Riverland Tourism

Mr WHETSTONE (Chaffey) (15:23): I rise today to talk about the coming very busy tourist season in the Riverland. The calendar looks exciting, to say the least, and this coming period provides a much-needed economic boost to the region. However, before I get into the wonderful events held and to be held in September and October in the Riverland, I would like to point out a disappointing oversight in a South Australian Tourism Commission's document released in June. The document, entitled 'Delivering quality South Australian experiences and infrastructure for Chinese visitors', manages to exclude the Riverland and Mallee—outrageous!

The report focused on six key identified destinations, that is, Adelaide, Adelaide Hills, Barossa, Limestone Coast, Eyre Peninsula, Kangaroo Island and the Fleurieu Peninsula. To put this omission into perspective, according to the latest statistics from Tourism Research Australia the Riverland has the second most international visitor nights in country SA. The Riverland had 246,000 nights in June 2016—only outdone in regional South Australia by the Fleurieu Peninsula with 250,000 nights.

The Riverland has seen the addition of even more luxury accommodation which will target that particular market, especially the Chinese market. Rick and Cathy Edmonds's 'The Frames' and Pike River Luxury Villas are only two of the outstanding accommodation options making inroads into this market. Our famous wine brands, such as Banrock Station and Angove Family Winemakers are well known in China.

The report looked at the themes, such as the naturalness of the regions—essentially, the food, the wine and the lifestyle. The Riverland does this better than many other regions. It looked at the food aspect. The Riverland is the premium food bowl of South Australia. It also looked at wine. We are a major player in this area, producing 60 per cent of the state's wine vintage. We have award-winning premium wine labels doing great things in this space, such as 919 Wines, Basham Estate, Whistling Kite and many more; the list could go on.

The report looked at the wildlife. The Riverland has amazing walking trails, and I want to note that the new River Murray Walks were established by two of South Australia's great tourism people, Tony Sharley and his wife Susie. It has been named one of the 10 great walks in Australia. That is another iconic event in the Riverland. We have our birdwatching parks, and you cannot go past the River Murray.

We could see an estimated 57,000 Chinese visitors contributing part of that $450 million to the South Australian economy by 2020, and I am appalled to see that the Riverland was not included in the report that seems to shape the future of Chinese visitors to South Australia. There was not a single mention of the Riverland in this report. So yes, the report misses the Riverland and the Mallee, but what I can tell you from what I have seen and have attended, the events coming up in the Riverland are truly outstanding.

It has been a busy month. I recently attended the opening of Bickford's 23^rd Street Distillery in Renmark. Managing Director Angelo Kotses has done an outstanding job. His vision to revitalise the old Renmano winery at the entrance into Renmark is simply outstanding. The Minister for Tourism has seen it and I am sure he is in awe of what has been achieved. I also opened the Australian Junior Motocross Championship in Renmark on the weekend, which was outstanding. Most of the 585 riders brought with them two bikes and a crew, and was great to see. We even had international riders coming to this outstanding event.

Other things that are coming up include the Lake Bonney Yacht Club's 70^th Regatta. I am looking forward to being there. I am also looking forward to the 100^th Pinnaroo Show, the Loxton Show and the Barmera Sheep Dog Trials. Further into the next month, we have a much anticipated Wine and Food Festival, the world-famous Renmark Rose Festival, the Waikerie and District Community Flower Show and the Brand SA Awards.

Do not forget we have the upcoming recommissioning of the only operational Humphrey pump in the world; that is absolutely outstanding. It has been a long time coming and I would like to thank the Cobdogla Steam Friends Society. There has been a raft of tireless work, and I congratulate them on getting the Humphrey pump up and running.

Time expired.