Vouchers, vaccinations & valuable support for regional tourism businesses
Vouchers, vaccinations and valuable support for regional businesses are the big ticket items for South Australia's tourism sector today.
In a day where we see Victoria and the ACT facing an extended lockdown, parts of the Northern Territory in a snap lockdown, and cases in NSW increase, it’s timely that we look at our state and what we can do to minimise the risks, and to further support tourism operators during this difficult time.
We heard from Premier Steven Marshall today that South Australia remains on high alert. Sadly, the increasing restrictions being introduced interstate continue to impact our sector.
While we have managed the risk very well to date, it is incredibly important that we continue to be vigilant. Keep QR code checking-in, keep social distancing, keep testing if you have any symptoms – and, please step up and get a vaccination if you are eligible.
It’s very clear that we need to get a much higher vaccination rate to be able to consider returning to confident travel once again – and that is critical to getting our visitor economy moving.
From today, South Australians aged over 16 are now eligible for a vaccination – so visit the SA Health website to make an appointment.
I'm proud to say I’ve got my jab, my Executive leadership team has got theirs, and we are encouraging all of our SATC staff to do the same. When we're vaccinated, we're not just protecting ourselves and our community, we're also supporting all South Australians who work in our state's tourism industry.
For information about the COVID-19 vaccine, consult your GP or visit covid-19.sa.gov.au.
Our thoughts are with our friends and colleagues interstate who are facing extended lockdowns.
Read on for details of latest news from the SATC.
Rodney Harrex
Chief Executive
Double date for Great State Vouchers
Great news from yesterday with a further two rounds of the Great State Voucher scheme launching this spring.
Travel vouchers worth up to $200 will be able to be used for tours and hosted experiences, and up to $100 for use on accommodation – providing a significant stimulus for the state’s visitor economy and helping to sustain and create jobs.
Hosted tour and experience operators can expect to receive an Expression of Interest this week for participation in round five, which will launch in September.
Round six will provide $100 vouchers for use at participating CBD and North Adelaide hotels (postcodes 5000 and 5006), and $50 vouchers to spend on regional and suburban accommodation, and operators can expect to hear more as we get closer to the end of the current round, still travelling.
It was a sensational day at Elder Park yesterday, joined by the Premier and tourism operators representing Popeye River Cruises, Earth Adventure, Segway Sensations SA, Coonawarra Experiences, Eos by SkyCity, and InterContinental Adelaide.
Read more via our media release.
Multi-million milestone for regional tourism
The latest round of grants in our Tourism Industry Development Fund have been released, with a diverse range of 18 projects supported across the state awarded a total of over $2.7 million.
Over half of the $20 million Fund has been allocated – a total of 71 projects have now received $11.1 million in funding since December with a combined project value of more than $41 million.
The Fund is spurring investment in our state’s regional tourism industry, supporting operators to attract more visitors at a higher return, while creating more jobs for South Australians.
Read about the latest recipients via our media release.
See the full Industry Update – 16 August 2021 here.