HANSARD
SITTING CALENDAR
SEARCH
LIVE BROADCAST
Hansard Dynamic Subject Index
House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2018-09-19 Daily Xml
Contents
Pdf Xml

World Tourism Day

The Hon. Z.L. BETTISON (Ramsay) (11:46): I move:

That this house—

(a) acknowledges that 27 September is World Tourism Day; and

(b) acknowledges the importance of tourism for the culture and economy of South Australia.

This morning I was delighted to host a morning tea with our diverse tourism stakeholders. Small business, peak bodies, owners and operators all came together to acknowledge this day. Some have stayed on, and I welcome them to the house.

The United Nations World Tourism Day is celebrated on 27 September every year. The theme this year is tourism and the digital transformation. The digitisation of our work and personal lives is often referred to as the fourth industrial revolution. Tourism was an early adopter and a digital pioneer. It was seen first when hotel and flight booking was accessible online, and it continues to impact tourism in many ways: logistics, distribution and marketing.

Access to information has transformed how we connect and how it informs our decision-making, particularly that of a potential tourist. When we talk about the impact, the World Tourism Organisation notes how much information has changed our behaviour. We can see the impact on user-generated content and feedback and the integration of social media. When describing a new world tourist, the United Nations says that that tourist is more autonomous, hyperconnected, demanding and expects personalised customer service.

It is a really exciting sector, and it is considered to grow at 4 to 5 per cent this year globally. Tourism is a key sector of the South Australian economy and contributes $6.7 billion to the South Australian economy, that is, the visitor economy, with more than 56,000 direct and indirect jobs alone. We have a transparent goal in South Australia to achieve an $8 billion visitor economy by 2020. This is a exciting goal, and we want to get there. It is truly a whole-of-state industry: 60 per cent of tourism expenditure is in the metropolitan area and 40 per cent in the regions.

However, this is a competitive arena. We are competing not just with other states but globally. The theme of this year pays attention to one of the significant disruptors for the industry. Disruption, like a crisis, can bring opportunities and threats. Already we have seen the challenges in the sharing economy, such as Airbnb and Uber, which both share accommodation and ride-sharing services, removing the middle layer and increasing the direct relationship between the user and provider.

Long gone are the days when a trip to your travel agent was the only way to book a holiday. We know that online bookings disrupted the travel agent. Relying on information in a pamphlet, with pictures of the scenery and various hotels to choose from, has been replaced by real-time commentary from recent travellers. As disruptions enter the industry, it does not shrink it; in fact, the opposite has occurred. What we see is that tourism is a supergrowth industry, with room to increase globally and, of course, here in our state.

One of our key challenges is to create an awareness of South Australia. Globally, people know of Australia: the Opera House, the Rock, the reef and Kangaroo Island. Kangaroo Island is our arrowhead. Already it is known, but we must continue to build on its reputation. While you and I know that South Australia is a great place to live and work—we love the sea, the city and the Hills, our wine and food are fabulous and our diverse events attract something for everyone—tourism is about selling the destination to others.

The digital transformation of tourism enables us to share the image of our state across the globe. We may recall the prize-winning Barossa ad, drawing awareness of the uniqueness and quality of our wine region. It was all about the experience, conveying the depth of richness to be experienced. Southaustralia.com is the portal for all things tourism in our state. It is the one-stop shop for the potential tourist to be inspired, to plan and to book. Just as important is the experience of tourists who are here. Within an instant, an amazing photo of you swimming with sea lions in Port Lincoln is instagrammed around the world, and so is the TripAdvisor comment you made about poor service or lack of amenities.

The disruptive world of the digital transformation is here to stay. To compete, we must embrace the opportunity to increase awareness and build the number of tourists and their length of stay. In recent years, many important investments were made to increase this awareness: new direct airline routes to Adelaide via Emirates, Qatar and China Southern and more than 1,100 new hotel groups, with 14 more hotels in the pipeline. The cruising market has developed strongly, with 69 ships last year and an expected 84 this year, and looking at new ports to come online: Port Lincoln, Penneshaw and Robe. The Adelaide Oval redevelopment brought footy to the CBD, as did the revitalisation of our inner laneways. The d'Arenberg Cube is a hero attraction.

Increasing our international student population by providing a great lifestyle, quality education and accommodation leads to more of their family and friends visiting Adelaide. Of course, just recently, we saw The Bend Motorsport Park opened to hold another event, to invite people who are car racing enthusiasts. Of course, I cannot go by without mentioning the important investment in the extension of the Convention Centre.

We also need to be innovative, such as the Chinese movie star Huang Xiaoming, with around 54 million followers on social media. How we build awareness is now multifaceted. What we want is to have a young Chinese professional thinking about their holidays. When they think about South Australia, we want them to be aware that their cousin studies here, that their favourite movie star loves South Australia and that they want to take the same selfie at Seal Bay that he did. They want to say, 'I can hug a koala at Cleland, the sky is blue, the dirt is red, the beaches are beautiful and there's a place called Kangaroo Island,' that their favourite wine is from the Barossa Valley and, most importantly, that they can get to Adelaide on a direct flight.

