Tourism-reliant South Australian businesses are still seeing their bottom lines severely impacted by the algal bloom crisis affecting many of the state’s coastal areas … even if they are not in affected areas.
Earlier this month, the State and Federal Governments released the $102.5 million Algal Bloom Summer Plan, which they said was a comprehensive suite of measures to protect South Australia’s coast, back coastal communities and support the summer lifestyle.
A ballot for a second round of Coast is Calling vouchers is set to open for registration in December.
Part of the initiative included a further $48 million invested in backing coastal businesses and communities including:
The algal bloom crisis has hit SA tourism hard. PIC: Dr Freya Higgins-Desbiolles
A survey conducted earlier this year by the Tourism Industry Council SA involving restaurants, hotels and marine tourism operators on the Yorke, Eyre and Fleurieu peninsulas, Kangaroo Island and metropolitan Adelaide found that 40% of SA businesses impacted by the algal bloom had experienced a downturn in trade.
At Kingston South East, caravan park managers Chris and Tracey Jensen told the ABC that the Coast is Calling vouchers had been helpful.
“It’s getting people in and around the state doing something, instead of gloom and doom,” Mt Jensen said. “I think it’s a really good incentive from the government. I believe we’ve had about 50 applicants take up the deal.”
The South Australian Tourism Commission said the majority of booking cancellations had come from travellers within South Australia.
University of South Australia Adjunct Senior Lecturer in Tourism Management, Dr Freya Higgins-Desbiolles, previously suggested that travellers could use the algal bloom crisis as an opportunity to support affected communities and by thinking creatively about how to spend time in coastal hotspots.
“In addition to its economic value, tourism has potential social and ecological value, so we should be focusing on how it can connect our communities and support recovery,” she said. “We might rethink tourism to centre on local communities and get their input into recovery policies and planning.”
She said most tourism businesses along the SA coast remain open for business.
“Interstate visitors could also help by staying longer and ensuring their spending goes into local businesses, such as markets, shops, bakeries, pubs and wineries,” she said.
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We can just had a few days on Yorke Peninsula. On the western side we didn’t see any sign of algal bloom down as far as Point Turton. It was very pretty and we loved walking to the end of the jetties and chatting with the fishermen. They were certainly eating the fish. On the east side the water was still clear and pretty at Stansbury and no sign of foaming. A few small floating dead fish. But we couldn’t buy any local Stansbury oysters.
Port Vincent to Ardrossan were still clear.
I would highly recommend travellers still go and enjoy the Yorke. Who goes swimming at this time of year? The scenery isn’t affected.
Harvest will start soon and that is interesting to watch as you travel through the farming.
Media can do a lot of damage, maybe more than the algae!! Ignore them.
Algae doesn’t bloom in clean oxygenated water. Maybe SA should look at things like sewage treatment plants, run-off from heavily fertilised properties, town wastewater etc. Happens year after year and even when there’s no “bloom” the water looks decidedly uninviting. I have noticed the difference in recent years compared with my family visits in my youth. Mismanagement of waste returns to prosecute. Councils – GET WITH IT before everyone stays away permanently.