Tour Down Under

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD (14:25): My question is to the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment. Can the minister please share with us the outstanding economic benefit which the Santos Tour Down Under delivered in 2019 whilst once again showcasing South Australia's unique city and regions to a global audience?

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment) (14:25): I thank the honourable member for his question and his ongoing interest in our visitor economy. I am thrilled to announce that the 2019 Santos Tour Down Under has once again delivered record numbers—record numbers—for visitation, economic benefit and job creation for South Australia. Members would be reminded that it was a Liberal government that started the Tour Down Under, and it is a Liberal event that is still going from strength to strength.

This year's event attracted 48,000 event-specific visitors from interstate and overseas, who travelled to South Australia just for the Tour Down Under, generating a record economic impact of $70.7 million. The international television broadcast coverage showcases Adelaide and our regions to millions of viewers around the world, with 826 hours of coverage this year. Whilst the TDU experienced some extremely hot weather in January, thanks must go to the 805,000 spectators who cheered on the world's best cyclists.

These results are really pleasing and certainly results we share with all those who contribute directly to the event, including the hundreds of volunteers, our state emergency services, our event partners—including our naming rights partner, Santos—and of course our host local councils. Plans are underway for the 2020 event, with the race routes for both the men's and the women's races currently being finalised. I am excited to see what the routes will be for this year, as I think some of the new aspects, such as the finish on the Willunga Hill, really piqued interest and enthusiasm for the event, not to mention the first-time stage finish in Port Adelaide, which was truly exhilarating.

The 2020 Santos Tour Down Under will be held from 16 to 26 January 2020, with the Santos women's Tour Down Under being staged from 16 to 19 January 2020, pending final UCI approval. The Santos Tour Down Under men's race will start with the Down Under Classic on 19 January 2020, with six stages of road racing, which will be held from 21 to 26 January in 2020. To note a few of the highlights, 48,000 visitors travelled specifically to South Australia to attend the TDU, both national and international visitors. This was an increase of 4.3 per cent on the 46,000 from 2018. A total of 91 per cent of the event-specific visitors travelled from interstate and 9 per cent from overseas, with key international markets represented being New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the USA.

There were 485,758 visitor bed nights in Adelaide and regional South Australia generated by the event-specific visitors in 2019. This is an increase of 4.2 per cent from the previous year. An economic impact of $70.7 million, as I said earlier, was generated into the state's economy. It is up 11 per cent on the $63.7 million from the 2018 event. The event provided 837 full-time equivalent jobs, another increase of 8.1 per cent on the 774 in 2018.

Another major highlight for us was, obviously, that Santos renewed their commitment to the event. It is fabulous that they want to keep supporting us and are signing on for another three years as the naming rights sponsor. Santos's partnership has been critical in shaping the continued growth and success of the event, and we are thrilled to have them on board as we seek to maximise the economic benefit of this event and showcase our fantastic state in the coming years.

In conclusion, the TDU is an event which continues to deliver great economic outcomes for our state and showcases us all over the globe. Again, I thank the people who are critical to that outcome: the volunteers; our state emergency services; our event partners, including our naming rights partner, Santos; and of course, again, the local councils. I thank all the groups that have already been busily planning how they will deliver an exceptional event in 2020.