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South Australia’s tourism industry has recovered to near pre-pandemic levels, according to new data from the South Australian Tourism Commission.
The results of the latest National Visitor Survey show the net position of South Australia’s visitor economy in April 2022 was 95 per cent of 2019 levels, further reinforcing the local increase in demand for travel this year.
The results also show that in the 12 months to March 2022, the interstate market hit a new post-pandemic record high of $1.8 billion.
RAA Travel General Manager Gina Norman said the data reflected what was being felt by those in the industry.
“This new data shows just how excited Australians are to get back to making their travel dreams reality.”
“In partnership with the Tourism Industry Council of SA, we’ve been meeting with tourism operators in both regional and metro SA to explore how we can help South Australia’s tourism economy rebuild from the past few years.
“We’ll continue to advocate for a strong tourism industry in SA, for the benefit of the local economy and the lives of the many great South Australians working in the industry.”
Daniels Langeberg, owner/operator of EcoCaddy, an RAA More for Members partner, said his business had seen the recovery first-hand.
“It’s been pretty clear to us that people are eager to travel. We’ve been seeing interstaters as well as a lot of local activity still, with plenty of Adelaideans who want to explore their own backyard.
“There’s been a noticeable increase in forward bookings too, people from interstate and overseas are booking with us as far ahead as January and February next year which provides more certainty and speaks to the confidence in travel.”
Minister for Tourism Zoe Bettison MP said the recovery points to the strength of South Australia’s tourism offerings.
“To have visitor expenditure hit 95 per cent of pre-COVID levels is remarkable and points to the strength of our offerings here in South Australia.
“We’re seeing strong interstate visitation and continued interest from locals, and this is on top of the recent boost in aviation, the record accommodation occupancy rates, and the fantastic events being held right now across our city and regional SA.”
With this increase in demand for travel both locally and further abroad, Ms Norman says there’s never been a better time to join RAA Travel.
“We’re excited to be growing our Travel team at the moment, with a collection of Travel Consultant roles on offer to help people book their dream trips,” she said.
“This is a time we’ve been longing for over the past two years at RAA Travel, and now it’s finally here! If you’d like to join our team of passionate travel professionals, visit our Vacancies page online.”