INTRASTATE travel has been encouraged by the State Government, but a Coonawarra winery is concerned it will not record an influx of visitors anytime soon.
Last week, Premier Steven Marshall said non-essential travel within South Australia was no longer restricted and encouraged regional travel, including caravaning and camping, as of Monday.
Despite the easing of restrictions, Bowen Estate owner Joy Owner was not confident intrastate tourists would flock to Coonawarra, saying the winery relied on tourists from across the border.
“At the moment we are still limited to people not being able to taste on site which is fine, but a lot of people do enjoy that experience,” Ms Bowen said.
“We rely heavily on interstate travellers, not those from South Australia.
“Even though the restrictions have been eased, we do not think many travellers will come rushing here.”
However, Penola and District Business and Tourism Association president Rebecca Trotter said the association was expecting an increase of intrastate travel, with an initial increase from Limestone Coast residents rediscovering Penola’s charm.
“In coming weeks we will definitely expect a shift to more visitation from further afield including Adelaide,” Ms Trotter said.
“We are encouraging business to begin trading as close to normal as they can, with most of our local businesses either open or looking forward to opening soon.
“We would also like to encourage our residents to help support our local businesses as much as possible as they begin this challenging recovery and relaunch phase.”
Ms Trotter said the association was working on a new campaign to boost visitation to Coonawarra.
