TOURISTS continue to flock to Penola and Coonwarra over the summer break with the region enticing day-trip and long-stay visitors from both domestic and international markets during the peak period.
Penola Visitor Information Centre recorded 843 visitors through its doors from December 18 to January 5 – an estimated 10pc of tourists who are believed to have stopped in the region during that period.
Wattle Range Council chief executive Ben Gower hailed Penola and Coonawarra’s summer tourism period a success so far, stating visitors frequently commented favourably on experiences in the district.
“Many of our regional visitors access information online and through a range of sources so are not visible through the information centre records,” Mr Gower said.
“But as can be seen, many still like the face to face interaction with centre staff.
“Penola, Coonawarra and surrounds are clearly very important destinations for local, interstate and international visitors.”
The chief executive said the large number of high quality annual events and local experiences ensured the region continues to be a “must visit” area.
“Tourism brings significant value to a local community, not only in accommodation, meals and purchases but also supports local employment,” he said.
Rebecca Robinson, who frequently visits Penola, said she and her family find the small town “very tidy” with fantastic bakeries.
“There is such lovely food around the town and whenever we are traveling through we ensure we stop here,” Ms Robinson said.
“It is very quiet and there is a lot of heritage and history here which has been preserved and still promotes the town’s character.”
Ms Robinson also praised the number of family-friendly features in the town which she believes “brings families together”.
“We love coming down here especially throughout the Christmas period because the children love seeing the stuffed Santas dotted along the winery strip,” she said.
The world-renowned Coonawarra winery strip is also benefiting from the tourism surge, with Wynns Coonawarra’s Tony Gleeson hopeful the trend continues throughout January.
“Despite the weather and the fires around the state, the tourism season has provided us with pretty good numbers,” Mr Gleeson said.
“It has been pretty much the same for us as previous years but with everything that has been going on around the state we think that is a positive.
“Generally the visitors really like the area and are very surprised at how easy it is to get around.”
