Big COVID changes | World Tourism Day | recovery milestones & more...
Big news today out of National Cabinet, with the scrapping of mandatory COVID isolation requirements.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese today announced that from October 14, mandatory isolation requirements will end – a decision that was unanimous among state and territory leaders.
At this time, pandemic leave disaster payments will also end, except for people in high-risk settings such as aged and disability care.
This week we celebrated World Tourism Day, a global acknowledgement of the importance of tourism and the contribution it makes to communities and economies.
We saw this contribution in action, with latest Tourism Research Australia data showing South Australia’s visitor economy in the year ending June has grown to $6.2 billion.
While there’s some way to go to our once $8.1 billion, it is worthy of recognition – having reached our highest point since the COVID low of $4.4 billion in March 2021.
The growth was driven by a sharp uptick in international spend, a new post-pandemic interstate record, and continued strength in intrastate.
The news followed having our international team in Adelaide for the first time in more than two years last week. Representatives from the UK, Europe, New Zealand, North America, and Singapore connected with operators and heard about new product.
The visit is on the back of another major milestone in the recovery of SA’s $1.2 billion international market, with the first cruise ship to Kangaroo Island since early 2020 – with the nearly 1,700 passengers who went ashore welcomed with open arms by operators and the community.
Stephanie Rozokos
Chief Executive