River Revival Vouchers
South Australians will once again have the opportunity to take part in a ballot for vouchers that can be used for experiences and accommodation in the Riverland and Murray River, Lakes and Coorong regions.
More than 25,000 vouchers with values of $50, $100 and $200 will be released over three rounds this year, with the first launching next month. The vouchers are expected to pour millions of dollars into communities affected by the once-in-a-century Murray River flood. Tourism operators right along the river have been significantly impacted by the flooding event, with many being closed since late last year.
The first round of vouchers is valid for travel during April, May and June 2023 – including the Easter break and the April school holidays.
A $750 houseboat voucher will also be introduced in rounds two and three, allowing South Australians to plan an iconic houseboat holiday in the winter and spring periods when most houseboats are expected to be fully operational again.
Registrations for the ballot open on 27 March 2023 and close on 29 March 2023.
The travel period is from Friday 31 March 2023 to Tuesday 29 June 2023 (inclusive), bookable seven days a week including Saturdays, Easter and the April school holidays.
Rise up for our River Campaign
The vouchers are being offered as part of the South Australian Tourism Commission’s $4.6 million river recovery plan, including the “Rise up for our River” marketing campaign and the River Revival Voucher program.
The campaign showcases iconic river locations, highlights tourism operators along the river and calls on South Australians to throw their support – and dollars – towards impacted river communities.
Prior to the flooding event in late December 2022, tourism in the two regions was worth a combined $436 million and directly employed 2,800 people across both the Riverland and Murray River, Lakes & Coorong.
With the river receding, more tourism operators are now re-opening or in the process of cleaning up and planning to re-open in the coming weeks. The vouchers have been timed and staggered based on feedback from the industry, and after consultation with operators including last week in Renmark, Berri and Murray Bridge, and through the SATC’s River Recovery Working Group.
For the first time in the SATC’s voucher program history, caravan park sites have been included, adding several thousand more options across the region as the larger parks re-open, such as Discovery Parks Lake Bonney, Big 4 Renmark Riverfront and Waikerie Holiday Park.
During the flood event, 10 of the 22 SA Parks properties were forced to close, with five remaining closed, while others are either open or in the process of recommissioning. Three were significantly impacted and have not yet set a date to reopen.
By April, almost 8,000 cabin beds and camping sites are expected to be available in parks across both Riverland and Murray River, Lakes & Coorong regions. This is in addition to more than 900 rooms across hotels and motels, and around 260 rooms in almost 80 villas, homestays and world-class retreats.
For the experience seekers, hosted winery experiences, river sightseeing tours, Aboriginal cultural tours, guided brewery and gin distillery flights, and canoe adventures are all likely to be up for grabs.
An additional $500,000 will be provided for a further round targeted towards businesses that are still to reopen, such as affected areas of the Mid-Murray Council region.
At Play & Go Adelaide we make every effort to provide accurate information to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication. We recommend confirming times, dates and details directly before making any plans as details may be subject to change.
Image Source: Play & Go
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