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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2019-09-25 Daily Xml
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Winter Tourism Campaign

The Hon. T.J. STEPHENS (15:16): My question is to the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment. Can the minister please provide an update about the results of the SATC's winter tourism campaign?

Members interjecting:

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment) (15:16): Of course, members opposite are talking about 'old mate', which is exactly what you want to do. We want you to be talking about it.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: You're still talking about it. This is the winter campaign, not the spring-summer campaign, 'old mate', that we're talking about. Nonetheless, it's good to see you still talking about it because it was designed to provoke comment and commentary and it still is. Look at this: it's still going on, Mr President.

The PRESIDENT: I'm holding you to a strict time limit, the Hon. Mr Ridgway, because I want to get to another question.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: Mr President, I'm being distracted. I want to talk about the winter campaign, I'm sorry. In March 2019, the SATC launched the domestic winter campaign, designed to highlight South Australia as an ideal winter destination. We wanted to highlight South Australia's offerings that are best experienced in the cooler months. The campaign showcased many unique experiences and locations across our state and regions and around the city, from Adelaide to the Flinders Rangers and the outback to the Limestone Coast and the Fleurieu Peninsula to the Adelaide Hills and the Clare Valley.

The aim of the campaign was to bring South Australia to the front of people's minds when booking a holiday. We wanted to let everyone know what South Australia has to offer and to showcase many of the wonders of our state. I'm pleased to report that the campaign has been declared a success. Many local operators in the tourism industry reported a noticeable increase in bookings and many more inquiries to their region.

Mount Lofty House, for example, saw a significant boost in stays from last year; it was up by 80 per cent year on year. Visits to the d'Arenberg Cube rose by 20 per cent year on year for the length of the campaign. EP Cruises doubled their passengers from last year, and the HideyHOLE reported that their online followers had increased tenfold. The campaign made use of striking imagery of unique locations from around our state. The Limestone Coast's Ghost Mushroom Lane reported that after being featured in the campaign they saw 20,000 visitors in just eight weeks. Furthermore, the SATC has reported that their consumer website, www.southaustralia.com, saw more than 1.7 million domestic visits last year, a 72 per cent increase year on year.

It has been fantastic to see the winter campaign has made so many Australians aware of the depth of experiences on offer around Adelaide and South Australia. Our burgeoning visitor economy is now at a record $7.2 billion—and I want to repeat that: $7.2 billion. It is vital that we continue building upon this to bring more people into our great state. As we know, 43¢ of every dollar is spent in regional South Australia.

So with all of that in mind, Mr President, you will be aware that we have now already launched our spring and summer campaign, which has already generated a phenomenal response, as we saw again here in the chamber today. Our message is clear: don't put off coming to South Australia; come and experience it for yourself and see all that we have to offer.

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