Major events hole in one, river recovery continues & more...
What a sensational weekend it was for South Australia, and I’m not only talking about the ‘hole in one’ which saw vision of our inaugural LIV Golf Adelaide event beamed around the world.
The nation’s first LIV Golf tournament on Australian shores was heralded a success by tourism and hospitality operators in Adelaide yesterday, as they benefited from the influx in out-of-state visitation.
It saw hoteliers like Eos by SkyCity at 100 per cent occupancy and welcoming the most overseas guests they’ve had since opening in 2020, while the Sofitel Adelaide and restaurateurs like Fugazzi and NIDO reported increased visitation from the high-yield interstate market.
All of this came hot on the heels of new data showing the AFL Gather Round boosted hotel takings over the Friday and Saturday of the festival of footy to record-high of $6.8 million in bookings alone.
And the bustling event news doesn’t stop there, with the return of the Adelaide Equestrian Festival to our city’s parklands over the weekend drawing a record crowd of 37,000, while the Barossa Vintage Festival wrapped up for its 75th year.
This Friday, Tasting Australia presented by RAA Travel kicks off for 10 days of festivities across the city and the regions. There’s no doubt that 2023 has been the year for events, so I look forward to this strong momentum continuing through.
With a huge range of eating and drinking experiences, from masterclasses to tasting tables and express lunches, there is something for everyone. Check it the program at tastingaustralia.com.au.
A reminder the booking deadline for round one of our River Revival Voucher program is nearing, with vouchers to be booked by midnight this Friday for travel until 29 June.
It’s been great to see the value of these bookings grow, translating into dollars and jobs for our Murray River regions. Our minds are already onto planning for round two, which is to include $750 houseboat vouchers so the benefits for the regions will keep on coming.
As the recovery continues for international tourism, I am looking forward to nearly all of our international team coming to Australia next week for the Australian Tourism Exchange (ATE) 2023 held in the Gold Coast.
Bringing together Australian tourism operators and international buyers from around the world, ATE is an important industry trade event and it will be great to join the strong South Australian contingent representing our state at ATE later this month.
In further news about our Global Markets and Trade team, I am delighted we will be welcoming Suzanne Lim in the role of SATC Regional Manager, South East Asia this July. Based in our Singapore office, Suzanne comes to us with a great understanding and deep passion for Australia, having previously represented Tourism Western Australia in Singapore and has a wealth of experience currently working for the Hong Kong Tourism Board.
I look forward to catching up with many of our SA tourism operators at ATE 2023, and to introducing Suzanne to the industry when she joins our Global Markets and Trade team in July.
Emma Terry
Chief Executive Officer