Testing updates, infrastructure funding, event collabs & more

There is a bit going on this week – as we head closer towards the Christmas holiday season, and towards what we all hope is a busy summer for tourism in SA.

As you may have heard yesterday, the requirement to test on arrival into South Australia has been removed.

In other news, the latest National Visitor Survey data was released today – showing regional visitor expenditure reached $3.5 billion – just behind the record $3.6 billion achieved in the 2019 calendar year. As far as individual regions, 10 of the 11 regions are above their RVS waypoints, a remarkable achievement in light of the volatile conditions through to September 2021.

What I have heard, and what we have seen in the data, is that it’s been another year of ups and downs, challenges and – in some regions – record highs. I want to assure you that we are doing everything we can to keep people travelling, booking and spending in SA.

I fully understand the enormous impacts of COVID on our state’s tourism sector – I hear directly from many of you, providing valuable insights into what is happening across the state – all of which is useful as we chart our recovery out of COVID.

My team is continuing to work hard on delivering campaign activity over the summer holidays to promote last minute bookings and drive expenditure accordingly. What’s more, we have a comprehensive, integrated marketing campaign in place for the first half of 2022 that will put South Australia front-of-mind and help drive demand, now and into the future. I look forward to sharing some of these activities as they come to market in the new year.

Thank you,

Rodney Harrex
Chief Executive

View the Industry Update - 22 December 2021.