The South Australian State Strategic Plan clearly articulates an ambitious goal, to boost tourist expenditure in South Australia to $6.3 billion by 2014. To make this happen, the South Australian Tourism Commission is implementing an exciting new strategy in 2008 and into the future. This will lift tourist expenditure by building knowledge of our most compelling holiday experiences among our target market, as well as encouraging the development of new tourism product.

In 2008, our research has given us a clear idea of the best consumer to target in the domestic market in order to get ‘the most bang from our buck’ – we call them ‘experience seekers’. They are defined as those people who are considering a South Australian holiday within the next two years and spent more than $200 per night or $1000-2000 in total on their last holiday.

In the months to come, you will see the SATC undertaking exciting new marketing activities, which specifically target experience seekers. Already this year we have seen the success of targeting this audience through Holiday Affairs, a major interstate campaign that ran over the winter period from late April to the end of July 2008, promoting Adelaide, Kangaroo Island and wine and food holiday experiences accessible from Adelaide.

This year has also seen the opening of two major new accommodation providers in South Australia: Baillie Lodges’ Southern Ocean Lodge on Kangaroo Island redefines benchmarks for luxury travel and sustainable tourism development in Australia and the Asia Pacific. Meanwhile, the $55 million, 111-room hotel on the Eyre Peninsula is the most significant regional hotel development ever built in South Australia.

Events South Australia, the SATC’s events arm, successfully managed two major events in 2008. The World Food Exchange, held in September, brought together leading international and Australian experts in the development of high quality food and wine-themed tourism experiences to share their knowledge and expertise with the State’s food and wine producers, restaurateurs and tourism operators. The inaugural event allowed the industry to examine programs that could accelerate the state’s campaign to become a world-leading culinary tourism destination.

Meanwhile, the Tour Down Under celebrated its tenth year in South Australia in 2008 by becoming one of the most successful sporting events ever to be staged in the state’s history. Drawing crowds of more than half-a-million people to the races for the first time, the 2008 Tour Down Under set new records over the six days of racing. In 2009 we can look forward to an even bigger and better Tour Down Under, as Lance Armstrong stages his return to professional cycling at the event.

In 2008, the SATC has welcomed two dynamic new senior staff to guide its future direction. The SATC’s new executive general manager communications is Steve Kernaghan, who will be responsible for taking the marketing of South Australia to the next level. Joining Steve on the SATC’s executive team is Joanne Podoliak, in the newly created role of executive general manager destination development. Joanne will help create a an even more appealing South Australia of tomorrow, with more flights into Adelaide and more world-class accommodation and attractions built and developed.