Tourism is one of South Australia's most important industries, generating $4.5 billion in revenue within the State and directly or indirectly employing more than 50,000 people.

One of the significant qualities of tourism as an industry is its ability to provide jobs, economic activity and growth not just in Adelaide but throughout the state.

Guiding this growth is South Australia's Strategic Plan which aims to make tourism a $6.3b industry by 2014.  This is a goal the State Government is committed to achieving.

In the 2010-11 State Budget the Government has provided the South Australian Tourism Commission (SATC) with the resources to continue the mission of expanding the State's tourism market in close cooperation with industry.

Tourism in South Australia has started 2010-11 from a solid base of achievement over the past year.

The SATC's domestic marketing initiatives - the "Isn't it About Time" and "Cellar Door" campaigns - have hit the target markets of higher-spending, east coast holiday makers with great effect, resulting in SA tourism consistently recording growth in tourist expenditure above the national average through 2009-10.

In events, the 2010 Santos Tour Down Under achieved record crowds, attracting around 41,000 interstate and international visitors who collectively provided a $41.5m boost to the State's economy.

The SATC also continued to lay the foundations for future growth through better access, and in 2009-10 we saw the first direct flight from China to Adelaide, as well as arrivals by new passenger ships including the Queen Mary 2, the world's largest ocean liner.

In 2010-11 the SATC will build on these achievements in tourism marketing, destination development and events.

In 2010-11 the Government, through the SATC, remains committed to building South Australia as a successful tourism destination for domestic and international visitors and in achieving our goal of $6.3b in tourism expenditure by 2014.

This financial year, the SATC will build on the success of the "Isn't It About Time" marketing campaign and continue to promote Adelaide and its proximity to wine regions, aquatic interaction, unspoilt nature, unique luxury accommodation and the summer events season. 

An editorial partnership with Fairfax will be core to the delivery of the State's interstate tourism marketing, in conjunction with cinema, television, magazine and online advertising, while a direct mail marketing strategy will drive the acquisition of profiled consumer data to develop an ongoing relationship with the target market in both the interstate and intrastate markets. 

Marketing to the intrastate market will focus on communicating 'what's on' information to encourage regional visitation and increased frequency of intrastate holidays.  Social and database marketing will also feature in intrastate activity, encouraging locals to share holiday ideas, and will be supported by ongoing informational advertising across television, online, press and radio.

Meanwhile, the SATC's Destination Development team will continue to encourage new tourism development and experiences by running the "Best of Breed" Investor Familiarisation Program, identifying product gaps and introducing these opportunities to existing tourism operators, and case managing major tourism infrastructure developments.

The Government, through the SATC, also continues its commitment to provide support through the Tourism Development Fund for infrastructure projects that will facilitate sustainable tourism development.  Infrastructure funding will be offered to attract investors to undertake significant projects throughout the State which have been identified as important product gaps in the marketplace. 

The focus will be on supporting tourism infrastructure projects that create new and refreshed tourism developments and encourage investment in South Australia's tourism assets.  Tourism Development Fund grants for private sector developments involve a significant amount of investment from the proponent and illustrate the tremendous potential of partnerships in developing and maintaining tourism infrastructure — achieving mutual benefits for the State, the individual businesses and the local regional economies.

Events remain a key drawcard for attracting visitors to our State, and the Government, through the SATC, will continue to manage major events such as the Santos Tour Down Under, which raise our State's profile around the world and bring millions of additional dollars into the South Australian economy.  This financial year, the SATC will also provide sponsorship, public relations or marketing support to at least another ten events, including the World Tennis Challenge, Big Pond Adelaide Film Festival, WOMADelaide, and the 2011 Australian Age Championships.  The Australian Age swimming Championships, being staged in April 2011, will see more than 1,500 athletes compete in a six day program at the newly built State Aquatic Centre at Marion. As well as this, the Government, through the SATC's Regional Festivals and Events Program will continue its support for events which raise the profile of the area of the State in which they are held, and encourage visitors from Adelaide, interstate and overseas to explore regional South Australia. 

