South Australians are being urged to ‘Rise up for our River’ in 2023 – with three rounds of travel and experience vouchers set to boost communities hit hard by the recent Murray River flood.

More than 25,000 vouchers will be released over three rounds this year, kicking off with round one launching at the end of March.

With values of $50, $100 and $200, vouchers can be used for experiences and accommodation in the Riverland and Murray River, Lakes & Coorong regions.

A $750 houseboat voucher will also be introduced in rounds two and three, for the winter and spring periods when most houseboats are expected to be fully operational again.

Tourism operators right along the river have been significantly impacted by the flooding event, with many being closed since late last year.

The South Australian Tourism Commission has announced details of a $4.6 million river recovery plan, including the Rise up for our River marketing campaign and the River Revival Voucher program.

The first round of vouchers will be valid for travel during April, May and June – including the Easter break and the April school holidays.

Tourism Minister Zoe Bettison says the program aims to emulate the success of the post-bushfire #BookThemOut campaign and the COVID recovery Great State Voucher program.

“Tourism recovery in the regions has gone from strength-to-strength with eight consecutive months of record-breaking occupancy, but businesses along the Murray haven’t had a chance to enjoy that strong demand.

“I implore South Aussies to make sure they register for a River Revival Voucher when they’re available, book a holiday and enjoy everything that is on offer.” 

The campaign showcases iconic river locations, highlights tourism operators along the river and calls on South Australians to throw their support – and dollars – to impacted river communities. 

Prior to the flooding event in late December 2022, tourism in the two regions was worth a combined $436 million and directly employing 2,800 people across both the Riverland and Murray River, Lakes & Coorong.

With the river receding, more tourism operators are now re-opening or in the process of cleaning up and plan to re-open in coming weeks. 

The vouchers have been timed and staggered based on feedback from the industry, and after consultation with operators, and through the SATC’s River Recovery Working Group.

For the first time in the SATC’s voucher program history, caravan park sites have been included, adding several thousand more options across the region as the larger parks re-open.

During the flood event, 10 of the 22 SA Parks properties were forced to close, with five remaining closed, while others are either open or in the process of recommissioning. Three were significantly impacted and have not yet set a date to reopen.

By April, almost 8,000 cabin beds and camping sites are expected to be available in parks across both Riverland and Murray River, Lakes & Coorong regions. This is in addition to more than 900 rooms across hotels and motels, and around 260 rooms in almost 80 villas, homestays and world-class retreats.

For the experience hunters, hosted winery experiences, river sightseeing tours, Aboriginal cultural tours, guided brewery and gin distillery flights, and canoe adventures are all likely to be up for grabs.

Registrations for the ballot open on 27 March, and close on 29 March. 

The travel period is from Friday 31 March to Tuesday 29 June, bookable seven days a week including Saturdays, Easter and the April school holidays. 

An additional $500,000 will be provided for a further round targeted towards businesses that are still to reopen, such as affected areas of the Mid-Murray Council region.

Consumers can now register their interest in receiving information about the River Revival Vouchers online.  

SATC will invite tourism businesses to participate in round one through an Expressions of Interest, which opens tomorrow, Wednesday 1 March.