New campaign, Year of SA Wine celebrated, vouchers inject multi-millions, Tasting Australia Winter Series & more...
A new domestic marketing campaign, a celebration of South Australian wine, an inaugural winter version of Tasting Australia, a multi-million injection thanks to the Great State Voucher program, Mount Gambier to welcome Illuminate Adelaide activation – that’s just a few recent big-ticket items for SA’s tourism industry.
While the situation in Victoria remains a high concern, the SATC is focused on rebuilding domestic visitation and giving people more reasons to see SA this winter.
‘For those who want a little more’ is our new domestic marketing campaign, which positions SA as one of Australia’s most diverse, dynamic, and unique states. While international travel is off-limits, this campaign aims to inspire Australians to visit SA, and find new corners of their home country they’ve yet to experience. The campaign is already in market – outdoor, digital, print and TV – and we’re hearing really positive feedback so far.
I encourage operators and industry colleagues to find out more about the ‘a little more’ campaign at tourism.sa.gov.au, which includes an industry toolkit and access to download assets such as the campaign TV commercials (60-sec intrastate version below) and images to share on your socials.
As we continue to roll-out our 12-month Year of South Australian Wine campaign, we come off the back of a special weekend-long event. With support from the Department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA) and input from the South Australian Wine Industry Association (SAWIA), the Weekend Wine Revolution saw SA winemakers and local vendors take over Peel and Leigh streets last Friday and Saturday, with wine tastings, food, music and entertainment, open to the public.
We know wine is a massive driver of visitors to and within our state, and a major economic asset. This event showcased SA’s strong wine credentials and helped create vibrancy in our city and spending in local businesses. Consumers were encouraged to scan a QR code at the event, to access ‘wine deals’ offering discounts and offers at cellar doors across the regions.
It’s been sensational to see industry really get on board the Year of SA Wine initiative. We’ve got many great examples of regional events and cellar door operators leveraging the branding and incorporating the #SeeSouthAustralia🍷 hashtag.
Through the Year of SA Wine campaign, we’ve pushed out 14 full-page print ads which promote upcoming wine events happening across the regions, six editorials featuring key wine events, and got behind 44 different wine events through paid advertising. The Year of SA Wine trip planning page and What’s On page on southaustralia.com have seen around 160,000 page views year-to-date – that’s people looking, planning and booking their support of our wine industry.
Following last month’s hugely popular Tasting Australia presented by RAA Travel festival, we’ve released the inaugural Tasting Australia Winter Series program, which is coming to Adelaide and regional SA from 1-31 July. With over 40 events hosted at eating and drinking venues, the Winter Series spans seven regions and gives visitors another reason to get out across the state this winter.
As bookings roll in for the fourth round of Great State Vouchers targeting accommodation and consumers continue to enjoy their tours and experiences, I thank those participating for your efforts to be involved.
New data shows the total economic impact of the voucher scheme to date has injected more than $44 million into SA’s visitor economy. We’ve heard lots of feedback from operators about what a difference the boost to business has made for the winter, to their staff and regional economies – including Kimbolton Wines in Langhorne Creek (pictured) and Echo Farm in Mount Gambier. Bookings are open for round four until the end of this month, so if you know someone with a voucher, please urge them to book at southaustralia.com/voucher.
Next month, Erik de Roos will be joining the SATC as our new Executive Director of Marketing. Erik comes to the SATC after a long career working in advertising, most notably at Clemenger BBDO, and has been behind some of SA’s strongest brands (such as San Remo, Balfours, Jacob’s Creek, Journey Beyond and the Motor Accident Commission). Erik is passionate about driving our brand as we continue our work to recover SA’s visitor economy. He starts July 12.
The SATC has a strong presence at this year's Australian Tourism Exchange (ATE) in Sydney, hosted by Tourism Australia. More than 55 South Australian tourism operators are helping sell our state to the domestic market, including Earth Adventures, Yalumba, Seppeltsfield, National Wine Centre, Zoos SA, Majestic Hotels, and Eos by SkyCity (pictured below).
A reminder, our regional Illuminate Adelaide event kicks off in Mount Gambier tomorrow. Why not spend a bit of time on the Limestone Coast and check out ‘Digital Garden’ in the city’s Cave Garden – it runs until 4 July. Grab a jacket and see something really illuminating, while supporting the region.
Read on for other updates and opportunities.
Rodney Harrex
Chief Executive
Having difficulty finding and retaining staff? We want to hear from you
Tourism and hospitality businesses are invited to provide feedback to a workforce survey, which looks at the difficulties currently being experienced particularly with finding and keeping skilled staff.
The SATC has engaged Deloitte Access Economics to undertake the survey, with the aim to understand what the issues are and what will help. The more responses to the survey, the more informed the solutions can be.
We invite you to complete a 5-15 minute survey to share your recent experiences. The duration of the survey will depend on the number of issues you identify your business is facing.
You can complete the survey using your mobile device. Any questions about the survey, your participation or privacy, contact: [email protected].
Learn more about listing on the ATDW to help your tourism business
Want to learn how to increase your share of voice across tourism websites such as southaustralia.com and australia.com (for free)? The SATC brings information sessions on the Australian Tourism Data Warehouse (ATDW) into the regions throughout the year, to help operators get their tourism business listing live and optimised.
If you’re interested in learning how to leverage Australia’s national platform for digital tourism information, we encourage you to register for a free information session in your region. You’ll learn why ATDW is the gateway to having your business promoted across digital tourism channels, as well as in promotions and campaigns from the SATC.
See the upcoming ATDW information sessions at tourism.sa.gov.au/support/industry-events.
Nominate now – SA Tourism Awards
Nominations are now open for the 2021 South Australian Tourism Awards. Delivered by TiCSA, the awards celebrate business excellence and innovation, and provide an opportunity for tourism operators to reflect on their achievements, benchmark against industry, and improve their business processes. There are more than 25 categories to choose from, and most category winners will go on to represent SA at the Australian Tourism Awards.
Nominations close June 21, with submissions due August 18. More information and to nominate, visit: satourismawards.com.au.