Yorke Peninsula Tourism Annual Report 2019-20 18 MAIN STREET , MINLATON • PO BOX 417, KADINA SA • 5554 PHONE: 08 8853 3898 • E M A I L : [email protected] ABN 68 662 055 931 Chairperson’s Report Craig Costello Yorke Peninsula Tourism Committee The 2019-2020 financial year got off to a great start for Yorke Peninsula Tourism, but we were then faced with incredible challenges with the Southern Yorke Peninsula fires in November 2019 and then in March 2020 with Covid-19. Covid-19 Restrictions hit South Australia and had a huge impact on local businesses, with tourism being one of the hardest hit industries Yorke Peninsula’s traditionally busy Easter break was the quietest we have ever seen. On the other side of the Covid-19 lockdowns Yorke Peninsula businesses have stepped up and we have had the busiest Winter that Yorke Peninsula has experienced during the traditionally quieter months. It certainly has been a roller coaster ride! Currently tourism contributes $200M to the local economy which is expected to grow to an impressive $359M under the South Australian Visitor Economy Plan 2030 which was completed by the South Australian Tourism Commission. Yorke Peninsula currently enjoys 1.7 million visitor nights in our region which is primarily Intrastate visitations (87%), Interstate visitations (11%) and International visitations (2%). Having a high percentage of Intrastate visitations has seen Yorke Peninsula perform extremely well during Covid- 19 with local Intrastate holidays being the only way South Australians have been able to have a break away. The last year has been a busy time for our organisation with the below activities taking place throughout the year; • Continued focus on increasing local Yorke Peninsula product that is bookable online, there has been significant improvement in this area especially for the accommodation sector. Extra focus has now been placed on experiences and events being bookable online. • Welcoming of the first Cruise Ship Vasco Da Gama to Wallaroo on the 7th of December 2019. I had the pleasure of boarding the Cruise ship and it was an amazing moment as well as being a huge milestone for Wallaroo. A very special thank you must go to the Copper Coast Council and the many volunteers that made the ships arrival a huge success. • Welcoming of the second Cruise ship on the 3rd of January 2020 • Completion of the Co-operative marketing project which was the production of video footage by the SA Weekender crew which has enabled us to create short promotional videos for usage on social media as well as a longer video. It has increased Yorke Peninsula’s access to digital content to market the region. • Preparation was made for the Yorke Peninsula Tourism Awards to be held which was unfortunately cancelled due to restrictions placed on events due to Covid-19 • Production and printing of the Yorke Peninsula Visitor Guide and Maps was facilitated and completed • Attended consumer shows to promote and show case Yorke Peninsula • Released Yorke Peninsula Tourism 2020/21 Business Plan We have had a busy year and all the above listed activities are only a small snapshot of all of the hard work and strategic planning that has been completed over the past year by the Yorke Peninsula Tourism Committee. I would like to take this opportunity to extend a big thank you to our funding partners being Yorke Peninsula Council, Copper Coast Council, Barunga West Council and the South Australian Tourism Commission we certainly appreciate their ongoing support. I would also like to thank Deb Clarke for all of her hard work and effort stepping into the Regional Tourism Managers role during Brooke’s parental leave. Yorke Peninsula Tourism Annual Report 2019-2020 Page 2 of 10 During this time Nicole provided exceptional support in her role and I would like to thank Nicole for her long-term dedication to Yorke Peninsula and the tourism industry. We gave a big welcome back to Brooke in May and it has been great to have Brooke back on board with her wealth of tourism knowledge, local and state-wide industry connections and passion for Yorke Peninsula. Thank you all for your tremendous support to the Committee and our Yorke Peninsula Tourism Industry. The current Yorke Peninsula Tourism committee have put in a large amount of time as volunteers and are a group of committed individuals who offer different expertise and are all extremely passionate about driving and supporting Tourism on Yorke Peninsula. During the year we said farewell to Cynthia Axford and I would like to acknowledge the important part that Cynthia had as a valued member of the committee. Cynthia regularly added to our discussion and strategic planning and her contribution will be missed – thank you Cynthia for your contribution to the Yorke Peninsula Tourism Industry. Finally, Jo Bucannon as Deputy Chair has been an incredible support and it has