South Australian towns close to the Victorian border that rely on tourism to survive say they are suffering as intrastate visitors avoid the state boundary.
State Government campaigns to encourage South Australians to travel to the regions have not proven successful for some towns.
Bordertown, on the route between Adelaide and Melbourne, has experienced a major drop in tourism since the border closures came into effect.
Tatiara Business Association secretary Jo Edwards estimated about 1,500 cars per day passed through Bordertown before the border was closed.
"Tatiara is really a bit like a dead end at the moment, because you can't go any further," Ms Edwards said.
"It was a nice flow through into Victoria, but because people aren't going into Victoria there's not much flowing through here at the moment."
Ms Edwards said she understood some travellers were nervous about the area's proximity to Victoria, but residents were doing the right things.
"We are very, very safe — probably safer than anywhere else because we are regularly being tested," she said.
"So I can guarantee that there is a safe area to come and visit, even though it is close to the border."
'Very hard to convince people'
Naracoorte Lucindale Business and Tourism Association chair Sandy Talbot said the towns had also experienced a downturn in trade.
"It's very hard to convince people [to travel to the region] because there's so much bad publicity about what's been happening in Victoria," Mr Talbot said.
"It's hard because we're so close to the border here.
"It's just stupid, people's perception of Naracoorte as almost being in Victoria."
The Naracoorte Holiday Park is another accommodation facility experiencing fluctuating demand.
Owner and manager Luci Fogarty said her business was running, but it was suffering.
"It's really hurting because people are afraid to come so close to the border," she said.
"[Tourists] are steering clear of us and also the Great Ocean Road, because we're at the tail end of that [and] obviously no-one's getting through from that.
"I think that people are scared.
"I think that with a second wave coming through, people are now getting more afraid."
School holidays uptick
But Ms Fogarty said the outlook was positive for the upcoming September holidays.
"Right now we can see that we're going to be very busy during the school holidays, which is wonderful," she said.
"We're still very busy, which is fantastic, and future bookings, too — a lot of our bookings tend to come last minute, even through the school holidays."
It was a similar story for the nearby Naracoorte Caves.
National Parks and Wildlife Service Limestone Coast manager Nick McIntyre said guides were preparing for a busy holiday period.
"Just talking to the guides the other day, there's been a reasonable level of inquiry for the upcoming holidays," he said.
"So normally, when that bubbles along in advance of the holidays, you think, 'Yep, we're going to need to have some extra tours on because there's a high level of interest.'
"We're going to put extra tours on and have all hands on deck so that we're able to service that visitor need."
But Mr McIntyre said he had also noticed the gap left by the absence of Victorian visitors.
"I don't think we'd be able to fill that gap in the market at this point in time," he said.
"[But] we're certainly holding up quite nicely just with the South Australian visitation … it's filling some of those gaps where other markets might not exist."
