes such as the Great State Vouchers.

“Last year kept us on our toes in both our tourism and accommodation businesses – constantly adapting to changing conditions,” he said.

“We were thrilled with the number of South Australians who took the opportunity to explore their home state and come to the valley. Many had little knowledge of the region, but left as wonderful ambassadors for the Clare Valley.”

Targets for each region are mapped out in the state government’s South Australian Regional Visitor Strategy 2025.

Regional tourism showed resilience throughout the pandemic as South Australians set off to explore their own state rather than travelling interstate and overseas. However, some businesses such as tour guides and backpackers’ accommodation, which relied more on interstate and overseas visitors, suffered.

Over the two-year period from 2020 to 2021, regional visitation was just five per cent behind pre-Covid levels. And last year included seven consecutive months of record-breaking accommodation occupancy rates.

Regional tourism now makes up 60 per cent of South Australia’s total visitor expenditure – up from 44 per cent at the end of 2019.

Tourism Minister Zoe Bettison said SA had a target to attract $12.8bn a year in total visitor expenditure across the entire state by 2030.

“Regional tourism is driving the recovery of our visitor economy, with 60 cents of every dollar spent on tourism in our state spent in regional South Australia,” Ms Bettison said.

“This is a real testament to the innovation and dedication of operators and the industry.

“Through working together, investing in new tourism products and experiences, and finding new ways to attract domestic visitors who will stay longer and spend more, the South Australian Regional Visitor Strategy is helping drive outcomes.”

The chairwoman of the strategy’s steering committee, Helen Edwards, said it had helped businesses navigate the challenges of the past two years and would drive ongoing success. “These progress snapshots demonstrate the incredible outcomes we’ve been able to achieve for regional SA,” she said.

Jemma Ashby (Alice), Warrick Duthy (the White Rabbit) and Nicola Palmer (the Queen of Hearts) pictured in Watervale ahead of the Clare Valley Gourmet Week. Picture: Matt Turner.

Care for some tea at Clare?

By Jessica Galletly

Things will get curiouser and curiouser in the Clare Valley as revellers prepare for a mad kind of tea party.

Katie’s Wonderland and the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party is a showstopping event at this year’s Clare Valley SCA Gourmet Week program, which kicks off on Friday.

More than 8000 people are expected to enjoy the region’s festivities across the 10-day event, which comes hot on the heels of the Tasting Australia festival.

Warrick Duthy, who runs Watervale Hotel with executive chef Nicola Palmer, said there would be “fun, face painting, glitter and dress-ups” – but this ain’t no kids’ party.

“This is definitely adults-only – the big kids,” Duthy laughed. “Most Gourmet events are structured and sit-down – this will be the exact opposite. It’s roving, the food and wine will follow the people and we’ll have a dance floor with Driller Jet Armstrong (on music).

“I’ll probably change three or four times through the course of the afternoon just for fun, though I probably look better as Mad Hatter than the Queen of Hearts.”

The party – on the final day of the food and wine festival, May 22 – will open the hotel’s Penobscot Farm to the public.

Palmer will create canapes using organic and biodynamic produce from the property. It is one of more than 60 events at this year's Clare Gourmet program across more than 30 wineries.

Clare Valley Wine and Grape Tourism chairman Martin Ferguson said it was the “biggest and best” program in the festival’s 38-year-history. “

“The traditional hospitality of the region’s winemakers that has always been at the heart of the event remains but it’s grown to incorporate so much more, with things like art classes, yoga sessions, star gazing and street parties added to a line-up of special wine dinners,” he said.

clarevalleygourmet.com.au

Originally published as More than half of SA’s regions have already beaten a 2025 tourism target