Question Time

REGIONAL TOURISM

The Hon. J.S. LEE (15:00): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Tourism questions about regional tourism.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.S. LEE: On Friday 4 November, Tourism Industry Council Chief Executive, Mr Ward Tilbrook, said on ABC radio:

Our tourism is quite flat at the moment; we need to be developing new news and new stories and developing our regional offering.

In the Sunday Mail of 6 November, it was stated that outback tourism faces a tough time ahead as the type of traveller changes.

Even the popular Lonely Planet travel guide, in its latest edition, described several regional destinations in South Australia as 'ugly, desolate and baking hot'. The travel guide called Whyalla ugly because it has well preserved domestic architecture. Kadina was depicted as baking hot but having a slew of pubs, car yards and petrol stations, and the Riverland and the Murray Mallee as being the best places for casual harvest jobs but not pumping tourist destinations.

The minister spoke about the Best Backyard campaign in this chamber recently. She said that it has been designed to remind South Australians why they should take a holiday or break in their own town. My questions are:

1. While we may like to think that our own backyard is the best, can the minister outline how the government is going to tackle regional South Australia's wider image problems which have been painted by travel guides such as Lonely Planet?

2. Does the minister agree that the government is not doing enough to promote tourism in regional areas and, if so, what action will she take to address issues raised by the Tourism Industry Council?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Minister for Forests, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Tourism, Minister for the Status of Women) (15:02): I thank the honourable member for her most important questions. It is always disturbing to see people talking down this state and focusing on those areas we could improve on rather focusing on our great achievements and our success stories. I think that is a real shame. I think that too many South Australians and, in particular, members opposite, talk down this state.

I have spoken at length about the work we have been concentrating on around tourism here in South Australia and also the regions. I have already spoken at length in this place about our main focus and priority being on intrastate tourism and also about our Best Backyard campaign and other campaigns.

We do quite a lot in developing and assisting tourism in our regions. For instance, we currently have 12 tourism regions in South Australia: Adelaide, Adelaide Hills, Barossa, Clare, Eyre Peninsula, Fleurieu Peninsula, the Flinders Ranges, the outback, Kangaroo Island, the Limestone Coast, the Murraylands, the Riverland and Yorke Peninsula.

In 2010-11, SATC undertook a major review of regional tourism arrangements under the Regional Tourism Growth Plan, the first such review, I think, in over a decade. That is how much the previous opposition cared. The review led to major changes in regional structure, which commenced in July this year. As part of the changes under that plan, 11 specialist positions, I have been advised, have now been filled. The new specialist positions are focusing on regional marketing campaigns targeted at South Australians, supporting operators to become bookable on line, assisting visitor information centres and developing game-changing new experiences and infrastructure.

I am advised that the new model involves a much higher level of integration of all SATC areas of expertise and resources in the development and marketing of regions. In 2010-11, the regional tourism organisations received $2.28 million from SATC. In 2011-12, SATC's regionally-focused expenditure stands at $2.31 million. In fact, under this new model we have been able to refocus regional intrastate marketing expenditure, and this has actually increased significantly. That expenditure is up from $662,000 in 2010-11 to $1.4 million in 2011-12. That is marketing expenditure, as I said, particularly refocusing on regional intrastate marketing. That is a significant increase.

SATC has also initiated a new way of resourcing regions through its destination action plans (DAPs). DAPs are simple, focused, consumer-led action plans for each region of South Australia that align resources from SATC units and regional stakeholders. The DAPs address filling gaps in six strategic areas, things like experiences, events, infrastructure (particularly accommodation), marketing, access and sales and distribution. Each DAP is negotiated with regional stakeholders during two in-region meetings, usually held a number of months apart so that work can be done in between times, and I am advised that the DAP approach is drawing very favourable responses from regions. Certainly, the feedback so far has been quite positive.

The DAPs are also involved in closer alignment with the state's Regional Development Australia network, and that is obviously a SATC priority as part of driving regional tourism forward. RDAs are closely involved in the new arrangements in most regions to further generate positive momentum in regions, and SATC has offered funding directly to RTOs via grants of up to $20,000 per region under a once-only destination development fund. Grants are shortly to be made to almost all regions for a wide range of different projects.

Successful projects include several web-based initiatives, several interpretative training and planning projects, a scoping study of how the outback can continue to flourish after the water leaves Lake Eyre (because we know that is a big attraction), pre and post conference programs, a regional brand development strategy, and an itinerary planning project. We can see that there is a great deal of activity and planning, as well as considerable expenditure, on developing tourism, particularly for our regions. As I said, I think we should be more focused on talking up our state, not talking it down. If we really want to help tourism, we should be out there talking South Australia up.

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Stephens has a supplementary.