By maintaining our determined focus on our key priorities, which we know will result in tourism growth, and by continuing our productive partnership with the South Australian tourism industry, I know that this financial year the South Australian Government and the tourism industry can work together towards our goal of achieving $6.3 billion annually in visitor expenditure by 2014.

 

A lot has happened since I wrote my last industry brief message while sitting in a hotel room in Las Vegas recovering from my first ATE and before setting off to visit friends and relatives in the UK.

A quick look at recent tourism statistics tells me South Australia tourism spend is up 7% year on year, buoyed by strong growth in interstate and international performance.

Although intrastate has shown a slight recovery, its performance is still soft and must be one of our big opportunities as people start to talk about economic recovery, and hopefully can be encouraged to get out and enjoy South Australia.  And of course, we need to continue to develop more 'best of South Australia' experiences that will attract even more high-spending visitors to the State.
 
The Sustainable Budget Commission process has been undertaken and although there were some concerns, it proved to be a good exercise for the SATC. We were able to use the process to challenge our strategy, as well as the organisation, to focus on achieving our goal of $6.3 billion by 2014 while being more cost productive. Like all business review programs, we were able to re-think some of the ways in which we work and develop new approaches.

As a result of the process, we have been targeted to achieve $4.5 million of savings per annum by 2014, and it is our belief we can do this while continuing to deliver our 2014 strategy.

A key element of the strategy will be to increase our 'direct to consumer' marketing spend year on year to $20 million per annum by 2014.

I believe that in order to continue the delivery our strategy, we (SATC), need to:

* Improve and build upon the relationship we have with the industry
* Engage more in cooperative marketing campaigns
* Reshape our digital and distribution capabilities
* Assist the industry in building new tourism experiences

Therefore, I have recently made a number of changes to the organisational structure and started a journey on improving our response times, improving communications and introducing new services and systems.

This edition of Industry Brief includes a story outlining details of a new cooperative marketing scheme, which will be launched immediately and offer quick response times on decisions. I hope you will all agree that this is a scheme based on trust between SATC and its partners, and includes a need to measure KPIs such that ongoing returns and success can be measured.

Last week I announced a restructure of SATC's management structure designed to accelerate some of the key plans of our strategy:

* Karyn Kent will report directly to me and lead the team Sales/Distribution Team
* The Digital Unit will report directly to me and we will focus on developing and delivering our new digital platform
* A new position of Director of Marketing and Communications has been created and advertised
* Steve Kernaghan will continue to run the Marketing and Communications Unit until a successful candidate for the Director of Marketing and Communications position is appointed.  Steve will then move to a strategy development role within the organisation.  He will remain on the Executive team and will continue to report to me
* A new position of Manager, Industry Liaison has also been advertised.  One element of this role will be accountability for the new cooperative marketing scheme

These changes will enable improved internal and external communications, speed up decision making and bring more focus onto the key area of digital development, which is a major part of our future marketing, distribution and communication strategy.

The South Australian Tourism Commission has announced the launch of the $2 million Industry Co-operative Marketing Fund 2010-11, providing tourism operators with opportunities to co-invest with the SATC to further leverage the increased funding commitment to 'above the line' tourism marketing initiatives.

A collective approach to growing the pool of funds spent promoting South Australia is key in making a bigger impression on the tourism market place, and ultimately attracting more visitors to the State. To this end, the SATC is enlisting tourism operators to enable a doubling of industry investment in marketing.

Recognising that South Australia's tourism operators are specialists in their own fields of operation and strategically invest money into marketing to drive conversion for their own tourism products, the SATC is committing to support private tourism marketing investment to further leverage and co-align promotion of South Australia in key tourism markets, thereby supporting the overarching destination promotion undertaken by the SATC.

The individual criteria for funding via the Industry Co-operative Marketing Fund are outlined in the prospectus, which can be viewed by clicking here.

Lance Armstrong will compete in his last professional race on international soil at the 2011 Santos Tour Down Under in Adelaide, the elite UCI ProTour race from 16-23 January, for the third and final time.

