Festival launch, more regional grants, Masters returns to SA & more...
January is well and truly here when the big yellow Think Road Safety bike appears in Victoria Square/Tarntanyangga in our city centre. Today, I joined Premier Steven Marshall to launch the Santos Festival of Cycling which kicks off tomorrow. It follows yesterday’s announcement of the 12 latest regional tourism operators to receive grants under our Tourism Industry Development Fund, and confirmation that South Australia will host the 2023 Australian Masters Games which is set to inject $12 million into our state’s economy.
All of this is while our Great State vouchers continue to clock up bookings across the CBD and regions, and as six of the world’s best tennis players gear up for A Day at the Drive at the end of the month.
It has been a strong start to 2021 and I look forward to this momentum carrying through the summer months.
Please read on for my update.
Rodney Harrex
Chief Executive
Santos Festival of Cycling kicks off summer festival season
A media call today marked the start of the Santos Festival of Cycling presented by the Santos Tour Down Under. As the SATC’s first managed event to kickstart the 2021 festival season, the six-day domestic cycling festival will get underway tomorrow evening with the Adelaide Track League at the Adelaide Superdrome. The action includes a 4-stage National Road Series (NRS) race with Men’s and Women’s stages which will showcase the Barossa, Adelaide Hills and Fleurieu Peninsula regions, before winding up in Victoria Park on Sunday. It takes a community to bring a festival like this together and today’s launch with the Premier celebrates the contribution made by the community – from local businesses to councils and cycling enthusiasts. Details at tourdownunder.com.au.
Another $2m injection – Tourism Industry Development Fund
Wineries, accommodation, a distillery expansion, a Far North micro-brewery and a houseboat build are among the 12 new regional tourism development projects granted funding under the SATC’s Tourism Industry Development Fund. Announced yesterday by Premier Steven Marshall at Ambleside Distillers in Hahndorf – one of the successful 12 – it brings the total number of grant recipients to 21, with a combined project value of nearly $14.9 million and grant amount of $3.7 million. Through the Fund, we’re helping operators accelerate their expansion or diversification plans so they can attract more visitors who will spend more, as well as be able to offer more jobs and bring more tourists to the regions. Details including the full list of grant recipients in this round of funding, here.
Multi-million-dollar Masters return to SA
Featuring on page one of yesterday’s Sunday Mail, South Australia has secured the rights to host the 2023 Australian Masters Games – attracting 9,000 participants from across the globe for an eight-day sporting festival that is expected to inject more than $12 million into the state’s economy. The AMG is Australia’s largest multi-sport participation event and SA has hosted the event seven times since 1989; its most recent in 2019 when SATC through Events South Australia was the major sponsor. In addition to an extensive sporting schedule, the program also includes a variety of social events, providing a festival atmosphere for both competitors and visitors to Adelaide. More here.
International tennis double-header
In more exciting event news, Adelaide will bookend a blockbuster Australian international tennis season. It starts with some of the world’s top players putting on a show for A Day at the Drive at Memorial Drive on Friday 29 January, followed by 70 of the best female players in the Adelaide International WTA 500 in late February. A Day at the Drive will feature six of the world’s best players with more than 60 Grand Slam titles between them – Serena Williams, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Simona Halep, Dominic Thiem and Naomi Osaka, as well as two Australians to be confirmed. The tournament will be held over two sessions, with organisers aiming to have almost 4,000 spectators per session. The SATC’s Events South Australia has worked closely with Tennis Australia, SA Health and SAPOL to secure the event which is expected to attract an international audience and showcase the recently renovated Memorial Drive as a world-class tennis precinct. Memorial Drive will also close out the international tennis season by hosting the Adelaide International WTA 500, straight after the Australian Open. Details here.
Vouchers boost bookings
A quick snapshot on the Great State vouchers – as of this morning, more than 14,200 bookings have been made across the city and the regions. Of these, over 3,200 lucky voucher holders will have already checked-in to their stay – providing an immediate boost to accommodation providers and the local businesses and hospitality around them. It’s great to see regional operators like Bukirk Glamping, The Manna by Haus, Novotel Barossa Valley Resort and Beach Huts Middleton feature in the top ten of those booking with a regional voucher, as well as CBD hotels soon to open their doors like Hotel Indigo receiving a boost in bookings through the scheme. We’re also actively promoting operators which have availability and last week added an “available city stays” and “available regional stays” to southaustralia.com/voucher to assist those still looking for somewhere to book.