World Tourism Day

Ms PRATT (Frome) (15:30): I rise to celebrate World Tourism Day, which is going to be recognised on 27 September, and the theme will be sustainability. It is with great enthusiasm that I can speak as the shadow minister for tourism, wave a flag for all the wonderful things that are happening in our regions and, of course, to reflect on what it is about South Australia that gets the world's attention.

We know in the eyes of the world that we really are a destination of choice. We know that we end up in the top 10 most welcoming regions. We know that Adelaide has been voted as Australia's happiest city, and it is no wonder that our visitors love coming here. Global travellers admire South Australia for its natural beauty, wine regions, cultural experiences and a sustainability focus. We see that across the state at Kangaroo Island, Flinders Ranges, Barossa Valley, Clare Valley, Yorke Peninsula, Eyre Peninsula, and the list goes on.

Within the philosophy of the South Australian Tourism Commission and TiCSA we know that sustainability and responsible tourism are deeply entrenched. They do a great job marketing our natural wonders, from the Flinders Ranges, where we will see a proposed UNESCO World Heritage site, all the way through to Kangaroo Island's wildlife and of course the Cornish heritage that we recognise in Burra.

We also know that they do a great job promoting responsible tourism practices that protect fragile environments, respect local communities and deliver long-term prosperity. Within my own electorate we are seeing some significant reform. Innovation and reform have been taking place in regional tourism over the last two years and, while there has been quite a lot of unrest, angst and scepticism across the sector about this delay by government, I am proud that my region has decided to do the heavy lifting.

My region has put up its hands to participate in and lead the state in a trial for the new Destination Management Zones (DMZ). Each local region within that zone will maintain its own brand and unique tourism offering, and we have seen the formation of a very large zone that incorporates the food bowl of the Adelaide Plains, the landscapes of the Mid North, the heritage of Burra, the superior wine of the Clare Valley, the world-class coastlines of Yorke Peninsula and the beauty of the Flinders Ranges.

I want to recognise our DMZ Board CEO, Mim Ward—it was a great delight to see her appointed—and our Chair, Sandy Verschoor, who is known to many, as well as Ange Ruddenklau and Anne Minion, to name a few sitting on that board. One of the launches was at Little Blessings in Laura, run by Craig and Cat Blessing. I can attest to the fact that they make delicious gin and ginger beer. That town has sadly lost the iconic Golden North ice cream manufacturing plant. We know that by next year that will be moving to Murray Bridge, and it is certainly a loss for our region.

While tourism prospers when confidence is high, we cannot pretend that everything is always going well for the tourism industry at the moment. Natural disasters have played their part, and we have seen that through the fires on Kangaroo Island, the Riverland floods, a statewide drought and now the algal bloom. That is why the opposition took a positive step towards government initiatives and called for the tourism voucher scheme on Sunday 27 July. We saw, with strong support from the tourism sector, that that was welcome, and the government did launch its Coast is Calling campaign.

Even inland tourism operators told me they would welcome that voucher decision, when it was made, because—pardon the pun—a rising tide lifts all boats, and they saw that everyone would benefit from that scheme being launched. It would be a reassuring and positive move now for the government in its summer plan to release more details about how we can keep building confidence in those regions.

In my own electorate of Frome, which has the Samphire Coast and a perceived threat to the migratory birds that fly between Port Parham and Siberia, the Minister for Environment has noted and taken seriously in her correspondence to me that potential impact of the algal bloom on those migratory birds has been identified as a key issue from the government's preliminary species assessment.

Back to tourism and what it means in my electorate, council by council there is enthusiasm and excitement for the plans that local councils and communities have for promoting their activities, whether it is Picked on the Adelaide Plains through that regional council, the beautiful Sharpe's almond grove in Two Wells or the fabulous opportunities that exist in the Clare and Gilbert Valleys. Celebrating World Tourism Day is an opportunity for South Australia to send a message to the world that we have a lot to offer.