Visitor Economy

Ms HUTCHESSON (Waite) (14:41): My question is to the Minister for Tourism. How is the state's visitor economy progressing after two years of a Malinauskas Labor government?

The Hon. Z.L. BETTISON (Ramsay—Minister for Tourism, Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (14:41): Thank you very much to the member for Waite. The expenditure on the South Australian visitor economy has never been stronger. We know that tourism suffered an incredibly difficult time during COVID and we have been committed to investing in those businesses that took that sacrifice and were hit so heavily. Month after month we can see the results of a government that understands the significance of investing in our visitor economy: full hotels, busy restaurants, bustling cellar doors and the spend in the regions staying above pre-pandemic levels.

Just last month we saw the highest ever occupancy night for our CBD, breaking a record that was set just weeks before that. Since coming to government that record has been broken time and time again. We are now weeks away from awesome April, for the second Gather Round, which looks bigger and better than last year. Then we will welcome LIV Golf back, again, an event that has been the most talked about golfing event we have ever seen.

That takes us to magic May—and the Matildas are here on 31 May with already sold-out tickets, and that is on the back of another million-dollar Fringe and hugely successful Adelaide Festival. On Monday, I announced that the tickets were on sale for the British and Irish Lions, who will visit in July next year, bringing with them thousands of fans from the UK, Ireland and New Zealand for the final tour match against the Anzac XV. We are expecting that that will also sell out and bring about 40,000 people who would descend here, loving our wine, loving our gin, loving our golf and loving South Australia.

Shortly, the program for Illuminate Adelaide will be launched, and we have just secured WOMADelaide for another five years, making Adelaide the longest continual destination for WOMAD in the world. We are inviting Australians to travel our way with our new marketing campaign, a campaign that captures the energy, the momentum, the sense of adventure and the unique wilderness that we have to offer, a campaign that shows us at our best, a campaign that is paying dividends already.

This is a government that supports tourism across portfolios, with my colleagues understanding that this is an industry that is a serious economic driver. My colleague the Minister for Education has included tourism and hospitality into fee-free TAFE. My colleague the Minister for Recreation and Sport has invested in grassroots sport on the back of the success of rugby, soccer and football events that have come to our state. My colleague the Minister for Environment has invested in our national parks and visitor centres and supported the Experience Nature Tourism Fund, not to mention, not to forget the globally significant World Heritage classification for the Ediacaran fossils of Nilpena.

The Treasurer has included the tourism industry in the first round of the Economic Recovery Fund, supporting the development of regional accommodation and products. Of course, the Premier has delivered, bringing in massive major events that have put us on the map and giving people a compelling reason to visit South Australia—in two short years, at $10.2 billion of visitor value. More people are talking about South Australia now than they have for a decade. May I thank the member for Mawson, the King of Rugby, who is working to maximise our opportunities for the British & Irish Lions.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! No, member for Flinders, we go to the crossbench about this time.