This is the connection we need to make to a diversity of ages, ethnicities and income levels. It is what speaks to them that will make them put South Australia on their list. The Labor government believed in tourism and committed to the development of this sector. Events to attract people were supported. The Adelaide 500, in its 20th year, is the most important event for the hotel industry in the CBD. With the drawcard of Robbie Williams performing for the 2018 post-race concert, numbers were up. WOMADelaide has kept on performing also over many, many years, and of course the Tour Down Under brings us an international audience and showcases our natural beauty to the whole world.

These events happen because of the support of government. I am very concerned that the same level of support is now not there. The goal is still shared. The plans are the same; however, this year, there will be $11 million less spent in tourism than there was last year. That is $11 million less for supporting our events, creating an awareness of our state and developing the capacity of our tourism industry. This will have an impact. In an article, headed 'To be a tourism leader, we must be aggressive', South Australian Tourism Industry Council CE, Shaun de Bruyn, states that there must be 'ongoing investment towards global marketing' to ensure that South Australia 'remains on the tourism map'.

This seems entirely the opposite of what our competitors are doing. The Northern Territory government's new turbocharged tourism package of $103 million increases their spend in 2018-19 to more than $246 million. The New South Wales government significantly increased their spend to $209 million, up from about $180 million last year. Wow! The competition is out there. We cannot afford to take our foot off the accelerator at this time.

There are exciting investments happening in our state. Last week, Wirra Wirra announced their luxury five-star winery resort, a partnership with Greaton—a $30 million investment targeting the health and wellness market. It will open in 2022, but what will the tourism budget be then? Labor committed to a tourism budget of $100 million in 2020-21. Without a focus and a dedication to destination marketing and the money to support it, will this new investment be opening at a time of growth or not?

In a time of digital transformation, information and choice have increased exponentially. Let's make sure South Australia is that choice. As we acknowledge the United Nations World Tourism Day in South Australia, we celebrate the opportunities that digital transformation have brought to us, but we must continue to understand the challenge and the competition that requires the full support of the government of the day. I support this motion before the house.

The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Duluk): The member for Hammond.

Mr PEDERICK (Hammond) (11:58): Thank you, Mr Acting Speaker. What a fine job you are doing, and I will not reflect on any other status that you may have.

The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Duluk): Competent.

Mr PEDERICK: I acknowledge that this motion brought to the house:

(a) acknowledges that 27 September is World Tourism Day; and

(b) acknowledges the importance of tourism for the culture and the economy of South Australia.

World Tourism Day is celebrated to foster awareness among the international community of the importance of tourism and its social, cultural, political and economic value. Tourism is a supergrowth sector and a major economic priority for South Australia. We have our sights set firmly on an $8 billion visitor economy by 2020.

Tourism currently sits at a record-breaking $6.7 billion spend as more than 6.8 million international and domestic visitors flock to our state. Chinese travellers are the fastest growing inbound market for our state, with 57,000 visitors spending a record $415 million. Tourism directly employs 36,000 South Australians. When you add up the number of people who are indirectly employed, the total employment rises to 56,000 jobs in the tourism sector.

I would like to acknowledge some of the beautiful spots in South Australia and certainly some in my electorate as well. A lot of opportunities are coming our way because of foresight and vision, not the least of which is the major spend by Sam Shahin and his family, of the Peregrine Corporation, on The Bend Motorsport Park at Tailem Bend. Only the other day they hosted a world-rated go-kart event. Recently, they had the Supercars event, which I attended, and there have also been motorbike events. I think the best days are the self-drive days. They are good. I have managed to get out there in my old V8 ute and test the cobwebs once again.

It is exciting to have this sort of development in our community, and there are so many spin-offs. There are the connections through to the rest of the Murraylands, the Hills, the fantastic Langhorne Creek wineries, right down through the Upper South-East heading south towards Coonalpyn, just outside my electorate, and out to the Mallee. People can go there to look at some of the national parks, such as Ngarkat, Billiatt and others.

Flow north of Tailem Bend and you get to Murray Bridge and Monarto. Obviously, Monarto Zoo is world renowned. If it is not one of the largest, it could be the largest free-range zoo in the world, but I would have to check. They do a magnificent job out there at the zoo, and I congratulate Elaine Bensted and all the staff. She works with both Adelaide Zoo and Monarto Zoo. They work out there with different species and on breeding programs.

In the future, we are going to have a major accommodation site set up. There is a fantastic benefactor who is going to pour in a lot of money for glamping. If you do not like camping, you might like glamping, which is sort of supersized camping. That will give so much opportunity out where the lions are. You can certainly go to the Lions 360 experience. I have been there before with the member for Mawson.

