Tourism News July 2020
Welcome to the July edition of Tourism News.
This month has been one of contrast. It was mid-June when South Australian borders opened to the “COVID safe” states and territories of Western Australia, Queensland, Northern Territory and Tasmania. And it was set to be late July when we could go after the domestic tourism opportunity with gusto, when border restrictions would ease with Victoria, New South Wales and the ACT. As we all have throughout all of 2020, we’ve refocused our efforts when those plans were no longer possible and we are making the most of the opportunities that are available.
It makes me incredibly proud to be in South Australian tourism. Our state has done an exceptional job in curbing the spread of COVID which has seen our sector getting back to business. We’ve seen regional intrastate tourism at some of its best levels. We’ve seen venues able to open to more customers. And we’ve seen the return of crowds at major sporting events and the first regional events.
While border restrictions remain in place for some of our key markets, we continue to push the message that South Australians spending in SA will make a huge difference to our regions and to their local businesses. That’s why we launched our Great State campaign, and why we continue to partner with local travel agents and other trade partners to get more locals booking local.
For those interstate markets which are open to us – Queensland and NT (and soon too, Tasmania on 7 August) – we are campaigning hard to entice visitors here to ‘See It to Believe It’. We know SA is a strong proposition for these markets who will be looking for overseas holiday alternatives – particularly while international borders are closed, and not all interstate holidays are an option.
It’s been pleasing to see that as decisions are announced, our industry is quick to respond. Just last week, Jetstar commenced direct flights from Hobart to Adelaide and plans to ramp up to four flights a week by mid-August. Simultaneously, we launched our interstate campaign in Tassie in the hope to fill these flights and get Tasmanians booking SA getaways.
I know that opening to interstate and having more flights available between capital cities will be important, particularly for the Adelaide CBD. As we're able to welcome more interstate visitors, we can expect more people and dollars into the city's many tourism and hospitality venues. We're working hard to entice visitors to our regions and into our city.
Looking ahead, I continue my regional visits with SATC Chair Andrew Bullock to meet with operators and get firsthand feedback. We are also finalising a series of regional engagement sessions in September for our 2025 Regional Visitor Strategy. And we continue to work with stakeholders in aviation, in cruise, and in international markets that may be first to open such as New Zealand and Singapore, to ensure South Australia is ready to make the most of all opportunities.
I look forward to next month’s Tourism News recap being one where we can talk about more progress again. We are tracking well in our state. And we keep Victoria in our thoughts and our best wishes. They are not only a key market, but one where we all have friends and family, and indeed, fellow Australians.
Read on for a summary of what’s been happening in SA’s tourism industry over the month of July. Please feel free to share this email with your networks – you can subscribe to my updates here.
Rodney Harrex
Chief executive