Industry shines at awards, major tourism conference in town, festive cheer & more...
It was wonderful to come together as an industry to celebrate the innovation, creativity, and excellence of operators across our state at the South Australian Tourism Awards 2023. Hosted by the Tourism Industry Council of SA (TiCSA), the awards recognise operators who go above and beyond to make SA a must-visit destination – and this year’s winners are a huge testament to that.
I was pleased to present a couple of awards on Friday night and I’d like to again say congratulations to all winners and entrants – we are certainly spoilt for choice when it comes to world-class tourism offerings in our state and the judges had a difficult task indeed.
A special shout out goes to long-term CEO of the Australian Hotels Association SA, and SATC Board Director, Ian Horne who was presented with the Outstanding Achievement Award in recognition of his nearly four decades of advocacy and leadership within the industry.
This year, an impressive four businesses from across the state were honoured as inductees in the ‘Hall of Fame’ for winning gold in their respective categories for three consecutive years, including The Cedars Hahndorf, Bendleby Ranges, Woodhouse Adventure Park, and Naiko Retreat.
The gala dinner was a great way to showcase the SATC’s new domestic campaign, ‘Travel. Our Way’ to those who it aims to support. It was heartening to see firsthand such wonderful reactions to the TVC, which is currently in market helping boost visitation from our state’s key domestic markets.
The sun and crowds came out over the weekend to welcome the festive season to South Australia. Another spectacular National Pharmacies Christmas Pageant saw more than 315,000 people line Adelaide’s streets, and it was great to hear operators across the CBD saw an increase in visitation on the day. The event was a fantastic celebration of community and the start of what promises to be a bumper festive season and summer.
Following the highly successful Australian Tourism Export Council (ATEC) Meeting Place conference last week, we have welcomed more industry delegates to Adelaide for Tourism Australia’s Dreamtime 2023. It is the first time in four years that Dreamtime has been held, so to have it in Adelaide means even more. This is an excellent opportunity for leading industry buyers and decision makers to experience our world-class business event facilities and tourism experiences for themselves.
Emma Terry
Chief Executive Officer
South Australian Tourism Commission