The Hon. L.W.K. Bignell: Yes. We were too big to eat.

The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Duluk): Order!

Mr PEDERICK: They were looking at the member for Mawson and thought, 'What a nice morsel that would be.'

The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Duluk): It is inappropriate to reflect on another member.

Mr PEDERICK: Yes, I would have been more than a mouthful. I must commend the builders of the 360 experience. They did a fantastic job. You can have multiple lions on top of the cage looking down at you, looking quite hungry. You can also have the opportunity to feed the lions. It is a fantastic experience to be involved in.

The opportunities in my region are only going to grow more and more as we see the new Murray Bridge racing track open up early next year. This has been coming for a long time. The track has been down for a long time, but it was just a matter of getting the funds together to get it completed. It is close to a $40 million investment. We also have a greyhound facility, which is about a $7 million or $8 million investment, which will open very soon as well. I note that next year the Bridgeport Hotel redevelopment will happen, where we will have a six-storey, 4½ star hotel development in Murray Bridge.

The beauty of things like the Bridgeport project and the new racing club venue is that our area will be able to attract large conventions to the area. Apart from the already fantastic accommodation we have highlighted with this 4½ star accommodation, we will also manage to get conventions of up to 500 or 600 people and accommodate them in the regions so they can see the benefits of the River Murray, which is a great tourism venture in its own right.

It is said that something like $500 million a year is spent on river-related activities in the tourism sector. Whether you are into boating, canoeing, houseboating, skiing or wakeboarding, there is so much enjoyment that can be had on the river. As long as it is done appropriately and everyone obeys the rules, then everyone enjoys themselves.

There is so much opportunity in regional tourism right across our great state. I have been up north through places like Leigh Creek and Marree and even further south to Rawnsley Park and Wilpena Pound. They are just fantastic. You can stay at Rawnsley Park in accommodation where the roof rolls back. This is better than glamping, I can tell you. You can lie there and look through the see-through roof and look at the stars. It is just magnificent. It is a great delight to go to Wilpena Pound. I have been camping there multiple times. There are so many sites.

As far as domestic travel goes, we should be promoting these sites more and more with what we can do with tourism in this state. What we are doing as a government is investing an extra $21.5 million over four years in the event bid fund to secure more lucrative major events right across South Australia. Certainly, $4.9 million has been directly invested to support the hosting of major events in South Australia, in addition to the increased funding provided for the major event bid fund. I note that we are investing an additional $10 million in 2019-20 to invest in marketing South Australia as a tourism destination to key international and domestic markets, so we are doing what we need to do on this side of the house to promote tourism in all shapes and forms, both domestically and internationally.

Ms HILDYARD (Reynell) (12:08): Thank you to the member for Ramsay for bringing this motion to the house. Her passion to ensure that our former Labor government's strong focus on supporting tourism operators and tourism is not diminished is outstanding. As the member for Ramsay has said, tourism contributes around $6.7 billion to our local economy. It creates tens of thousands of jobs, brings 6.8 million interstate and international visitors to our metropolitan area and to our regions, and it highlights the unique beauty and many wonderful events, venues and places our state offers.

It is right that we mark and celebrate this day. It is also right that we thank and celebrate the many tourism operators, businesses and workers right across South Australia who welcome and look after people when they arrive and stay in our magnificent state, who provide them with great venues, events and experiences and who fly or drive them here.

I acknowledge the many tourism operators and representatives of South Australian organisations who support tourism and who have been here with us in parliament today, people from Emirates, our Adelaide Zoo, the Adelaide Convention Bureau and so many others. I thank them for their passion for our beautiful state, for showcasing our state day in and day out and for ensuring that visitors continue to flock across our borders, enriching our community, enjoying our state's offerings, and helping small and other businesses in our economy to flourish and to create jobs in this growing industry.

As has been said, World Tourism Day takes place each year on 27 September. Its purpose is to build awareness amongst the international community about the importance of tourism and its social, cultural, clinical, political and economic value. The day also aims to address global challenges outlined in the United Nations Millennium Development Goals and to highlight the contribution the tourism sector can make in reaching these goals.

Every year, the United Nations World Trade Organization invites people everywhere to mark World Tourism Day in their respective country or holiday destination by organising and participating in local celebrations. World Tourism Day is timed to coincide with the end of the high season in the Northern Hemisphere and the beginning of the season in the Southern Hemisphere, when tourism is on the mind of millions of people worldwide.

Over the past decade, our state's tourism industry has grown. Our former Labor government secured and helped several major world-renowned sporting events to flourish, which enabled our state to be showcased on the world stage and enabled aspiring athletes to be inspired by world-class athletes to follow their sporting dreams. Our Tour Down Under and Women's Tour Down Under are remarkable events lauded by the UCI, embraced by locals across our state and attended by people from all over the world. In 2008, the Tour Down Under became the first UCI ProTour in Australia, and following that it became the inaugural event of the UCI world ranking calendar.

