An advertising campaign has been launched to encourage people to holiday in Western Australia's Margaret River wine region.

SOUTH-WEST HOTSPOTS

It follows a downturn in bookings since the November bushfires in the State's South-West.

Tourism Minister Kim Hames said while the fire-ravaged area in Prevelly was relatively small - less than 1.5 per cent of the region - its effect on tourism had been felt across the entire region between Busselton and Augusta.

"The perception was that much more of the region had been affected than had actually been burned," he said.

"Figures from the Augusta-Margaret River Tourism Association (AMRTA) show a nine per cent decrease in bookings to the region since November 2011 compared to the same period in the previous 12 months."

Dr Hames said this time of year was traditionally the region's busiest, but some operators had been hit hard.

"The message now is that not only is the greater Margaret River wine region open for business, but there are some great deals to be had over the next few months," he said.