SOUTH AUSTRALIAN TOURISM AWARDS

The Hon. G.A. KANDELAARS (14:37): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Tourism a question about the Tourism Awards.

Leave granted.

The Hon. G.A. KANDELAARS: The minister is no doubt pleased with her new array of portfolios which very strategically brings together regional portfolios with the very important tourism portfolio. Given how important tourism is to South Australia and particularly to our regional communities, can the minister tell the chamber about the recognition of outstanding tourism experiences?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Minister for Forests, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Tourism, Minister for the Status of Women) (14:38): I thank the honourable member for his most important question. I was delighted to attend the South Australian tourism industry gala awards on Friday night, the night that the tourism industry sets aside each year to recognise and celebrate its greatest achievers. I am very pleased to inform the chamber that record entries for the South Australian Tourism Awards were received in 2010 and this has certainly been equalled this year with 150 submissions entered across 28 categories. I believe that this willingness and enthusiasm to take part in the awards process shows that the tourism industry is proud of what it is doing and confident about where it is going.

In a challenging global environment with Australian outbound travel at all-time records, there is solid data from South Australia from which the tourism industry can certainly take encouragement. I am advised that South Australia continues to outperform the nation in international expenditure growth and continues to outperform the nation in attracting visitors staying overnight, particularly in our wine regions.

There is always more to do to ensure that our tourism industry is strong. This year has seen the South Australian Tourism Commission undertaking a number of very bold initiatives aimed at growing the local, domestic and international markets. These included the launch of a new fully interactive southaustralia.com website, a concerted campaign to reconnect South Australians with their own state's holiday experiences and redirect moneys into progressive, strategic, direct-to-consumer marketing and advertising campaigns that showcase the state's regions and holiday experiences.

Major events continue to be an important tool in attracting visitors to South Australia, and the Festival State continues to enjoy a well-earned reputation for putting on unique, energetic and memorable events. At the awards night I was very pleased to announce a new category—Excellence in tourism by local government—which I had the honour of presenting to the City of Onkaparinga. This category is open to all local government authorities in South Australia and recognises excellence in tourism services.

I also put on the record my congratulations to the Santos Tour Down Under, which was admitted into the South Australian Tourism Awards Hall of Fame after winning its category—the Major Festivals and Events Award. It did so for the third consecutive year at Friday night's awards. Events and operators who win across three consecutive years are automatically rendered into the Hall of Fame, and I am advised that the Tour Down Under in 2011 attracted record crowds of more than 780,000 and injected more than $43 million into the local economy.

In addition, the Santos Tour Down Under recently gained national recognition after the 2011 event was crowned Australian Event of the Year and Best Tourism Event of the Year at the Australian Event Awards. The other award winners include Getaway's reservation service and the Yorke Peninsula Visitor Information Centre and the Sebel Playford Adelaide.