When the peloton flew through the Esplanade at Aldinga and made its way up Willunga Hill, burst through the streets of Lyndoch, or made its way from The Bend Motorsport Park to the summit finish at Mengler Hill, visitors and locals present on those days marvelled at the cyclists' grit and determination, and people from all over the world saw the beautiful landscape through which they rode. Tourism operators all over our state welcomed these crowds and ensured that as well as enjoying these world-class sporting events, they drank our extraordinary wine, ate our fine food and visited local attractions.

Visitors have also come to Adelaide in droves for our ISPS Handa Women's Golf Open, with more than $3.7 million being added to our visitor economy in its first year, and with a massive flow-on effect for hotels, taxis, hospitality and small businesses. This event also gives us international media exposure which, in turn, attracts more visitors to our state. Visitors also flocked to our Adelaide 500, to our test cricket, to our world-renowned Fringe, WOMAD and Adelaide festivals and so much more.

Again, it is tourism operators and associated businesses like those with us today who turn people's experiences into memories that will last a lifetime. They make sure that when someone talks about South Australia they talk about it with fondness, about their favourite Swell Brewery beer that they enjoyed on our mid coast after catching some waves at Southport, about seeing Katrin Garfoot conquer Mengler Hill, about the show they saw at our Fringe, about the time they saw Jin Young Ko at our golf open, or about how beautiful Christies Beach was when they stayed at the tourist park.

It is our venue, restaurant, accommodation and hotel owners and event organisers and workers who enrich the experiences and memories of those visitors so that they return again and again to South Australia. The federal Liberal government helped to chase the car industry out of town. We on this side did not agree with that, and we fought so hard for that industry. We on this side of the house also got on with attracting and supporting growing industries in our state.

One of those industries is, of course, tourism, an industry that is critical to small and other business operators, jobs and visitation in our regions and metropolitan areas alike. It is an industry that has huge potential to grow even further. It is an industry that helps us to build and grow our reputation as a hub for world-class sporting events and the arts and for the best food and wine in the world served at some of the most breathtaking places people have ever visited.

World Tourism Day is a time to celebrate this industry and its impact on our state, to grow it and to thank all who have helped tourism in South Australia to flourish. That is what I do today, and that is what all on this side of the house do today. It is terrible that those opposite, instead of appreciating and celebrating this industry and all who work in it, have announced through their cruel, cutting budget that the spend on tourism will be $11 million less this financial year than previously.

It is a cut that sits alongside the massive cut to the arts sector, the $20 million cut to sport and recreation and the slashing of so many job creation programs. It is another cut, however, that we will work with our community to reverse because our tourism operators, the many businesses and workers who grow tourism in our state and who support and serve our visitors, and the visitors to our state themselves deserve so much better.

Mr PATTERSON (Morphett) (12:16): I also rise to acknowledge the importance of tourism for the culture and economy of South Australia. I think it is a bit rich to say that this side of the house does not acknowledge that, because it certainly is a very important element of our economy.

Members interjecting:

The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Duluk): Order! Member for Morphett, please be seated. The member for Morphett, like all other members—

Ms Hildyard interjecting:

The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Duluk): Member for Reynell! The member for Morphett will be heard in silence.

Mr PATTERSON: World Tourism Day is recognised on 27 September each year. The United Nations created World Tourism Day in 1979 to increase awareness of the importance of tourism and its social, cultural, political and economic values. 'Tourism and the digital transformation' is the theme of this year's World Tourism Day and will explore the opportunities provided to the tourism sector by technological advances, including big data and digital platforms. Tourism was one of the first sectors to digitise business processes on a global scale, bringing flight and hotel bookings online to become a digital pioneer.

As information and communications technology became a global phenomenon, tourism was a consistent early adopter of these new technologies and platforms. By continuing to innovate and generate new business opportunities, the tourism sector will ensure the continued competitiveness, growth and sustainable development of the sector. Tourism Australia's 2020 strategy has an ambitious target of doubling the value of the visitor economy to the nation from $70 billion to $140 billion by 2020, to be driven by the growth in inbound international travel and supported by continued growth domestically.

Equally, in South Australia, tourism is an important element of the economy. Tourism in South Australia has over 17,000 businesses across the state and directly employs approximately 36,000 South Australians, with many more indirect employment opportunities being created because of this. Tourism expenditure has reached $6.7 billion this year. There are many types of visitors to South Australia, ranging from international, interstate as well as intrastate and domestic daytrippers.

While many are taking a holiday, others come to see their friends and relatives or to attend festivals and events. It also includes non-leisure activities, including undertaking business, conferences and education; therefore, tourism is a key contributor to not only the South Australian economy but also the local economy of Morphett. Being so close to the beach and to the Adelaide Airport—only a five-minute drive away—tourism is one of the key industry sectors in a local economy that is thriving and vibrant.

