Cruise returns, world cup cricket in Adelaide, high river flow info sessions & more...
It’s been a huge week for our sector, with the return of cruise ships to Adelaide and Port Lincoln, some of the world’s best cricket stars in town for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, and the winners of this year’s South Australian Tourism Awards named at a gala dinner last night.
The first cruise ships were part of a record number of visits set for South Australia through until April next year and signal the restart of a $145 million sector.
I was pleased to join Minister for Tourism Zoe Bettison, David Jones from Carnival Australia, Stewart Lammin from Flinders Port Holdings, Phil Hoffmann from Phil Hoffmann Travel and Dr Tim Cooper from Coopers Brewery to welcome the first ship to Outer Harbor on Monday. Nearly 1,600 passengers embarked on a 4-night voyage which called into Port Lincoln on Wednesday and Penneshaw on Thursday, with both regional communities welcoming the visits with open arms.
In more good news for international recovery, our SATC team hosted the largest trade and media famil since the start of the pandemic.
Around 20 senior executives from leading travel agencies and journalists from internationally recognised travel brand, Travel + Leisure, formed the contingent who was hosted across Adelaide and regional SA. The group is hugely influential, driving more than $US14.5 billion in annual revenue.
This week, people living and working along the Murray River have been invited to join community meetings hosted by the SA State Emergency Service (SES) to find out more about the Murray River flows, impacts and how to prepare.
The SATC is continuing to work with industry and government agencies to monitor the high river flow situation for operators close to the Murray River and attended the first three community information sessions in Renmark, Cobdogla and Berri to help answer questions relevant to tourism.
There are more meetings next week for those lower down the river – you can find information at sa.gov.au.
One of the key outcomes from the meetings was that it is important to have consistent and accurate advice for the regions. The SATC is working with Destination Riverland and Murray River Lakes & Coorong Tourism Alliance to help amplify the key message – it is still safe to travel to the Murray River regions, and that there are plenty of things to see and do. People visiting are encouraged to be aware of the hazards, plan ahead and act responsibly.
Stephanie Rozokos
Chief Executive