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Legislative Council - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2015-10-13 Daily Xml
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Tourism

The Hon. G.A. KANDELAARS (15:11): My question is to the Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation. Can the minister inform the chamber about the government's efforts to boost nature-based tourism and to create jobs in South Australia?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Climate Change) (15:11): I sincerely thank the honourable member for his high-quality and very important question. We know that people come to South Australia because of our abundant nature-based tourism opportunities. We enjoy a magnificent network of wild places, national parks and marine parks, complemented by the state's diverse wildlife, flora and marine life, geology and landscapes, rivers and coastlines, and countless scenic routes and adventure trails.

Nature-based trips, I am told, account for $1.1 billion in expenditure in South Australia every year, and nature is the number one driver of international visitors to Australia, according to surveys. About 40 per cent of all international visitors to Australia travelled to a national park in 2013-14. We also know that the government can and will do more in an attempt to attract and assist tourism businesses and operators to develop nature-based opportunities and offerings in our state.

The Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources and the South Australian Tourism Commission have worked together to produce a draft nature-based tourism action plan. By 2020, we hope to have generated over $1 billion in expenditure in nature-based tourism and hopefully will have helped create at least 1,000 new jobs in this growing area of tourism. To do this, we need a coordinated and strategic approach to developing nature-based tourism opportunities in an economically sustainable way.

The draft nature-based tourism action plan is now open for final public consultation. This is the result of several months of consultation carried out by DEWNR and SATC, which consulted traditional owners, tourism industry stakeholders and environmental and community groups who have an interest in this area and local government. Other groups and individuals are asked to provide feedback on how the government can best assist potential tourism operators via the yourSAy website.

Nowhere else do we see the possibilities of nature-based tourism more clearly than we do in Kangaroo Island, an island renowned for its nature-based offerings. With around 120,000 overnight visitors per year staying an average of almost 480,000 nights on the island and spending roughly $113 million, it is clearly a popular destination for tourists. Tourism, of course, is a vital industry for the island's economy and population. In 2013-14 tourism contributed $134 million, or 60.8 per cent of the gross regional product, directly employing approximately 500 people, I am advised.

In a fantastic boost for our state, Kangaroo Island was recently named one of NationalGeographic's top 11 destinations on its list of best trips for the upcoming season. The editors of the publication's travel section have described the island as one of Australia's most authentic and untouched places. This reinforces Kangaroo Island's standing as a destination for people seeking a nature-based tourism experience.

More people experienced the beauty of Kangaroo Island on Sunday 6 September, when nearly 80 people participated in the island's inaugural international marathon. The Kangaroo Island Adventure Marathon was hosted by the Flinders Chase National Park. Runners and onlookers were given the unique opportunity to connect with nature and to celebrate the seclusion and peace of being on an island, disconnected from everyday normal life. This event serves as a reminder of why it's so important that, in everything we do to improve services and facilities on the island, we must also enhance the island's natural beauty.

I am very pleased to report on the status of the Kangaroo Island Wilderness Trail, a new internationally competitive multi-day walk along the south-west coast of the island. This exciting project continues to progress on schedule with over 70 per cent of the total trail now completed. The trail is expected to be opened by June 2016, and is certain to enhance the attraction of visitors to Kangaroo Island.

The state government has invested a total of $5 million towards the completion of this trail. The trail is a uniquely South Australian tourism product that will lift the international profile of Kangaroo Island and South Australia as a nature and adventure based destination. It will also bring economic benefits to the state and opportunities for the private sector to invest in accommodation or new tourism products on Kangaroo Island.

There is now the opportunity for the private sector to invest in the development of high quality accommodation facilities associated with the trail. These accommodation facilities will elevate the profile of the trail comparable to the Great Walks of Australia. A request for information has been released for the design and construction of luxury accommodation facilities along the trail, and I look forward to seeing how local businesses take up this opportunity and invest in the state's plan for nature-based tourism.

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