yorke peninsula tourism...yorke peninsula tourism annual report 2019-2020 page 2 of 10 the 2019-2020...

Yorke Peninsula

Tourism

Annual Report

2019-20

1 8 M A I N S T R E E T , M I N L A T O N • P O B O X 4 1 7 , K A D I N A S A • 5 5 5 4

P H O N E : 0 8 8 8 5 3 3 8 9 8 • E M A I L : b r o o k e . l i e b e l t @ y o r k e p e n i n s u l a . c o m . a u

A B N 6 8 6 6 2 0 5 5 9 3 1

mailto:[email protected]

Yorke Peninsula Tourism Annual Report 2019-2020 of 10

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.

Chairperson’s Report

Craig Costello

Yorke Peninsula Tourism Committee


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


Special thanks to our

Yorke Peninsula Tourism

funding partners:


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.

Thank you to Deb Clarke for holding the reigns over the past 14 months. To all the hard-working,

passionate tourism operators and businesses throughout the region that support our activities and are the

face of our industry, thank you.

Brooke Liebelt

Yorke Peninsula Tourism Manager

Tourism Manager’s Report Brooke Liebelt

Yorke Peninsula Tourism

http://www.yorkepeninsula.com.au/


Yorke Peninsula Tourism Activities 2019 - 2020

TOURISM AWARDS

At the 2019 South Australian Tourism Awards,

Wallaroo Marina Apartments won gold for Deluxe

Accommodation, with Redwing Farm winning

gold in the Hosted Accommodation category.

The Yorke Peninsula Tourism Awards which were

scheduled to be held in 2020, will be run in 2021.

CONSUMER SHOWS

Yorke Peninsula Tourism attended the following

consumer shows:

- Adelaide Caravan & Camping Show (Feb 20)

- Melbourne Caravan & Camping Show (Feb 20)

MEDIA COVERAGE

Yorke Peninsula has appeared in numerous

editorials in domestic and international travel and

lifestyle publications, national press and radio as

well as state and national television. Media

coverage included:

• ABC North & West SA

• ABC Radio Adelaide

• 5AA

• 5CS

• CNN Travel

• Cruise 1323

• eGlobal Travel Media

• Escape.com.au

• Glam Adelaide

• Kids In Adelaide

• Mix 1023

• New Idea Magazine

• SA Life Magazine

• Southern Cross GTS/BKN News

• Sunday Herald Sun Melbourne

• Sunday Mail Adelaide

• Sunday Mail Brisbane

• Sunday Star Times

• Sunday Telegraph

• Sunday Times Perth

• The Advertiser

• The Australian

• Tripzilla.com

• Yorke Peninsula Country Times; monthly

column plus regular coverage and editorial

COVID-19 SUPPORT

• Supplied operators & businesses with a

continuous flow of information from SATC and

SA Health.

• Circulated funding & support opportunities to

assist businesses in bouncing back.

• Commenced developing industry support

program for roll-out in 20/21. Surveyed industry

to see what development needs are required

to better support and upskill our tourism

businesses.

• Open For Business program commenced

early 2020. YPT partnered with RDAYMN to

ensure visitors knew which businesses were

open during the early COVID restrictions.

• Promotion of SATC programs; Digital Training,

Deloitte Resilience & Rebound webinar series.

MARKETING PACKAGE

Created an affordable marketing package for

tourism businesses comprising of advertising in the

2020 Yorke Peninsula Visitor Guide, business listing

on an A3 YP map & a banner advert on

yorkepeninsula.com.au. 70,000 copies of the

guide printed and 50,000 copies of the A3 map.

582 leads to operators were generated through

our website ads during 19/20.


MARKETING PACKAGE continued…

Due to COVID a digital

release of the guide

took place in April 2020

followed by the launch

of the printed collateral.

REGIONAL

FAMILIARISATIONS

For journalists,

industry and trade

• Cruise line/Inbound

Tour Operator visit

• On-board cruise function for inaugural

docking at Wallaroo

• RAA Travel

DIGITAL DEVELOPMENT

Ongoing work with industry to increase online

booking and social media capability.