Glenelg is a destination for tourists visiting Adelaide, with approximately 80 per cent of visitors who come to Adelaide taking a trip down to Glenelg. It is made easily accessible by the tram that goes directly into Moseley Square. This has led to over 1.3 million visitations per year into the precinct and wider council area. The majority of visitor expenditure in the region is generated by domestic overnight visitors.

Interstate and international leisure visitors represent the largest growth opportunity, as they tend to stay longer and spend more money while on holiday. Attracting international and interstate visitors, teams and associated spectators, and convention audiences to South Australia keeps our restaurants and shops busy, increases occupancy in hotels and provides business for tourism operators across the entire state, including the regions.

In Morphett, it is important to ensure that the visitors' expectations are balanced against the needs of the local residents. With 1.3 million visitations, we have to balance that with the people who are living there as well, because it is certainly an area where people not only live but also shop. When tourism is well managed, it generates widespread benefits to the local community. This also needs to be reinforced. Not only do the local businesses benefit financially but local residents benefit from improved employment opportunities, infrastructure and facilities.

One of the attractive aspects of living in Morphett is the impressive calendar of public events. These play a vital role in increasing visitation and economic development in the area. Events include New Year's Eve, when up to 40,000 people come along to celebrate the new year as the sun goes down; the Adelaide Cup at Morphettville Racecourse, and other race day meetings; recently, the beach polo played down at Glenelg beach; and the impressive beach concerts. Last year, we had both Missy Higgins and the John Butler Trio play to a packed beach, and it certainly attracted many people from interstate as well.

Importantly, the Tour Down Under stage start from Glenelg is another fantastic drawcard to the local area. It is not only the race day start, it is also the fact that Jetty Road is closed the night before. There is a big street party there that brings a lot of the traders out onto the street and attracts a lot of people. Usually, the weather is great. It helps grow the businesses, but it is also fantastic for the residents to have such a great event on their doorstep.

The recent state budget is investing an extra $21.5 million over four years to the event bid fund to help secure lucrative major events and conventions, and shows this side of the house's commitment to tourism in this state. It will help increase visitation, create employment and drive economic growth. In addition to this increased funding that is provided for the major event fund, $4.9 million has been provided to support the hosting of major events in South Australia. The Marshall government is investing an additional $10 million in 2019-20 to invest in marketing South Australia as a tourism destination in key international and domestic markets. Despite what those opposite are saying otherwise, there is certainly a strong commitment to tourism on this side of the house.

One of the local councils in Morphett is the City of Holdfast Bay. They won the tourism award for local government in 2015 and should be congratulated on their strategic planning to help grow tourism in the local economy. Expenditure has grown from $181 million in 2012 to $262 million in 2016, and visitations have increased to 1.3 million. These tourists have been aided by having the visitor information centre relocated to Moseley Square. It was relocated in 2015 to the Glenelg Town Hall and has become much more accessible, especially to those visitors who are arriving in Glenelg on the tram.

A percentage of the increasing visitation has been from the emphasis on attracting over 500,000 event-specific visitors, which has generated $16 million with the media coverage and reached an audience of 54 million people. These events often showcase the pristine coast and help market Glenelg and South Australia to those audiences for their next holiday. The theme of this year's World Tourism Day, 'Tourism and the digital transformation', further emphasises the opportunities to use technology to grow this audience further and engage with them.

The natural environment along the coastline is a valuable asset and provides a compelling reason for interstate and international visitors to choose this area over others. Morphett is bordered by five kilometres of coastline and there is a diverse range of natural experiences, including dolphin tours, swimming, stand-up paddle boarding, snorkelling and scuba. Local businesses take advantage of this. One such business, Temptation Sailing, is often seen taking people for a sunset cruise along the coast, and if they are particularly lucky they will be able to see either dolphins or seals swimming alongside them.

Another local business, Adelaide Scuba, provides unique underwater snorkelling and dive tours. Further, The Beachouse is a terrific local business that provides world-class attractions such as waterslides, bumper boats and the classic carousel, which many will remember from their childhood. Branching out from The Beachouse, the operators provided a fantastic attraction in recent years called The Big Wedgie, which is the world's tallest inflatable waterslide.

This is a classic example of a local business that started up in Glenelg and, because of its success, has been able to branch out. Recently, they have set up The Big Wedgie near Sea World in Surfers Paradise and also in New South Wales. That is a terrific success story of what tourism can do, not only to provide local jobs but also provide dollars into the South Australian economy.

It is the local people who also help make it such a fantastic tourism experience. You can have all the scenery you like, but if you have welcoming people, then all the tourists go back to their families and say, 'It's not only the scenery but the fantastic people there.' It causes others to come along and visit. Finally, I would like to say that we are looking forward to the Lifesaving World Championships, which will be held in November this year. Up to 250 clubs from around the world will be represented, and will bring along thousands of interstate and international competitors and spectators. I wish them all the best when they arrive.