"This is an amazing opportunity for cycling fans across the globe to head to Adelaide and be part of history as Lance competes in his farewell ride as a professional on international soil," Premier Mike Rann says.

Lance Armstrong launched his comeback to professional cycling at the 2009 Santos Tour Down Under, and returned in 2010 to debut his new team, Team RadioShack.

"The 2009 Tour Down Under was, at the time, the biggest event ever staged in South Australia. It contributed $39 million to our local economy - an increase of 125 per cent from 2008," Premier Rann says.

"A total of 36,200 people from interstate and overseas travelled here specifically to watch the event, compared with 15,100 people the year before.

"TV and media coverage of South Australia and its magnificent scenery and natural assets were seen by hundreds of millions of people worldwide.

"Lance returned to South Australia this year - and more than 39,000 people from interstate and overseas travelled here specifically to watch the event, injecting an additional $41.5 million into the State's economy."

The 2010 Santos Tour Down Under was also recently named the Best Tourism Event at the Australian Event Awards in Sydney, the second successive year that the event has been honoured at the awards.

Tourism Minister John Rau described the award as well-deserved; bringing recognition to an event that is now the biggest cycling race in the southern hemisphere and one of South Australia's major tourism attractions.

"While the 2010 Santos Tour Down Under has been recognised, all those who work to make the event possible - from the event team and sponsors to local councils, emergency services and volunteers - also deserve to be congratulated," Minister Rau says.

The 2011 Santos Tour Down Under will be held in Adelaide and regional South Australia from 16-23 January 2011. For more information, visit www.tourdownunder.com.au.

In 2010, The Great Australian Outback Cattle Drive once again allowed South Australia to shine a spotlight on our Flinders Ranges & Outback region, and promote the State as the gateway to the authentic Australian Outback.

This year's event, which ran from 30 July to 29 August, attracted participants from the UK, the US, New Zealand, Singapore, Netherlands and the United Arab Emirates, with three quarters of participants travelling from interstate and overseas to attend the event.

More than 30 members of the South Australian, national and international media, including Channel Seven's Sunrise, Lonely Planet TV, Australian, La Tribune and LA Times attended the event which was held along the Oodnadatta Track within Anna Creek Station. 

Media coverage is still being published, but nearly $14 million of media coverage has been achieved to date.

An important aim of the 2010 event was to promote the rich diversity of the tourism experiences on offer throughout the Flinders Ranges & Outback region, and a number of regional tourism operators from across the region attended the event to meet the media and guests.  Information on the wide range of pastoral tourism experiences was provided to all media.

As well as droving cattle and experiencing life on the luxury campsite on Anna Creek Station, all guests and media took advantage of the chance to explore further, with scenic flights over Lake Eyre, visits to the William Creek Hotel and time spent in Coober Pedy.  On Tour 5 of the event, the Cattle Drive headed to William Creek so all media and guests could attend the annual William Creek Bronco Branding and Campdrafting event.

The Great Australian Outback Cattle Drive was a partnership between the South Australian and Federal Governments, staged in close collaboration with regional communities, including traditional landowners and pastoralists.

Along with the introduction of a new streamlined online submission process, the South Australian Tourism Industry Council (SATIC) has announced a record number of nominations for the 2010 South Australian Tourism Awards, jumping 8% this year to a total of 184.

SATIC Chief Executive Ward Tilbrook says tourism businesses across South Australia will compete in 27 categories for the honour of being heralded as one of South Australia's very best tourism experiences.

"It is encouraging to see so many tourism businesses reviewing their goals and achievements and showcasing their success, a South Australian Tourism Award win or medal is a powerful addition to a business' marketing message - it is a compelling endorsement of the business in the eyes of the consumer," Mr Tilbrook says.

"These Awards are the tourism industry's premier accolade. It is a whole of business award, with comprehensive criteria, not just a consumer choice ballot, our awards are designed so entrants can detail all aspects of their business."

The Awards Presentation Ceremony and Gala Dinner will be held on Thursday 18 November at the Adelaide Convention Centre. The winner in each category will then go on to represent South Australia at the Qantas Australian Tourism Awards in March next year.

