Tourism operators supported, Great State vouchers assisted

The SA Tourism Commission backed this claim, saying its latest data revealed South Australians were continuing to support local operators at "unprecedented levels".

"SA tourism operators are incredibly resilient, having faced bushfires, drought and a global pandemic," SATC chief executive Rodney Harrex said.

"Despite all these challenges, the regional hotel booking data for December 2020 has not just broken COVID recovery records, but all-time records as well.

"Thank you to all South Australians out there who are doing their bit for our visitor economy and holidaying at home. It means so much to our operators and to the lifeblood of our communities."

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Figures provided by STR Global for December 2020 show occupancy in regional SA reached 60 per cent - the highest December on record, and an increase on December 2019 (55pc) - while statistics from the SATC showed that for the eight days from Christmas to New Year's Day, at least $107 million was injected into the state's economy.

And the momentum has carried into this year, with data for early January showing hotel occupancy at 75pc - up from 73pc for the same time last year.

Mr Harex said the figures had been boosted by the more than 18,000 bookings made with Great State vouchers offered by the state government over two rounds.

"The response to the vouchers has been overwhelming, with forward bookings strong through to the end of March," he said.

Mannum Caravan Park managers Stuart and Karyn Bland said they were booked up until Easter.

"We normally start to see it die down in February, but it will be a constant until Easter," Mrs Bland said.

"I don't forsee us getting a break in winter either, but people are reluctant to book any further forward than that because of COVID. But until we get a vaccine, I think its going to stay crazy like it is."

The couple has been working at caravan parks across Australia for the past six years, at Mannum for the past two, and said this had been the hardest period of their seasonal work career.

"But it has been good for business, and for the town as well," Mr Bland said.

It has been needed, they said, after being shut for six weeks in April for the first COVID-19 lockdown.

"It was right before Easter. We were fully booked, so we had to refund or postpone about 200 bookings," Mrs Bland said.

"But since the regional travel ban has been lifted, it has been crazy since then."

Robe real estate and accommodation provider Linda Tait agreed it had been one of their busiest ever holiday periods.

"We always have an extremely busy week from Christmas to New Years, but this year it has carried on into early January," she said.

"Any little gaps we may have had in the calendar got filled up pretty quick, especially by people that haven't been to Robe before.

"Normally this starts to become a more quiet time, with people generally only making last minute bookings, but February is already filling up quite quickly and we're starting to field enquiries for the Vic/SA school holiday crossover in April."

On southern Yorke Peninsula, Marion Bay general store manager Vanessa Noble said locals were saying it had been the busiest holiday season in at least a decade.

"People are too scared to go anywhere else, in case they get stuck, that they are holidaying in their own state," she said.

"We are constantly running out of supplies and often can't get more because there has been such high demand.

"Normally an ice delivery would last us at least two days, now it is barely lasting one. It's the same with fuel.

"We've had to increase staff, from three people to eight."