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL (Mawson) (12:26): It gives me great pleasure to support this motion, having spent five years as the tourism minister in this state. It was a wonderful privilege to work with so many fantastic tourism operators and local governments right around our state. Tourism is one of those sectors that does not rely on a big factory or a big mine in one particular part of the state. It is a sector that employs people and brings money into the entire state; in fact, 42 per cent of the tourism spend in South Australia is out in our regions.

I am particularly pleased to represent the wonderful Fleurieu Peninsula, McLaren Vale and Kangaroo Island. They are some of the best tourism regions you will find anywhere in the world, with great high-quality food, wine, craft beer and spirits, and of course spectacular scenery and wildlife—the likes of which you will not find anywhere else in the world.

The tourism operators I am speaking with are really worried about the cruel cuts the Liberal Party are delivering to tourism in South Australia. They know the $11 million cuts will eat into and reverse the wonderful growth that we have seen in the past five years. From 2013 to the March quarter, we took tourism from $4.9 billion a year to $6.7 billion a year. That did not happen by accident; it happened because we had a cabinet that believed in tourism as a growth sector. We believed in putting more money into it, not taking money out of it.

When we put the money in, the sector grew. When you take the money out, you watch—this sector is going to shrink. That is a terrible shame for the private sector, which has invested so much off the back of our government's investment. It was not just the capital investment of $535 million that we put into building Adelaide Oval, making it the best stadium in Australia and one of the best anywhere in the world. It has attracted the Rolling Stones, Adele, and all sorts of world-class events. It has also hosted some amazing sporting events such as the Danny Green v Anthony Mundine fight and Liverpool playing Adelaide United.

There was a $535 million spend that we put in as a government. We spent $400 million building stages 2 and 3 of the Adelaide Convention Centre. Again, without that space, without having the room to fit 4,000 or 5,000 delegates, you cannot host these big conferences. Last year, we had some of the leading people from the space industry right around the world here for what was then the biggest conference that we had ever staged in South Australia.

We also went out and won the World Routes conference, which I know is being held right now up in Guangzhou, and this time next year everyone is going to be over here in Adelaide because we went out and won that conference. It will be the biggest conference we have ever hosted in South Australia, the first time that World Routes has ever come to Australia. For Adelaide to be out there and winning those sorts of conferences is a testament to the hard work that the South Australian Tourism Commission put in and also the hard work our government put in.

As I said, you cannot go and win these events, whether they be conferences or sporting events, without some money on the table. We started these bid funds for conferences, we started these bid funds for major events, and the criteria that we put around conventions and conferences were that we had to have a return of at least 35:1 for every dollar we put in to get these conferences and conventions down here.

We have heard from previous speakers on our side about when we have major events here, how it focuses the world and the rest of Australia on Adelaide, on South Australia and on our regions through media coverage. It is also really important that we give people a reason to come because we know that it does not matter where you are in the world when you are trying to sell your part of the world, you will always get people who say, 'I've been meaning to get there,' but if you put an event on it gives people a reason, a call to action, to jump on a plane or a ship or however they are going to get here, to come to South Australia. It has been a really important thing and, as I said, the people I am speaking to in my region are really worried about this new government's lack of commitment to the visitor economy.

What happens when you spend $535 million on building Adelaide Oval, and then money on a bid fund to get major events there, and when you spend $400 million on a convention centre and you spend money on a bid fund to get conventions and conferences there, is that people in the private sector come along and say, 'You know what? We are going to build a hotel in Adelaide.' We have seen unprecedented growth in the number of hotel rooms that have come online in South Australia in the past four or five years.

There is still more to come because people are looking at how we spent the money, how we marketed South Australia, how we went after China Southern Airlines. It was not a cheap exercise to get China Southern to come here. We got Qatar to fly direct into Adelaide from their 140 ports throughout the world. That does not happen by accident. That does not happen without a government that is there putting money in, and spruiking our wonderful state and everything that is has to offer.

What investors are telling me, what tourism operators are telling me, is that they are really worried about the forecast for what is going to happen in South Australia because when you stop putting the money in you see the growth slow to a trickle because everyone else in the world is out there trying to sell what they have. We have some of the finest attributes that you will find anywhere in the world, but if we are not in the marketplace telling people about it, then we are not going to get the sort of visitor numbers that we have.

We smashed through the billion dollar mark in international dollars coming into our economy two years ago. We took it, as I said, from $4.9 billion a year for the overall tourism spend in South Australia to $6.7 billion a year. That is unprecedented growth in that sector. It is a little like when you put water and fertiliser on a plant: you see it grow. As soon as you stop putting water and fertiliser on, it will start to wilt, and that is a real concern. As we prepare to celebrate World Tourism Day, I think there are a lot of people who are not as happy as they were over the past four or five years when it comes to talking about the visitor economy.