Increased the level of product bookable online

and registered on the ATDW.

Ongoing work with SATC and TXA to encourage

ATDW registered businesses to opt into online

bookings. Yorke Peninsula’s website now offers 235

products available for booking online.

One on one training for operators to assist with

ATDW listings remains a priority.

Worked closely with TICSA to deliver Service IQ

workshops based around digital capability

building.

2019/20 statistics:

• Website visits: 122,540 (84.9% new, 15.1%

return)

• ATDW leads: 19,868

• Instagram hashtag feed views: 33,597

• Advertising leads: 582

• Facebook consumer page: 15,951 likes

• Facebook industry page: 868 likes

• Instagram: 8,829 followers

WEBSITE - yorkepeninsula.com.au

As part of SATC’s Cooperative Marketing Fund,

YPT enhanced its website through what is known

as a PWA development – better customer

experience in using site with faster loading spends,

app functionality and ability to open cached

content offline.

Hashtag feeds for #YorkePeninsula,

#WalkTheYorke & #InnesNationalPark are now

also displayed on website as well as more video

content to allow the user a more interactive

experience. As you can see in the previous

paragraph YPT’s website had over 100,000 visits

during 2019/20 averaging over 330 visits a day.

AUSTRALIAN TOURISM DATA WAREHOUSE

Ongoing work with industry to increase the

number of listings on the ATDW. It is still a vital tool

for the tourism industry. We currently have 760

products listed on the ATDW, with 19,868 leads to

operators during 19/20.

PUBLIC RELATIONS

• Regular communication with media

• Media Releases

• YPCT Column - Talking Tourism

• Monthly e-newsletter to industry

• Facebook Industry and Consumer pages

• Industry Workshops

• Familiarisation tours and hosting

• Work closely with SATC PR team

• Ensure YP content in SATC newsletters and

publications

• Respond to media requests

• PR assistance provided to operators and

events

• Assist with SATC Welcome Back campaign

activities

Example of creative from SATC’s Welcome Back campaign

DESTINATION DEVELOPMENT

Worked with developers and operators on

regional projects including:

• Ballara Art & Lifestyle Retreat

• Bond Store Wallaroo

• Harry Butler 100-year celebrations

• Hillocks Drive

• Kadina Hub

• Kadina Football Club


• Marna Banggara (previously Great Southern

Ark, Rewilding Yorke Peninsula)

• Moonta Mines

• Moonta Traders

• North Beach Kitchen

• Potential new experiences and hire product

• Potential new developments

• Redwing Farmstay

• Seafood On Spencer

• Stansbury Museum

• Tarnasey Farm

• Taste The Yorke

• Tickera Community Association

• Tirri Tirri Beachhouse

• Troubridge Island Charters

• Walk The Yorke

• Wallaroo Blue Crab Festival

• Yorke Peninsula Coastal Walks

• Yorke Peninsula King Prawn Carnivale

• Yorke Peninsula’s Saltwater Classic

• Yorkes Emporium

EVENTS

Many events scheduled for 2020 have been

postponed to 2021 due to COVID these include

but not limited to;

• Seafood On Spencer

• YP Saltwater Classic

Before COVID, Yorke Peninsula Tourism continued

to do weekly radio interviews on 5CS to promote

upcoming events, encourage locals to get out

and about in the region and to share their photos

and videos of the region on social media via

tagging their images. This is due to resume late

2020.

INDUSTRY PARTNERSHIPS

Partnerships are a vital part of YPT’s work and

collaboration is key to achieving success. In

addition to YPT’s key stakeholders below are YPT’s

industry partners who we collaborated with in

2019/20.