Leading into the Tourism Awards Gala Dinner, SATIC will hold its inaugural tourism conference, SA Tourism: Taking Charge of Change, where attendees will be presented with information to help them understand the current environment and help them identify continual improvement in knowledge development and business practices.

Attendees will hear from a dynamic line-up of speakers about how the industry can take a proactive position and influence the many changes that affect it and the environment within which it operates, including technological advances, increasing and changing demands from consumers, new initiatives in marketing and industry support.

Tourism Minister John Rau this month announced the recipients of $400,000 in State Government funding for initiatives by local councils and non-profit groups to boost regional tourism.

Thirteen projects will receive grants through the South Australian Tourism Commission's Tourism Development Fund this financial year.

Some of the projects to receive funding in 2010/2011 include:

* A new maritime museum and community complex at Port MacDonnell;
* An interpretive trail within the Goolwa Wharf precinct to provide directions and stories for visitors to learn about Goolwa's Indigenous and European history, including the importance of the Murray River;
* The West Terrace Cemetery interpretive project, which includes signs at 30 different sites to tell the tale of South Australia's history through stories of its people, including some related to the story of Mary MacKillop;
* A history trail at Meningie, with interpretation to tell the story of the town and its role in the history of the Murray River's lower lakes, as well as the area's Indigenous culture;
* Upgrades to the visitor information centres at Tanunda and Wilpena Pound;
* A walking and cycling trail along the Robe foreshore with access from the beach front to Robe wharf, and stops at historic sites along the way including the Chinese monument, old sea wall, customs house and Royal Circus.

Tourism Minister John Rau says infrastructure projects such as museums, visitor information centres, walking trails and interpretive signs all contribute to the overall tourism experience and encourage visitors to stay longer.

This latest funding is part of the Government's $2 million annual assistance for tourism operators, councils and community groups across the State who are developing new and innovative tourism accommodation, attractions and tours, as well as revitalising and updating existing tourism ventures.

Thirty events and festivals will receive a $563,000 funding boost this year to aid in their promotion, media and marketing activities, thanks to the State Government's Regional Events & Festivals Program, managed by the SATC.

Tourism Minister John Rau says the events receiving funding through the program are either proven tourism drawcards which bring thousands of additional visitors to our State and boost the profile of South Australia and the regions in which they are held, or are smaller events that have the clear potential to grow into much larger ones.

"Tourism brings vital new money into our local and regional communities and is one of the most important industries for generating employment and investment in our regional areas," Minister Rau says.

"The Regional Events & Festivals Program is a key part of the Government's strategy to increase visitor numbers to regional South Australia."

All events financially supported through the Regional Events and Festivals Program are also offered in-kind support from the SATC, including promotion on southaustralia.com, and inclusion of the event in a range of national and international publications.

