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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2018-06-05 Daily Xml
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South Australian Tourism Industry Council

The Hon. T.J. STEPHENS (14:33): My question is for the Minister for Tourism. Could the minister please update members on the South Australian Tourism Industry Council's recent tourism conference and how the Marshall government is working collaboratively with industry to maximise significant economic opportunities?

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment) (14:34): I thank the honourable member for his ongoing interest in the tourism industry. As it was, it was a privilege to be involved in last week's Tourism Industry Council (SATIC) annual statewide conference. The annual SATIC conference is a great platform, which this year brought together almost 400 participants from the tourism sector to deepen relationships and promote the sector.

In the last three years the event has doubled in size and moved from a one to a two-day program. The increase in industry participation signifies that our tourism operators are looking to develop their businesses so that they can be more engaged with domestic and international markets. This is a tangible sign of business confidence, as we saw today, rising to an eight-year high, as the Business SA and Statewide Superannuation survey showed us today.

An excellent example of business development opportunities to be taken from the conference was one of the Service IQ masterclasses held on changing times and emerging trends. Mark McCrindle from McCrindle Research gave some insights as to how operators can ready themselves for everything from technological trends to demographic shifts and from social change to generational transitions. This can flow down to very practical initiatives that operators can use to boost their businesses, such as embracing digital technology for booking systems and marketing.

The Gather and Graze welcome event, held at the Adelaide Central Market, was an excellent showcase of South Australian produce in a venue which is synonymous with what South Australians hold dear in our wonderful food offerings. Local producers on show were KI Distillery, Barossa Valley Cheese, Barossa Fine Foods, the Carousel Nut Bar, Food Tours Australia, Jagger Fine Foods and KI Stall 17.

I am told that the survey results are still being received but the approximate 400 delegates felt that the conference was very valuable to their business development, great value for money and something they would recommend to others in the industry. SATIC has done an exceptional job in pulling together the conference, which is useful and relevant to the industry, and I am pleased that they will be expanding on this great work by hosting 19 metro and regional industry workshops in the coming weeks. It is a great opportunity for this government to engage in a collaborative working relationship with the industry. Integral to that process is visiting the regions, listening to what operators have to say and discussing how we can grow South Australia's tourism sector and bring more dollars into our economy and create more jobs.

In the first 24 hours SATIC has already received almost 100 registrations for the first two metro workshops, so it is very clear that the industry is keen and excited to engage with the government, which is genuinely listening and wanting to collaborate. The Marshall government is actively, positively and proactively engaging with industry and we very much hope that the new opposition will support those efforts rather than stifle them. Unfortunately, early signs aren't that good. The opposition has already moved to prevent me representing the Premier in an upcoming Food SA industry event.

Under the previous Labor government, they simply did not understand that to foster a positive environment for any industry, in order that it can flourish and achieve its economic potential, you need to work collaboratively with the industry. This means regularly getting out on the ground and listening to the challenges and the issues. I encourage members opposite to use this term in opposition constructively rather than obstructively and let this government do what it needs to do, and observe how an effective government engages well with industry for the economic benefit of our state.

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