More chances to experience South Australia

The ballot for tens of thousands of chances to experience South Australia will open next week, with people across the country able to try score up to $200 off hosted tours and experiences across the state.

From Monday 7 March, the ballot will open for round eight of the South Australian Tourism Commission’s Great State Voucher scheme with 60,000 Great State Experiences Vouchers up for grabs.

Open to Australian residents over the age of 18, the vouchers offer great deals on hosted experiences like shark-cage diving, swimming with sealions or giant cuttlefish, scenic flights over world-class wine regions and through the outback, guided food and wine trails, cocktail masterclasses, and much more.

The experiences vouchers aim to further stimulate intrastate and interstate tourism, on the back of a record number of accommodation vouchers currently in the market driving bookings for SA stays.

Lucky recipients of the Great State Experiences Vouchers will be able to start booking experiences from 10 March, in time for the long weekend, with travel until the end of May including Easter and the April school holidays.

South Australian Tourism Commission chief executive Rodney Harrex said the last voucher round targeted to tours and experiences hit record-high redemption.

“In the last round of Great State Experiences Vouchers, the nearly 23,000 vouchers redeemed saw nearly 48,000 people booked in with South Australian tour operators as each voucher created an average of 2.13 bookings thanks to plus ones,” Mr Harrex said.

“This time, we’re nearly doubling the number of vouchers and making them available to locals and interstaters, so we’re boosting the benefits for a sector which has had it tough. We know this scheme gets people travelling, drives bookings into businesses, creates valuable marketing exposure, and produces expenditure over and above the voucher value.

“Bookings for accommodation providers have been rolling in thick and fast – and with more vouchers going into the market for tours and experiences, that’s even more people getting out and seeing more of South Australia.”

Analysis of the past six rounds of the Great State Voucher scheme shows more than $94 million was injected into the state’s economy. The projected economic impact of the rounds seven and eight could see the overall value land at around $149 million.

One of the tour operators taking part in round eight of the voucher scheme is Exceptional Kangaroo Island, which will offer single and multi-day tours of South Australia’s iconic island.

Craig Wickham, managing director of Exceptional Kangaroo Island said: “We’re thrilled to be participating in the upcoming lot of vouchers and it’s come at the perfect time for our new ‘Walk Kangaroo Island’ experience. With it open to locals and interstaters, it’s a great opportunity to showcase our newest offering that gives travellers the chance to experience the very best of the island, to get off the beaten track and see parts of KI that are rarely seen. Hosted by local guides to tell the stories of nature and of the island’s regeneration since the fires, to observe wildlife in its natural habitat, have a mix of walking and traveling in custom vehicles, as well enjoying the best local food and wine – this is the way to experience one of South Australia’s tourism gems.”

One of the best views of Adelaide’s city is from RoofClimb – an unforgettable adventure across Adelaide Oval’s iconic roofline.

Laura Robinson, tourism & major events manager at Adelaide Oval said: “RoofClimb is excited to welcome this round of Great State Voucher recipients and what a time to do it! With the festival season well underway, coupled with our city’s perfect balmy evenings, step outside the ordinary and join us on rooftop – it’s time to see Adelaide our way.”

Zoos SA will offer awe-inspiring experiences for voucher holders including Australia’s only 360-degree lion encounter, a chance to meet giant pandas up close, feed a giraffe, and even go on an e-cycling safari and wine experience thanks to a new collaboration with Bike About.

Elaine Bensted, chief executive of Zoos SA said: “Get ready to roar into action and pounce on your chance to enter the ballot to take part in Lions 360 at Monarto Safari Park. Lions 360 has been one of the most popular Great State Voucher offerings which we’re obviously delighted about. No trip to South Australia is complete without taking the walk of the brave at Monarto Safari Park, where you see lions up close and from all angles as they devour their feed.

“Panda and Friends is your chance to see Australasia’s only Giant Pandas up close as they start their day. Meet Fu Ni and Wang Wang in the beautiful Bamboo Forest and say hello to their neighbours, the incredibly agile and appealing Red Pandas. Giraffe feeds at Adelaide Zoo are the icing on the cake to a great day out. Hold up a carrot and enjoy as the giraffe’s long, blue tongue reaches out for its snack. A new experience for Monarto Safari Park is in collaboration with Bike About – a Grapes for Good e-cycling safari and wine experience is the perfect combination of conservation and degustation.”

Great State Voucher round eight will provide vouchers of $100 for use on single day experiences; and $200 for use on overnight or multi-day experiences only. Upon entering the ballot, consumers will need to nominate their preference for a voucher type.

Great State Experiences Voucher key dates:

• Ballot: Opens at 9am ACDT on Monday 7 March and closes at 5pm ACDT on Wednesday 9 March 2022
• Ballot draw: Thursday 10 March – both successful and unsuccessful entries will be notified
• Booking period: 10 March – 31 March 2022
• Travel: 11 March – 31 May 2022, bookable seven days a week. Travel period includes the March and Easter long weekends, and the April school holidays.

For more information and to enter the randomised, electronic ballot, go to: southaustralia.com/voucher.

Terms and conditions apply. License no. SA T22/125. NSW TP/01630. ACT TP22/00208.