Events and festivals funded through the South Australian Government's 2010-11 Regional Events & Festivals Program and Community Events Development Fund:
* Australian Championships Orienteering Carnival (Barossa) - 25 September - 3 October 2010
* Barossa Vintage Festival (Barossa) - 23 April - 1 May 2011
* Bay to Birdwood (Adelaide Hills) - 26 September 2010 
* Bundaleer Festival (Clare Valley) - 8-10 April 2011
* Ceduna Racing Season, including Ceduna Cup (Eyre Peninsula) - 11 December 2010, 15 January, 11 & 12 March 2011
* Clare Valley Gourmet Weekend (Clare Valley) - 14-15 May 2011
* Coonawarra Cabernet Celebrations (Limestone Coast) - 15-17 October 2011
* Copper Cove Marina Festival (Yorke Peninsula) - 13-14 November 2010
* Crush 11 (Adelaide Hills) - 30 January 2011
* Fantastic Cup Pro Juniors (Fleurieu Peninsula) - 14-17 July 2011
* Feast Festival (Adelaide) - November 2011 (Date TBC)
* Fleurieu Art Prize (Fleurieu Peninsula) - Date TBC
* Kangaroo Island Coopers Cup Carnival (Kangaroo Island) - 20 February 2011 
* Kapunda Celtic Festival (Clare Valley) - 15-17 October 2010
* Kernewek Lowender (Yorke Peninsula) - 9-15 May 2011
* Lights of Lobethal (Adelaide Hills) - 12-31 December 2010
* Mary MacKillop Canonisation Celebrations - 17 October 2010
* NAB Barossa Gourmet Weekend (Barossa) - 20-21 August 2011 (Date TBC)
* Penola Coonawarra Arts Festival (Limestone Coast)
* Point Boston Seafood and Wine Festival (Eyre Peninsula) - 16 January 2011
* Port Lincoln Tunarama Festival (Eyre Peninsula) - 22 - 26 January 2011
* Riverland Wine and Food Festival (Riverland) - 14-17 October 2010 + October 2011
* Knights Beach Bodyboarding Pro (Fleurieu Peninsula) - 9-11 September 2011
* SA Country Music Festival and Awards (Riverland) - 3-13 June 2011
* SA Wooden Boat & Music Festival (Fleurieu Peninsula) - 26-27 February 2011
* South Australian Living Artists festival (Statewide) - July/August 2011
* Semaphore Music Festival - 1-4 October 2010
* Sounds by the River (Murraylands) -8 January 2011
* Tastes of the Outback (Flinders Ranges & Outback) - April 2011 TBC
* Toop & Toop Rock 'n' Roll Festival (Fleurieu Peninsula) - 17-19 September 2010

On Saturday, 18 September, Coober Pedy residents, together with their council, the Member for Giles, Lyn Breuer MP, and the South Australian Tourism Commission's Chief Executive Ian Darbyshire, celebrated the official opening of the Outback town's $1.3 million new airport terminal.

Featuring rammed earth walls and an "in-floor" underground mine (complete with a miner), the environmentally friendly terminal was partially funded with a $200,000 grant from the SATC's Tourism Development Fund.  Other funding partners include the Department for Trade & Economic Development, the District Council of Coober Pedy and the Federal Government.

The new 350-square metre terminal includes a departure lounge with seating for more than 50 people, compared with the seating for eight people provided by the terminal it replaces.

The initiative will enhance the experience of visitors arriving in this unique Outback 'frontier town' and enable the SATC's access unit to continue its endeavours to attract flights into Coober Pedy from destinations such as Alice Springs.

South Australia, in particular Penola, has enjoyed international attention with the recent canonisation of Mary MacKillop, now officially known as 'Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop', as thousands of people gathered in the township where her journey began in a stable, to take part in celebrations honouring Australia's first Saint.

The South Australian Tourism Commission has been working closely with the Catholic Archdiocese of Adelaide, Wattle Range Council, the Sisters of St Joseph, The Penola Interpretive Centre, Limestone Coast Tourism and the Penola event managers to support publicity surrounding the canonisation, ensuring South Australia is positioned as the destination of choice for visitors wanting to understand Mary MacKillop's journey to Sainthood.

Fittingly referred to as "The place where it all began", Penola is a key location associated with Mary MacKillop's inspirational life and work, and around 8000 people descended on Penola during the canonisation weekend, with many also taking part in the Coonawarra Cabernet Celebrations.

In the lead-up to the canonisation, the SATC worked with key stakeholders and the Penola community to provide strategic event advice, ensuring the area was prepared for the expected influx of national and international visitors.

The SATC earlier this year committed $100,000 towards improving local sites and experiences directly related to Mary MacKillop's life and work, and a tailored advertising and marketing program to promote South Australia, and particularly Penola, as the place where visitors can experience Mary MacKillop's story.

In addition to a pre-canonisation media visit organised by the SATC, Catholic Archdiocese of Adelaide and Limestone Coast Tourism which resulted in significant coverage, more than 60 media representatives were in attendance in Penola on the day of the canonisation, beaming a strong and simple message across the globe: that a stable in Penola is the place where Mary's journey to Sainthood began.  Plans announcing the future development of the original stable site as a place of prayer and contemplation using technology to send and receive prayers globally were made just prior to the canonisation.  Also significantly during the weekend, live television crosses featuring Penola were broadcast on Sky News and Channel 7, as well as ABC global broadcasts, plus significant international print media reports were received by outlets including The Washington Post (US) and The World Today (UK).

