Charlotte Varcoe
A NEW age group visiting the Limestone Coast has been revealed with those between the ages of 15 and 25 visiting the region more than any other in the State.
The figures were revealed during the most recent Limestone Coast Local Government Association (LCLGA) meeting with executive officer Tony Wright expressing excitement about the revelation.
Mr Wright said he was made aware of the figures from six months ago quite recently and was surprised to see the younger age group being a dominant figure.
He assured the age group was not a typical targeted audience of the LCLGA but it was exciting to know younger visitors were coming to the region.
“It is exciting that the visitation rate from younger people was significantly higher in the Limestone Coast than in other regions of South Australia,” Mr Wright said.
“What that means for us is that we have a group of people looking to explore our region and those young people are making decisions about where to live in the future.”
He said the LCLGA was aware many people holiday in areas they are interested in exploring for future choices and by having a strong cohort of youth visiting the area could set the Limestone Coast up for future success.
“This brings all the benefits from the visitor economy and sets the region up for future success for people deciding where they want to live in the future,” he said.
“We have an aging population in the Limestone Coast and we continue to get slightly older and have less children per couple with an increase in single people in homes.
“I think anything that encourages younger people to come in our community is a positive for us.”
Mr Wright said the LCLGA would now review its strategy over the coming six months and observe what trends have been like during the Covid-19 pandemic and tracking into the post-pandemic trends.
“We will look closely at the 15-25 age group and what our value and competitive advantages are for that group,” he said.
“We need to, as a region, think about the opportunities of adventure type experiences and look at our offerings and where we can add value to have that group return.”
He said events such as the Lucindale One Night Stand from 2019 and the annual Generations in Jazz events were but some which attracted a younger audience to the region.
“The more we can do these types of events and have these valuable offerings, the more we will attract younger people to our region.”
