The South Australian Toursim Commission have launched a bold plan to grow the state’s regional visitor expenditure to $4.0 Billion by 2025.

The South Australian Regional Visitor Strategy 2025 outlines priority action areas set by the state’s 11 tourism regions after extensive consultation involving more than 800 stakeholders.

An initiative of the Regional Visitor Strategy steering committee, chaired by Helen Edwards, it is a strategy “developed by the regions, for the regions”.

More than 48 per cent of South Australia’s total visitor expenditure is now spent in regions, up from 44 per cent at the end of 2019 – pre bushfires, drought and COVID-19. Through working together, the strategy sets an ambitious target to keep regional tourism strong over the next five years and grow the industry which employs more than 24,000 South Australians.

The 2025 RVS builds on the success of the 2020 strategy, which saw the then regional tourism target of $3.55 billion by December 2020 met and exceeded more than one year early in December 2019.

The 2025 strategy outlines eight strategic pillars that apply across regions, and each of the 11 tourism regions has a set of regional response priorities which serve as an action plan for the RVS steering committee to work with regional tourism organisations, local councils and key stakeholders to drive outcomes.

Getting us to this point today has involved an enormous amount of work. I want to recognise the RVS steering committee members, and the great leadership of the committee Chair, Helen.

I also want to acknowledge everyone across the industry who has contributed to this strategy, from the Regional Tourism Organisations to tourism operators, local government and local Mayors and councils, Regional Development Australia SA, Tourism Industry Council of SA, and my colleagues at the South Australian Tourism Commission.

You can expect to hear and see more about the 2025 RVS over the coming days, with some planned media coverage and a copy of the Regional Visitor Strategy 2025 being sent to each regional Mayor and CEO today.

See the South Australian Regional Visitor Strategy 2025 at: tourism.sa.gov.au/strategies/strategies/regional-visitor-strategy 

Rodney Harrex, Chief Executive