The canonisation is expected to lead to an increase in numbers of visitors to South Australia who wish to follow in Mary's footsteps, ensuring South Australia enjoys ongoing tourism benefits from Mary MacKillop's links to the State.

Image courtesy of Wild Creative Photography

Flinders Ranges tourism operators will have the chance to be involved in a plan to build on the strengths of the region's tourism experiences.

The region's National Landscape Project Committee has won funding to create one of Australia's first Experience Development Strategies (EDS), thanks to the region's strong operator leadership and organisation.

An EDS looks at the gaps in what the region offers overall to Tourism Australia's key "experience seeker" market, in order to build a strong brand for the region based on a range of world-class tourism experiences. The stronger the brand, the better Tourism Australia and the South Australian Tourism Commission can actively market the region around the world and to all parts of Australia.

The EDS process, which will be managed by a consultant, will offer Flinders Ranges tourism operators a great chance to assess what the region does well, and where it could improve.

The Flinders Ranges already has a range of initiatives in place to build on strengths including pastoral tourism, air tourism and cycle tourism. The EDS process will also look at a wide range of other areas of tourism, such as adventure tourism, fossil tourism and Aboriginal cultural experiences, to see if they have the potential to grow into experiences that collectively make the Flinders Ranges stand out from other regions around the world as a "must-see" destination.

The Flinders Ranges' EDS will be assessed for its usefulness and impact on the region's tourism industry, with the view to rolling out an EDS to every tourism region in the nation, as set out in Australia's National Long-Term Tourism Strategy.

A consultant will oversee the EDS process, which will begin next month, with a view to completing it by June 2011, and Flinders Ranges tourism operators will soon be invited to be part of the process.

The Flinders Ranges is one of Australia's official National Landscapes, recognised as an emotionally uplifting destination, where adventure, spirituality and tranquillity co-exist.

The South Australian Tourism Commission's US office has teamed up with US celebrity chef Tom Colicchio for a joint promotion to raise the profile of South Australia as a gourmet holiday destination in the lucrative North American market.

To familiarise himself with South Australia and prepare for the promotion, Tom recently spent seven days in Adelaide and regional South Australia tasting and experiencing our food and wine.

As the campaign ambassador, Tom will become a spokesperson for South Australia in the US during 2010 at a variety of food and wine events aimed at increasing consumer interest in travel to South Australia.

A website will support Tom's activities, providing relevant deals and offers and links to campaign partners, as well as social media channels.

Tom is perhaps best known to most North Americans as head judge on the TV show, Top Chef, but his other accomplishments include winning five James Beard Foundation Medals, and founding the Craft restaurants in New York, LA, Dallas and Atlanta. This year alone his awards have included the James Beard Foundation Outstanding Chef of the Year award, and an Emmy award for Outstanding Reality-Competition Programming for his role as Top Chef's Executive Producer.

In June and July this year, more than 100 London taxis flew the flag for South Australia, thanks to an highly visible outdoor advertising campaign.

The four-week campaign, an initiative of the South Australian Tourism Commission's UK office in partnership with Flight Centre UK, used the sides and insides of 110 London taxis to display images of South Australia's wildlife and outback experiences, and invited Londoners to visit the websites www.southaustralia.com and www.flightcentre.co.uk.

The key aim of this campaign was to increase awareness of South Australia among SA's number one international market, and it was timed for maximum impact, coinciding with major events including the Wimbledon Tennis Championships and the one-day international cricket match between Australia and England at Lord's. As well as the South Australian images surrounding passengers who took a ride in one of campaign taxis, the receipts they received after paying their fare also displayed our State's campaign brand.

A survey conducted in the UK during the past three years revealed that more than two thirds of the population notices taxi advertising; more than two million adult Londoners had the opportunity to view the South Australian taxi images an average for 10 times each during the campaign.