• Caravan & Camping Industry Association of

South Australia (CCIASA)

• Legatus

• Northern & Yorke Landscapes Board

• RAA Travel

• RDA Yorke & Mid North

• Tasting Australia

• TicSA Service IQ Program

• Visitor Information Provider Network

VASCO DA GAMA CRUISE VISITS

After many years of proposals and presentations,

YPT in partnership with Copper Coast Council

(CCC) and SATC were successful in having a

cruise company include Wallaroo on their itinerary

for the first time. We commenced work with SATC,

CCC, the cruise line (CMV) and the Inbound Tour

operator (Intercruises) to assist with developing

itineraries and arranging meetings with operators

on a familiarisation visit. Three visits were

scheduled for Wallaroo in the 19/20 cruise season.

The first visit was a great success however the 2nd

visit was cancelled due to weather conditions and

whilst the 3rd visit went ahead, and passengers had

a wonderful time it was impacted by the hot

summer conditions. Cruise ship arrivals took place

on 8th December 2019 & 3rd January 2020. COVID

has caused challenging times for the cruise

industry, however YPT will continue to work with

SATC and CCC to ensure Wallaroo is a

consideration for itinerary planning moving

forward.


PROJECTS

• YPT partnered with Channel 7’s SA

Weekender to create 12 promotional videos

to promote Yorke Peninsula as part of the

SATC’s Cooperative Marketing grant. 3

council areas were covered including over

20 tourism businesses and product. The

videos have been released on YPT’s digital

assets and have reached over 92,000

Facebook users and have been shared 340

times via Facebook.

Example of video engagement on Facebook

Example of video content

• YPT assisted Barunga West Council with the

creation of a Tourism Marketing Plan.

• YPT was involved in the development of the

YP Shopping platform with RDA, CCC, YPC &

BWC, providing a one-stop marketplace for

YP online businesses. This was essential during

COVID restrictions to ensure locals were

supporting local businesses.

• Yorke Peninsula Tourism has worked with the

SATC to report on progress towards targets in

the Regional Visitor Strategy. A review of this

strategy will be taking place in 2020/21.

• Yorke Peninsula Tourism was successful in a

joint application with Yorke Peninsula Council

for funding through the Federal

Government’s Bushfire Tourism Recovery

Fund. This grant will assist in funding mural

artworks on 4 water tower/tanks located in

Edithburgh, Coobowie, Stansbury and

Yorketown – all towns which were affected by

the 2020 bushfire. The tourism product will be

the creation of a Water Tower Art Trail due for

completion in April 2021.

INDUSTRY TRAINING & WORKSHOPS

Provided ongoing training for operators

throughout the region and networking

opportunities including but not limited to the

below;

• 1-on-1 ATDW training

• Digital Training Program

• Online Mentoring Program

• TICSA Service IQ workshops

• SATC Event Management Workshops

• SATC Digital Training Program

• Deloitte Resilience & Rebound series

• COVID-19 Awareness Training program


Financials

Details of association:

Tourism Marketing Committee - Yorke Peninsula Incorporated

Registration Number of Association: A36389

Trading as Yorke Peninsula Tourism

Financial Year:

2019/2020

Public Officer:

Debra Clarke

Yorke Peninsula Tourism Manager (1st July 2019 – 24th June 2020)

Brooke Renae Liebelt

Yorke Peninsula Tourism Manager (24th June 2020 – present)

Ph: 0419 187 467

Email: [email protected]

Financials:

Monger Accounting, Public Accountants

15 Digby Street, Kadina, SA 5554

Auditor:

Peter Whitehead, Audit Manager & Dean Withers, Chartered Accountant

Withers Advisory

15 Fifth Street, Minlaton, SA 5575

The books of the association are located at 18 Main Street, Minlaton, SA 5575

Committee Members 2019-2020

Craig Costello – Chairperson

Jo Buchanan – Deputy Chairperson

Nicola Adams

Cynthia Axford (term ended March 2020)

Terry Boyce

Helly Easther-Smith

Stephen Goldsworthy

Matthew Hawson

Mark Haydon

Lynn Spurling

Paul Thomas

yorke peninsula tourism...yorke peninsula tourism annual report 2019-2020 page 2 of 10 the 2019-2020...

Documents