Tourism operators from across South Australia are showcasing the state's diverse and unique tourism offerings on a roadshow in the United Kingdom and Europe next month.
As international travel continues to recover, the South Australian Tourism Commission roadshow is supporting 29 operators to meet and network with leading travel agents and product managers in key UK destinations, as well as Germany, Italy and France.
One-on-one workshops and networking events will see some of South Australia's best tourism operators connect with more than 300 leading industry experts to help grow market presence for both their business and the state.
Operators with internationally relevant experiences and products will highlight the state's world-class food and beverage, wildlife experiences, luxury accommodation, Aboriginal cultural experiences, tours, and destinations.
It follows a successful US roadshow in March, which saw tourism operators promoting their offerings and South Australia to the North American market, which was worth $80 million a year to the state's visitor economy pre COVID.
The two roadshows are targeted to international markets expected to return strongly, skewing towards high-value traveller and Working Holiday Maker markets, and also include media events in the UK and Germany to engage directly with key travel writers and journalists to help tell the South Australian story.
The UK, Europe, and North America are identified as priority markets in the SATC's International Tourism Strategy 2025, which aims to reclaim the state's international market to its pre pandemic record-high of $1.2 billion by December 2025.
Quotes attributable to Zoe Bettison
Roadshows showcase South Australia on the world stage to leading tourism industry experts, as we work to recover our international market back to its pre pandemic record-high of $1.2 billion by December 2025.
We know the UK and key European markets were once worth $182 million to the state's visitor economy, so it is imperative that we are in these international markets reminding them why South Australia is a must-see destination.
The 29 diverse operators representing our state's tourism offerings boast some of the best experiences visitors can get, including world-class food and beverage, in-depth tours, immersive wildlife experiences, and unique luxury accommodation.
Coonawarra Experiences co-owner, Simon Meares said to have Coonawarra Experiences join the upcoming roadshow in the UK and Europe is amazing.
"Having the opportunity to showcase our business on a global stage allows us to directly engage with buyers looking for a new and unique product within our Limestone Coast region," Mr Meares said.
"The US roadshow in March was brilliant for our business.
"We not only met new agents in markets that had not been accessible to us in the past, but we actually signed new business as we were able to assist one New York agent looking for help in our region for clients coming through late this year. This agent was ecstatic to have a seller that could solve a problem she had on the spot.
"Many agents had not been selling into the Limestone Coast so the education and awareness we provided was vital especially when they realised how close we are to the Great Ocean Road and the fact that they sell that route regularly.
"Having international visitors discover the Limestone Coast or return again is invaluable to the region. We are the gateway to South Australia from the Great Ocean Road and the revenue that these guests inject into the visitor economy is massive."
Co-owner Sea Dragon Kangaroo Island, Alice Zammit said it has never been a more important time to reconnect face-to-face with international product managers who will help sell our offerings to travellers across UK and Europe.
"Product managers' workloads post-COVID means a Zoom call or an EDM just doesn't provide the same cut-through as in person," Ms Zammit said.
"With a reimagined, repositioned product, it has been a critical part of our marketing strategy to invest in the US and UK/Europe roadshows - our three essential inbound markets for Sea Dragon and Kangaroo Island.
"We have seen return on investment from the US roadshow in March - it's already been met and will be exceeded - and the pleasant surprise about the US market is their length of stay is much longer than what it was pre-COVID.
"Most of our US clients are staying for a minimum of three nights."