South Australia continues to outstrip the national average in international visitor growth, recording increases in international visitors, nights and expenditure in 2009-10, as highlighted in Tourism Research Australia's latest International Visitor Survey.

South Australia welcomed 363,600 international visitors in the year ending June 2010, up 5% on the previous 12 months and well ahead of the national increase of 3% over the same period.

The latest results also show these visitors are staying longer, with international visitors spending 8.2 million nights in the State for the 12 months ended June 2010 - an all time high.

This represents an increase in international visitor nights of 16% on the previous 12 month period, and is well above the national average of 5% growth for the same period.

Tourism Minister John Rau says the rise in international visitor nights was fuelled in part by education and business nights, but that South Australia also recorded good increases in holiday purpose visitor nights, compared with the previous 12-month period, showing South Australia's appeal as a world-class tourism destination continues to grow.

International visitor expenditure in South Australia in the 12 months ended June 2010 was $685 million, an increase of 14% on the previous year and well ahead of the 3% increase nationally.

"Our focus on attracting more visitors and growing visitor expenditure has provided us with a healthy mix of higher yield travellers and regional dispersal of visitor spending, moving us closer to our State Strategic Plan goal of $6.3 billion in visitor expenditure by 2014," Minister Rau says.

Following the first direct passenger flight from mainland China to Adelaide earlier this year, Vietnam Airlines will fly into South Australia for the first time next month.

The airline will operate two return charter flights during the next two months between Ho Chi Minh City and Adelaide, on behalf of Bunnik Tours.

Adelaide Airport Managing Director Phil Baker says AAL sees the attraction of charter flights as an important step in its effort to attract more flights into the State, and AAL had been working closely with the South Australian Government, Bunnik Tours and the airport's aviation consultancy, Aspirion, to achieve this.

"Vietnam, along with other South East Asian countries and China, are very much emerging markets with significant growth potential, and we're keen to build relationships with airlines operating in these countries," Mr Baker says.

The latest statistics demonstrate the importance these emerging markets will play over the coming years to ensure the continued overall growth of international visitation to South Australia.

The International Visitor Survey for the 12 months ended June 2010 shows that the total number of visitors from Asian markets (excluding Japan) grew more than 40 per cent year-on-year for South Australia, while the number of nights spent by those visitors in our State grew 44 per cent during the same period.

The South Australian Tourism Plan 2009-2014 emphasises the importance of increasing air access into Adelaide as one of the critical factors that will enable the State to reach its target of making tourism a $6.3 billion industry by 2014.

South Australia continues to reap the benefits of the Rann Government's investment in domestic tourism marketing, with the latest statistics showing domestic tourism expenditure in SA growing at twice the rate of the national average.

Tourism Minister John Rau says the amount spent by local and interstate tourists holidaying in South Australia in 2009-10 was up 17%, compared with the national average increase of 6% in holiday expenditure.

"Significantly, the number of tourists coming from interstate was also up 19% and the number of nights they spent in our State was up 23% on the previous 12 month period," Minister Rau says.

"The rise in the amount of time tourists spent here, coupled with a growth in spending, shows our domestic tourism marketing campaign is resonating with a national audience and is drawing more visitors to our State."

South Australia also recorded better than average results for overall visitors, which takes into account broader reasons for travel such as business trips, with 4.7 million domestic travellers spending an average of 3.8 nights in the State.

Total domestic overnight expenditure in South Australia during the 12 month period has risen by 4% to $2.9 billion. When added to domestic day trip and international spending for the same period, the State recorded $4.5 billion in total travel expenditure.

South Australia's best hotels have been recognised at the 2010 Hotel Industry Awards for Excellence, with The Highway taking out the prestigious Best Overall Hotel category.

The Arkaba Hotel and Largs Pier Hotel shared the gong for Best Mid-Range Accommodation, while the award for Best Deluxe Hotel Accommodation went to the Sebel Playford Adelaide.

The Best Restaurant (general division) award went to the Lion Hotel, North Adelaide and the Novotel Barossa Valley Resort's Harry's Restaurant was named the Best Restaurant (accommodation division).

