14 Oct 2020

South Australians urged to 'get a room'

South Australian Tourism Commission chief executive Rodney Harrex joins InterContinental Hotels Group Director Sales and Marketing VIC, TAS and SA Clement Jacob
South Australian Tourism Commission chief executive Rodney Harrex joins InterContinental Hotels Group Director Sales and Marketing VIC, TAS and SA Clement Jacob

South Australians are being urged to sign up for their Great State tourism voucher, which are up for grabs from 9am tomorrow.

Nearly 240 city and regional accommodation providers have signed up for the scheme, which will see hard working South Australian families save $100 a night for participating providers in the CBD and $50 for regional accommodation.

Premier Steven Marshall today visited the Intercontinental Hotel in the heart of the city to urge South Australians to get online tomorrow morning and get your voucher.

“South Australians have done an incredible job over the past six months in keeping our State safe, and we want to repay the favour by making your next ‘staycation’ cheaper.

“South Australian’s can choose from 238 different accommodation providers across the State, ranging from Discovery Parks in the Barossa for under $50 a night and the brand new Adelaide Oval Hotel right here in the city for around $130 per night.

“The tourism sector, and accommodation providers in the CBD in particular, have been hit hard since Covid-19 hit and it’s vital that we all work together to boost this sector back up and most importantly, bring back the jobs that have been lost.

“We’ve seen the first green shoots of recovery over the past month. School holidays and the October long weekend have tempted people to move off the couch, into their cars and out to regional SA.

“Our CBD is still suffering however without international travel and international students.

“Occupancy in the CBD was as low as 12 per cent in April when peak COVID hit. In August, as more restrictions lifted, it reached 32 per cent, however – there is still a very long way to go compared to 2019, which saw record-breaking 90 per cent occupancy, the highest in a decade.

“These vouchers will help boost our visitor economy, they will help to get staff back to their concierge desks, cooking in commercial kitchens, hosting tours, cleaning rooms, ordering food and drinks from South Australian suppliers and working behind the many great bars we have in our State.”

Get your voucher from 9am tomorrow at: southaustralia.com/voucher.