River operators to join voucher program now | State of Origin scores | SA on show in UK & Europe | Agritourism eyes 2025
Our River Revival Voucher program steps up a gear today, with Expressions of Interest opening for operators across the Riverland and Murray River, Lakes & Coorong wanting to participate in the next round.
After feedback from industry, we’ve introduced some exciting changes to this round including a second-chance draw to reissue unredeemed vouchers and help drive maximum benefit to businesses.
The EOI for operators to participate closes on 6 June. Registrations for consumers open from 19 to 21 June, and I look forward to the next round of vouchers being released following the ballot on 22 June.
Last week, our Board and Executive team were in the Murray River regions, visiting tourism businesses and hosting a networking session with operators.
Some of the site visits while in the region included Griffens Marina Blanchetown, Illalangi Gourmet Food, Murray River Trails, Riverland Wine Centre, and Big4 Renmark Riverfront Holiday Park to name a few. It is always hugely valuable to meet with operators face-to-face at their businesses, and particularly useful given the recovery efforts underway in these regions to rebuild after the floods.
Turning to the city, there’s been fantastic feedback on the back of last night’s NRL Ampol State of Origin at Adelaide Oval.
It drew almost 50,000 spectators – 48,613 to be exact – well surpassing the covid-restricted crowd of 25,000 in 2020 when the first State of Origin match was played in Adelaide.
As part of this, we welcomed 15,000 out-of-state visitors which gave hotel occupancy rates an incredible boost – with latest data indicating Wednesday night is shaping up to be the third best night of all time.
Forward booking data released on Monday showed Adelaide accommodation occupancy on Wednesday was at 92 per cent, which equates to 9,681 rooms sold. This makes it the best Wednesday on record and potentially, the third best night of all-time – when compared to bookings actuals.
The broadcast reports are also terrific, with Channel 9 – which holds the exclusive live rights for the State of Origin – reporting more than 3.4 million viewers last night, the highest overall ratings since Game 1 Origin in 2018.
The good event news keeps coming, with the announcement today that Adelaide will host the FIVB World Beach Volleyball Championships in 2025 – expected to attract more than 10,000 spectators from interstate and more than 6,000 from overseas.
As we continue to recover international visitation, we get ready to kick off an SATC roadshow in the United Kingdom and key European markets next week. The roadshow will see 29 operators meet and network with leading travel agents and product managers, as well as participating in one-on-one workshops and networking events to help grow market presence for both their business and the state.
It follows a successful US roadshow in March, which is all part of our plan to recover our state’s once $1.2 billion international market.
I had a chance to talk about our broader strategy earlier this week, when I gave a presentation at the South Australian Tourism Conference, hosted by the Tourism Industry Council SA (TiCSA). It was a great opportunity to directly engage with operators and stakeholders from across the state about where we are at and where we are going. It was terrific to hear from other guest speakers about the theme ‘Tourism for Good’, which explored tourism’s sustainable future and its role as a driver for positive change.
Please read on for other updates.
Emma Terry
Chief Executive Officer