I would like to turn my attention to a few developments down in my part of the world. The Cube opened last year, and the premier of the day, the member for Cheltenham, opened it because we put in $2 million of taxpayer money to a $15 million build. Since then, we have seen huge growth in the visitor numbers coming down to McLaren Vale. We had an announcement last week that Wirra Wirra are joining with a hotel developer to build 40 luxury rooms in wonderful, high-quality, high-end retreat style accommodation at their winery in McLaren Vale. When I hear Premier Marshall and other ministers say, 'We don't back winners; we don't give money to help people along,' it does not make any sense. That would not have been built to the scale and standard that it has been built without a contribution.

We have heard the member for Hammond talking about The Bend Motorsport complex. It is a fantastic thing, but it would not have happened if our government had not commissioned CAMS to do a report on where the best spot was in South Australia to build a motorsport complex. When the Shahin family announced it, it was originally going to be about a $50 million development. We committed $7½ million to it from day one. I think it ended up costing Sam and his family more than $150 million. We put that initial $7½ million commitment in to help them get that idea off the ground. As the member for Hammond said, it is an amazing addition to South Australia. I thank and commend the Shahin family for their investment.

On the opening weekend, I said to Sam that he was a bit like David Walsh in Tasmania, a man who made a lot of money but who invested it back into his state through the MONA. I think 40 per cent of people who go to Tasmania visit the MONA while they are down there. Most South Australians do not yet have a grip on how big and how transformational The Bend Motorsport complex is going to be, not just for the Tailem Bend region, which deserves every economic success it can get, but for our whole state. It is going to transform motor racing in South Australia.

People are buying plots around the track so that they can house their very expensive cars and, when they come over, they can drive directly out of their garage and race around the track. It is one of the few places in the world with a hotel above pit lane. It is a magnificent development and one that our government helped along. That is what we believe in.

We believe in giving those small grants of $25,000 out to cellar doors so they can spend $50,000, $80,000, $250,000 or $800,000 of their own money to develop world-class experiences for people who visit our world-class wine regions—all 18 of them in South Australia. Governments have a huge role to play in helping the amazing tourism operators in South Australia. You are not going to help them by taking money away from them; you are going to damage our wonderful visitor economy.

Mrs POWER (Elder) (12:37): I rise today in support of the motion acknowledging that 27 September is World Tourism Day. World Tourism Day is an important day, celebrated to foster awareness among the international community of the importance of tourism and its social, cultural, political and economic values. Tourism is a super-growth sector and a major economic priority for South Australia and we have our sights set firmly on an $8 billion visitor economy by 2020.

Tourism currently sits at a record-breaking $6.7 billion, as more than 6.8 million international and domestic visitors flock to our state. Tourism directly employs 36,000 South Australians and, when adding the number of people who are indirectly employed, the total employment rises to 56,000 jobs in the tourism sector. The Tour Down Under, Tasting Australia, Fringe, WOMAD and many other events and festivals continue to strengthen our reputation for staging world-class events.

As of January 2018, 54 events have been secured through the event bid fund, which are forecast to inject more than $245 million into the South Australian economy and provide significant broadcast, media and branding opportunities. The $400 million investment in the redevelopment of the Convention Centre is transforming the state. As of January this year, the convention bid fund has secured 73 conventions and conferences, with around 89,000 delegates estimated to generate an economic benefit of over $431 million.

Further, when tourists come to our state and post beautiful images on social media of their experiences in our state, it acts as an inspiration for others to visit and create their own experiences, giving visitors an inside view of the culture of the destination. Experiencing a different culture is considered a key aspect of a holiday. Culture makes a destination authentic. It represents the unspoilt nature of the destination and its personality. Tourism and cultural experiences build goodwill and create ambassadors for the state and act as a strong trigger for visitation.

The visitor economy, however, is so much more than tourists coming to our state. The more visitors we attract, the more money they spend, which flows into other industries such as wine, agriculture, transport and retail. This in turn creates more jobs not only in the tourism industry but potentially other sectors as well.

Tourism and the visitor economy are vital to our state, and the Marshall Liberal government is taking proactive action, having brought a number of policies to promote tourism to the recent election. We are extending the Cape Jervis breakwater, investing in developing a world-class cycling trail, creating a new national park at Glenthorne, creating ecotourism opportunities, investing in funds to protect our precious coastlines and reinvigorating the Glenelg jetty. This is just to name a few of our strong policies for real change related to tourism.

In closing, I would like to take the opportunity to invite all South Australians to consider marking World Tourism Day by being a tourist in our own home town, whether that means visiting a recognised tourist location or just stopping and seeing old sites with new eyes and the wonder of a tourist. After all, such beauty surrounds us in South Australia, from the sunsets at Glenelg to the vineyards of the Barossa and McLaren Vale regions, or the jacaranda trees in full bloom in our suburban streets, creating a purple wonderland. I commend this motion to the house.

