Coast is Calling Delivers for Alexandrina Businesses
South Australia’s Coast is Calling voucher program has wrapped both rounds with a clear story of recovery, renewed confidence and strong regional performance for Alexandrina and the Fleurieu.
The Economic Development team was pleased to offer this excellent State program, developed in response to the 2025 algal bloom, to local businesses and to help them get on board. Our close partner, Fleurieu Peninsula Tourism (FPT), delivered excellent regional promotion and reporting of the program, reflecting a region-wide effort to back local operators.
For many businesses, the program delivered more than bookings, it delivered confidence. A great example is Foodbuilder, an award‑winning Alexandrina cooking school run by Anita Robin.
“Since joining in August 2025, I have honestly never had so many new bookings. What made me especially happy was that many guests didn’t just come for the class - they travelled here and stayed overnight. They booked local accommodation, had dinner in town, explored the area and turned the experience into a little getaway”, Anita said.
During a time when visitor confidence had been shaken by the algal bloom, Anita described the vouchers as helping to restore confidence for visitors and local businesses alike.
The Coast is Calling program delivered millions of dollars in bookings, thousands of redemptions, and—crucially—a lift in sentiment. It demonstrated how collaborative, well‑designed initiatives, delivered with close industry partnerships and responsive to local conditions, create real momentum.
By the numbers: Fleurieu Peninsula performance
Round 1 (Sept–Nov 2025)
- Total booking value: $1,868,076
- Total redemptions: 4,867
- Redemption rate: 52.5% (vs 44.7% state program rate of 20,000 vouchers)
Round 2 (Dec 2025–Apr 2026, incl. redraw)
- Total booking value: $2,535,573
- Total redemptions: 7,549
- Redemption rate: 49.5% (vs 50.1% state program rate of 30,000 vouchers)
These results confirm what we saw on the ground: visitors returning to the coast, with the vouchers giving households the nudge and confidence to book. Operators across accommodation, tours, attractions, retail and food experiences reported increased activity, often beyond the voucher itself as visitors stayed longer and spent more locally.
Impact in Alexandrina
Within the Fleurieu results, Alexandrina operators performed strongly across both rounds, demonstrating the enduring appeal of our coastline and the diversity of experiences across our towns. Alexandrina businesses benefited from increased movement throughout the region, with uplift flowing into cafés, retail, trails, beaches and accommodation; exactly the kind of wider economic activity the program set out to support.
Alexandrina totals (from Top‑20 operators)
- Round 1 (Sept–Nov 2025): 716 redemptions
- Round 2 (Dec 2025–Apr 2026): 837 redemptions
- Combined R1 + R2: 1,553 redemptions