been a pleasure to work with Jo over the last 12 months. Jo provides a wealth of knowledge and advice and is always available for assistance and direction. I value the continued support from Jo as I am sure the committee and staff do as well. Moving through the Covid-19 era we are all living through history and it has been a time of many challenges but also a time where Yorke Peninsula can shine as a favoured holiday destination for all South Australian’s. We have an opportunity to dramatically increase visitation to the region and our focus needs to be to encourage an increase in visitor expenditure while we have them here. The next 12 months will be a very busy time for Yorke Peninsula with the Yorke Peninsula Tourism Committee and Staff ensuring we make the most of our period of increased visitations for the long-term benefit of our region. Craig Costello Chair, Yorke Peninsula Tourism Yorke Peninsula Tourism Annual Report 2019-2020 Page 3 of 10 Special thanks to our Yorke Peninsula Tourism funding partners: Yorke Peninsula Tourism Annual Report 2019-2020 Page 4 of 10 Tourism Manager’s Report Brooke Liebelt Yorke Peninsula Tourism The 2019/20 year turned out to be an extremely challenging year for the tourism industry on Yorke Peninsula. With a severe bushfire affecting the south of the region during summer and then a global health pandemic seeing tourism businesses forced to close, we were all operating very much in unprecedented times. However, due to the continual support of our funding partners, Yorke Peninsula, Copper Coast and, Barunga West Councils and the South Australian Tourism Commission, and the members of the Yorke Peninsula Tourism Committee who continue to contribute their valuable time and expertise to the organisation, YPT was able to adapt, diversify and carry-on supporting industry as best as possible. I never imagined returning after 14 months maternity leave to find a large sector of the tourism industry closed to travellers due to COVID-19. Nonetheless, in the true nature of this industry, I have witnessed nothing but resilience and hard work by businesses getting back up on their feet. Thankfully, the June long weekend delivered an unprecedented number of visitors to the region allowing the industry to recoup some much needed economic spend. It has been pleasing to see this trend of visitation continue over the winter months. YPT was able to deliver many successful projects throughout 2019/20 including a revamp and technological upgrade of one of our most important assets, www.yorkepeninsula.com.au. Our digital assets remain a major focus of the organisation and will continue to grow as consumer demand for these tools grows over time. Yorke Peninsula Tourism continues to work closely with tourism operators to support their development in the online space. Good media relationships remain critical and continue to provide great support, helping us achieve an incredible level of free publicity. Limited resources necessitate effective leveraging of every opportunity to gain as much free publicity and exposure for the region as we can. The range of coverage listed in this annual report shows the success of this. YPT partnered with Channel 7’s SA Weekender late last year as part of SATC’s regional coop marketing grant to film and produce a series of promotional videos for YPT’s social media channels and website. It was a fantastic way to build the region’s media library and gives those businesses involved the opportunity to edit their footage for their own promotional needs. 12 videos were produced based on all experiential themes of the region and have been released over the past four months on YPT’s social media channels. Congratulations to the 2019 SA Tourism Award winners announced in November 2019; Redwing Farm and Wallaroo Marina Apartments. We also congratulate Aboriginal Cultural Tours for winning Silver in the Qantas Award for Excellence in Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Tourism. A major activity planned for YPT this year was the 2020 Yorke Peninsula Tourism Awards, however due to COVID-19 this project has been postponed to 2021. As mentioned above, YPT wouldn’t be able to achieve all it does without the continuous support of its funding partners and I would like to sincerely acknowledge and thank the Copper Coast Council, Yorke Peninsula Council, Barunga West Council and the South Australian Tourism Commission for their support of our organisation and activities. Success as a regional tourism organisation relies on a strong team and there are many individuals, businesses and organisations helping us achieve our goals. A huge thanks to Nicole Page for her amazing knowledge, ongoing support, and assistance; the Yorke Peninsula Tourism Committee for their valued voluntary contributions; Regional Development Australia Yorke & Mid North; Tourism Industry Council SA.