SOUTH Australian TV and radio personality Andrew ‘Cosi’ Costello said Riverlanders should be “very proud” of how the region’s tourism industry has bounced back during a visit to the region last week.
While filming at the BIG4 Renmark Riverfront Holiday Park for his travel show South Aussie with Cosi, Cosi told the Murray Pioneer that COVID-19 had presented a “great reason for people from the city to sample the regions”.
“It’s made people say ‘I can’t go to Melbourne or Sydney on a holiday, or Bali or London or New York, so where can I go?’ and they can go to regional South Australia,” he said.
“Talking to people in the Riverland, operators are saying 75 per cent of people have never come before.
“They also know that if you can get people to come to a place like the Riverland, the return rate is very high.
“So, if you can get people to come and try, the chance that they will come back is very high.
“The exciting thing for the Riverland is that through COVID, you have all these extra people coming into the region that wouldn’t have otherwise, we know they’ll fall in love with it because every other tourist has, so we know they’ll be back.”
Aside from the holiday park, Cosi also visited the Loveday 4X4 Adventure Park.
“I think that place really surprised me because I thought it might just be for four-wheel drivers but it was so much more,” he said.
“They’ve done a lot to the BIG4 Holiday Park as well, and it’s good to see places like this investing coin into the regions and bringing tourists up here, because we know as soon as a tourist comes to a place like the Riverland they spend a lot of cash.
“I filmed here for series one of my show about nine years ago and it’s good to be back.”
Cosi also encouraged Riverlanders to promote the region to their friends and family.
“I think the Riverland should be very proud,” he said.
“Tourism is worth a lot of bucks to the area, and anything the Riverland people can do to help encourage people from the city to come here is great.
“It could be as simple as a Facebook post. If you wake up and there’s a beautiful sunrise over the river, take a photo of it and post it on social media and bang on about how good the Riverland is, because it will encourage more and more people to come up here.”