Arkaroola Wildlife Sanctuary was recognised in the Best Tourism Initiative category, the Ceduna Foreshore Hotel Motel won the Outstanding Community Service award and the Hilton Adelaide was awarded the Best Environmental Practice category.

The annual awards are run by the Australian Hotels Association SA, in order to recognise those member hotels that are 'the best' across 25 categories.

For a full list of winners, click here. 

The 2010-11 South Australian ocean cruising season has officially begun, with the arrival of the 2,000 passenger Dawn Princess at Port Adelaide Passenger Terminal on 24 September.

The ship's visit is the first of 28 calls by cruise vessels to Adelaide and regional ports to come during the 2010-11 ocean cruising season.

Tourism Minister John Rau says ocean cruising is a genuine growth area in Australian tourism and the State Government, through the South Australian Tourism Commission, has been focused on attracting more visits by cruise ships and encouraging operators to cruise in South Australian waters.

In addition to the arrival of the Dawn Princess, South Australia will also welcome a return visit in early 2011 by the 3,000 passenger Queen Mary 2, the second time the world's largest ocean liner has visited Adelaide.

An added feature of the 2010-11 season will be a focus on South Australia's regions, through tours aboard the expedition cruise vessels, Orion and True North.

Minister Rau says that these smaller ships will take their passengers to a range of South Australia's favourite port destinations - Robe, Kangaroo Island, Victor Harbor, Port Lincoln and Ceduna - that are often inaccessible for the larger vessels due to size limitations.

In this edition of Industry Brief, we catch up with owners of award-winning Emaroo Cottages, Cathy and Rick Edmonds, who have successfully expanded their tourism business to include the luxurious Emaroo Port Hughes.  This deluxe 4.5 star holiday property located on the idyllic Yorke Peninsula caters for up to 10 people and offers an abundance of features to ensure guests have a memorable stay. Cathy and Rick share with us their insights into the value of undertaking consumer research, building partnerships with other tourism operators, embracing business development via awards and much more...

How did you get started in tourism, and how has your business evolved and expanded to include the Yorke Peninsula properties?
Our business started by chance when we were in Broken Hill looking to invest in rental properties. We were shown one that the owner had set up for a B&B but was selling due to family reasons. The idea intrigued us and after a little bit of thought and a lot of research we decided to buy it and give it a go.  Within a short period we had expanded it to 4 properties in Broken Hill. This proved to be highly successful in both occupancy rates and the winning of an Inland Tourism award in our first year and two subsequent ones, as well as a silver award at the 2009 NSW Tourism Awards. Following the initial success we set up three deluxe properties in Mildura, Victoria after again carrying out extensive research of possible target markets. Again these have been very successful with high occupancy rates, as well as being awards winners.  At Port Hughes on the Yorke Peninsula we purchased a property in 2009 that allows for flexible occupancy and transformed it into a four and a half star deluxe holiday home. In 2010 we won the Deluxe accommodation category at the Yorke Peninsula Tourism Awards.

What challenges and surprises have you encountered along the way as a tourism business?
Some of the challenges are developing the right marketing strategy for the business, setting up business procedures and time management. We were surprised at the amount of support we have had from the tourism industry and the number of contacts we have made through networking with other operators and members of the tourism associations.

How important is "packaging" with other operators?
Packaging value adds to the product and provides guests with an additional tourism experience without the hassle of them having to take the time to investigate tourism attractions in the area.  In the initial contact with the guest we discuss possible packages, which sets up a positive relationship with the guest and allows ongoing dialogue.

What is the most rewarding aspect of your work?
The most rewarding aspects are the numerous positive comments from guests, unexpected emails thanking us for the quality and attention to detail of our properties, and photographs sent to us of their stay, which they allow us to use.  Other rewarding aspects include the recognition of the industry via support, awards and special package inclusions run by the tourism associations, also our repeat customers indicating their satisfaction with our product.

What advice would you give to any budding tourism operator?
Do their research, work out their markets and be passionate about what they are doing, get their costing right and embrace modern technology. It is worthwhile attending conferences and workshops run by organisations such as Yorke Peninsula Tourism.