Mr COWDREY (Colton) (12:40): I will keep my remarks on this motion reasonably short. I rise to support the member for Ramsay's motion on World Tourism Day. Here in South Australia, we are home to some world-class tourism destinations. Our state is bursting with culture, wildlife encounters, exceptional food and wine, events and entertainment. People can venture their way through world-famous wine regions that are only minutes away from the Adelaide CBD and then soak up the sun at some of the most beautiful beaches in the world.

Visitors have the opportunity to get up close and personal with sea lions, dolphins, koalas and kangaroos at wildlife parks and reserves. We are also home to some of the country's best festivals, including the world-famous Adelaide Fringe. As well as this, our state also offers a thriving restaurant and bar scene, serving some of the finest food the country has to offer. With all this in mind, it is very easy to see why people flock to South Australia.

From a more local perspective, the western suburbs of Adelaide in the electorate of Colton rely on tourism to sustain our many local businesses and destinations. Colton is home to one of South Australia's most visited holiday parks, West Beach Parks (previously Adelaide Shores). West Beach Parks is the largest of its kind in South Australia, with over 340 caravan sites, 130 self-contained cabins, several eco tents, a water park, a mini golf course and much more, including the recently opened Mega Adventure park. We also offer a premier shopping and dining precinct at Henley Beach and Henley Square and beautiful beaches that are frequented by many tourists over the summer months.

Much has been said about the major events fund and major events held in this state, but I also want to take the opportunity to highlight the importance of some smaller events that have been attracted to South Australia. Events such as the Pacific School Games, the SAPSASA national exchanges and the swimming championships make fantastic use of the facilities at West Beach, Marion and other places and venues around South Australia. They allow families to travel and stay at Adelaide Shores and bring with them their family and friends to watch. I think we must also highlight the importance of these smaller events and recognise that their contribution is also notable.

I have it on great authority that the Minister for Transport and his family take frequent holidays in the electorate of Colton. It is great to see him holidaying in our own backyard. This is something I encourage all South Australians to do. There is much to see and do in this great state. Tourism is an incredibly important sector and opportunity for us into the future.

The Hon. Z.L. BETTISON (Ramsay) (12:43): I thank those of my colleagues here who spoke in support of this motion: the members for Hammond, Reynell, Mawson, Morphett, Colton and Elder. World Tourism Day is an important day for us to acknowledge, and I thank them for their support. However, the most important message that I want to leave is that we have all talked about how important tourism is to our economy—we have built it up and we have a fantastic visitor economy—and now is not the time to take your foot off the pedal.

The government has allocated $11 million less this year than last year. We will go backwards, yet this is a fantastic part of our economy for all of South Australia. We all know what is great about South Australia. Think about the last time you went to Kangaroo Island, to Seal Bay, and had a great family holiday. There is great gin there and animals. We know that. We love going to West Beach. However, we need to sell this message interstate and to the rest of the world. The only way we are going to sell that message is through destination marketing to create that awareness. Any cut to the tourism budget, any less spend, impacts on that.

I say to my colleagues who have stood up and supported this motion today that we must reinstate the same spend that we did in 2017-18. I want to thank the former minister for tourism for his dedication to this area of our visitor economy. He has been there for five years. He has seen the diversity of people that we have backed. As a government, we have to back people because we know that this is such a big part of our economy.

We have some great stories to tell of companies that started in South Australia that have gone national. Two that come to mind are SeaLink and, most recently, Discovery Parks. It is because we do tourism really, really well. We build our skill set, we build our experiences and then we go out to the rest of the nation. We should be proud of those businesses, but they would not have been able to get to where they are now, and we would not be able to employ 56,000 direct and indirect South Australians in this industry, were it not supported by government.

Today is about the United Nations World Tourism Day. It is about a focus on the digital transformation. As I said in my speech, this is an opportunity, but it is also a challenge, because we need to be out there more than ever before, and $11 million down on our budget stops us doing that. Of that $11 million, more than $5 million comes out of our events programming.

The question I have is: what are we going to cut? Are we going to cut the concert on the Sunday night at the Adelaide 500 that attracts extra people here? Are we going to say to WOMADelaide, 'You've been great. It's fantastic and people love you, but we can't help you this way, this time.' Or are we simply not going to be out there enough saying to people, 'Come to South Australia. Come and experience our natural beauty'? These are my concerns as we come together and celebrate World Tourism Day. Please think about our economy, think about all South Australians and reinstate the $11 million in this budget.

Motion carried.

PARLIAMENTARY BUSINESS
MEMBERS
GET INVOLVED
ABOUT PARLIAMENT
VISIT
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY
CONTACT