Question Time

Tasting Australia

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD (14:42): My question is to the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment. Will the minister update the chamber on the recent Tasting Australia event held in Adelaide during mid-April?

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment) (14:42): I thank the honourable member for his question and his ongoing interest in a wonderful event known as Tasting Australia. I had the great honour and pleasure of attending the 2018 Tasting Australia event as the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment. This year, Tasting Australia was brought forward and extended to coincide with the Australian Tourism Exchange, which was a great opportunity for tourism wholesalers, operators and other stakeholders to experience our world-class offerings firsthand.

Tasting Australia, or TA as it is affectionately known, is South Australia's premier eating and drinking festival, and one of the pre-eminent wine festivals in Australia. This year, it took place between 13 and 22 April and demonstrated that indeed it has gone from strength to strength since it was established in 1997 under the previous state Liberal government. The event is owned and managed by the South Australian Tourism Commission through its major events arm, EventsSA.

Tasting Australia promotes our state as a culinary tourism destination, showcasing South Australian eating and drinking experiences. The event is focused on people and places such as chefs, producers, restaurants, South Australian produce, including seafood, meat, wine and spirits, and South Australian destinations.

This year, for the first time, the event was held over 10 days, crossing two weekends and encouraging visitors to stay longer with greater opportunity for the travel event—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! Let the minister speak. Minister, you may continue.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: Thank you for your protection, Mr President—encouraging visitors to stay longer, with greater opportunity to travel for the event. There were over 140 events, and the event hub was the 'town square', situated in Victoria Square. This year's program was truly impressive. To name just a few, there was Taste Buds Kitchen, the kids' kitchen, an opportunity for kids to get their hands dirty and hone their cooking and food preparation skills.

Tasting Australia Airlines offered a unique experience where visitors could hop on a plane and travel into our beautiful regions to experience our world-class produce where it was produced. There was also the mystery and quirkiness of the d'Arenberg Cube Surrealist Ball, an opportunity for guests to explore the architectural creative masterpiece of the cube, whilst enjoying some of South Australia's best wine and food collaborations by some of our best local chefs, partnering with the acclaimed international talents.

Members opposite, for their information, one of their good friends, Mr Jamie Newland and his wife, were at the surrealist ball and dressed very well in the theme of the night.

The Hon. K.J. Maher: Is he a good mate of yours?

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: He was a good mate of yours, the opposition leader.

The PRESIDENT: The Leader of the Opposition, you can ask him a question later. We've got plenty of time.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: There was the Tasting Australia Spirit Awards, a celebration of all things distilled around Australia. The national distillery recognised the ingenuity and the energy among young Australian distillers who entered their gin, whisky, vodka, rum, brandy, liqueurs and more for judging by the expert panel. The event received 166 entries from 63 distilleries across Australia, which was a brilliant success for this new addition to the Tasting Australia program.

Then, of course, there was the town square. Apart from being involved in the opening event, along with the creative team, Simon Bryant and Jock Zonfrillo, I had the pleasure of attending the opening night event of the Australian Tourism Exchange, which was held in the town square. It was an incredible feast for the senses, wandering through the square, which was themed 'Charred', on a drizzly Autumn evening: the taste and smells of the food stalls, mixed with the smokiness of the wood ovens and the grills. I know that the 2,300 ATE delegates had a truly memorable experience.

This year, more than 53,000 people attended the town square for TA, and 8,632 tickets were sold throughout the festival, with almost 1,400 people through the glasshouse kitchens, with 1,174 attending the East End Cellars masterclasses and sellouts across the Tasting Australia Airlines offering.

The event generated some $5.2 million in expenditure for the state, some nearly 5,000 interstate guests and nearly 3,000 international guests, contributing to a total of 41,352 room nights across the state. This is a great result for both the event and the state's economy. Going forward, the Liberal government will always be looking at ways that we can continue to enhance this great event, which showcases South Australia's world-class food and beverage offerings.

Tasting Australia really shines a light on our city and regions, which is great for regional tourism and for maximising regional tourism opportunities. It is perhaps one aspect we can continue to bolster in future years. I am confident that many opportunities will have arisen out of this year's event for our local tourism businesses, which, hopefully, will enable them to grow, drive demand and create more jobs.

I sincerely thank the creative team, the event patrons and ambassadors, with the exceptional international, national and local chefs and the South Australian businesses that participated, but in particular I would like to thank the event sponsors. My thanks and congratulations go to all of the South Australian Tourism Commission staff for the event that did the state proud and for the many hours of work they put in, especially after hours in the evenings.