South Australia holiday hotspot

03 June 2016 by News Desk   |   SHARE  

South Australia is playing host to record numbers of international students and overseas visitors and is currently the top holiday destination Down Under.

Overseas visitors to South Australia have increased by 7.6 per cent and they are spending 40 per cent more during their stay.

More than 410,000 international visitors came to South Australia in the past 12 months and they spent a record $954 million. The number of people choosing to visit S.A. is now higher than the national average with overnight visits rising by 13 per cent.

Visitors from the United States have soared by 41 per cent, while visitors from the UK are up by 17 per cent.

The amount of money generated by visitors from Asia has increased by 44 per cent while spending by Chinese visitors has risen by 34 per cent.

Rising numbers of overseas students at South Australia universities has seen revenue across the education sector increase to record levels, rising by 59 per cent to $355 million.

South Australia holiday experiences

With such a wide range of fantastic holiday attractions across South Australia it is no surprise the state leads the country in visitor experiences. And its popularity as a top tourist destination shows no signs of abating, as the S.A. tourist industry is set to grow to generate $8 billion a year by 2020.

Hundreds of new jobs are being created in a bid to meet demand from increased visitor numbers.

The recent launch of Qatar Airways at Adelaide has opened connections to more than 140 destinations including 25 European cities, with Qatar flights set to generate an extra $41 million to our economy and create 228 jobs across the state.

Soon there will be direct flights between Adelaide and Guangzhou via a partnership between South Australia and China Southern Airlines. This is set to create around 100 new jobs.

Leon Bignell, Minister for Tourism, said: “Tourism is big business in terms of the jobs it sustains and creates and it is made up of thousands of small to medium size operators who do a brilliant job selling the state’s attractions.”

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