Year of SA Wine support, new partnerships driving visits to SA, Barty party & more...
It’s hard to believe we are already into the first week of the Adelaide Fringe, and people are out and about enjoying the shows and supporting artists and events in this new COVID-safe festival style.
There’s a lot on this week – from sports to the arts – so read on for a quick update from the team at the SATC.
Rodney Harrex
Chief Executive
Year of South Australian Wine ramps up
If there’s one thing that got us through the last 12 months to this enviable position our state is in today – it’s rallying together and celebrating what we do best here in South Australia.
One of those things that South Australia does best is wine – in fact, it’s world-class. Over the weekend, our 2021 Year of South Australian Wine campaign stepped up a notch, with print ads running in The Advertiser and SA Weekend lift-out, and digital ads starting today.
The 12-month national campaign was launched in January by the SATC, together with the Department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA). It aims to maximise awareness of South Australia’s wine regions and wine tourism experiences to drive visitation and expenditure to this sector which has been hit hard by bushfires and COVID-19 and the associated effects on trade.
Consumer research shows that SA is the top associated state for credible wineries and wine regions in the nation, presenting an opportunity to cement our state’s position as the wine destination of Australia – driving locals and interstaters to our 18 wine regions.
Want to get involved? As part of the 2021 Year of South Australian Wine, the SATC has developed some tools and resources for industry to help your wine events and experiences reach more consumers, as you leverage the campaign branding and the SATC’s marketing efforts.
An example of how that branding is already being adopted by industry is below – great work by the Pindarie Cellar Door in the Barossa and all the best for your Vino and Views event next month.
Campaign industry support page: tourism.sa.gov.au/support/2021-year-of-south-australian-wine.
Official hashtag: #SeeSouthAustralia🍷
Barty party back in Adelaide
In terrific news for the Adelaide International which kicked off today at Memorial Drive Tennis Centre, World No.1 Ash Barty will defend the title she won in 2020 to headline the WTA 500 tournament which features six of the world’s top 20.
The wildcard is a drawcard for tennis fans and will see Barty in Adelaide for the second time in four weeks, after a blockbuster of an event A Day at the Drive when she played World No.3 Simona Halep.
The news also follows the release of concept images for the $44 million Stage Two of Memorial Drive's redevelopment earlier this month.
The Adelaide International runs 22-27 February, with the WTA 500 main-draw action having started today with qualifying rounds. See adelaideinternational.com.au for more.
Driving visitation to SA
In an effort to keep South Australia top of mind and drive bookings to our state, the SATC has launched a number of partnerships this month from airline deals to media partnerships.
A 5-day sale with Jetstar offers airfares to Adelaide starting as low as $69, from markets such as Brisbane, Hobart, Sydney and Melbourne. It has been promoted via TV, radio, digital and social advertising and also pushed out on Jetstar’s channels with an anticipated reach of over 1 million during the campaign. Sale ends midnight tonight.
In line with Tourism Australia’s Holiday Here This Year campaign, we hosted Channel 9’s Today Show weather crew across various locations in Adelaide, the Eyre and Fleurieu Peninsulas, and Kangaroo Island. Thanks to all operators involved in helping showcase SA to a national audience, including the likes of Coffin Bay Oyster Farm Tours, Calypso Star Charters, Peter Teakle Wines, and d'Arenberg. See some of the campaign here.
A campaign partnership with popular online publication Broadsheet exceeded all set KPIs, with a reach of nearly 686,000 and articles seeing people spend an average time on page of three minutes. Articles like Win an Epic Weekend away in SA and Where to Eat and Drink in Adelaide and Surrounds this Spring/ Summer for example, both made the top 20 travel-related articles that were produced commercially and helped drive clicks direct to operator websites.
Cruisey times in SA
It was smooth sailing for the first cruise to return to South Australian waters in nearly a year, with glowing feedback from passengers and regional communities where the ship visited, and a double-page spread about the trip in yesterday’s Sunday Mail.
The Coral Expeditions’ Coral Adventurer returned from its 10-day tour of South Australia’s remote coastlines on the weekend – making it now more than 12 successful cruises for the Queensland-based Coral Expeditions since October 2020. The cruise liner’s ‘SailSafe’ plan has been applauded, which sees some of the strictest COVID-19 prevention measures in any industry.
Locals and interstate visitors from as far as Brisbane were taken on nature-based tours of some of our state’s most hidden gems including islands like Troubridge, Flinders and Wedge, as well as destinations along the coast of Kangaroo Island and lower Eyre Peninsula.
We’re proud to get behind innovative businesses like Coral Expeditions which is helping provide a blueprint for the safe broader return of cruise – and we will continue to work with our cruise partners to plan for future similar expeditions later this year.