Chair Lucy Willson said that while the committee recognises McLaren Vale as an internationally important winemaking area and one of the key drivers for tourism in the region, a name change could impact negatively on other major drawcards such as Victor Harbor, Goolwa and the Coorong National Park.

“There is no doubt that McLaren Vale is a tourism icon, which is why it features heavily in all of our marketing collateral whether aimed at the intrastate, interstate or international market,” Ms Willson said.

“Its proximity to Adelaide, the quality of the wines it produces and the range of excellent tourism experiences it offers put it at the forefront of tourism in this State.

“But the Fleurieu Peninsula is also about incredible beaches, world-class whale watching opportunities, a national park with international recognition and the beachside resort of Victor Harbor, which offers a quintessential Australian summer holiday experience.

“By promoting the entire peninsula as a whole and presenting highlights such as McLaren Vale and Victor Harbor, we’re giving people even more reasons to visit the region and extend their stay and so far this strategy is reaping dividends.”

Figures released in August showed that the Fleurieu Peninsula was the most visited South Australian region outside of Adelaide for both overnight visitors and day trippers.

In total, about 612,000 domestic and international visitors stayed more than two million nights in the region in 2008, the highest number recorded for a tourism region outside of Adelaide.

Although these numbers were slightly down from 2007, it was a better than expected result due to pressures created by the global financial crisis.

Ms Willson said McLaren Vale would continue to feature in materials such as the Fleurieu Peninsula Visitor Guide, the Fleurieu Way and Fleurieu Peninsula Arts Trail and be included in itineraries for visiting journalists and travel trade representatives.