Tourism News

KANGAROO ISLAND DECLARED A TOP DESTINATION

In more good news for South Australian tourism, Kangaroo Island has been ranked best island in the Asia Pacific region in the latest US issue of National Geographic Traveler.

The survey of the world’s top island tourism destinations ranks Kangaroo Island equal fifth in the world – ahead of Fraser Island, Hawaii, the Greek islands, Tasmania and the Maldives – out of 111 islands.

A panel of 522 experts ranked the islands by comparing their commitment to sustainable tourism and preserving the environment for future generations of tourists. The results are published in the magazine’s November/December issue.

Premier Mike Rann says the news tops off a bumper month for tourism in South Australia.

“Our State is drawing more international visitors than ever before, Singapore Airlines has announced extra flights and the Tour Down Under has been elevated to the first ProTour race outside Europe.

“Just last week, South Australia was lauded for its unique appeal in UK’s Telegraph newspaper and now we have this fabulous honour for Kangaroo Island.

“Kangaroo Island is widely regarded overseas as “Australia’s Galapagos”, with easy access to native wildlife and spectacular forms of nature.

“This accolade demonstrates the success of sustainable tourism development on the island.

“The island’s natural attractions are now being packaged together with its world-class food and wine to create an incredible holiday experience.

“The $15 million Southern Ocean Lodge is due to open on Kangaroo Island in March 2008, further boosting the island’s international reputation.

“The State Government has been working with Southern Ocean Lodge developers, Baillie Lodges, to make sure this world-class accommodation – which has already featured in the UK travel media – goes ahead in the most sustainable way possible.”

The National Geographic Traveler survey results are the latest in a series of US accolades for Kangaroo Island.

Kangaroo Island was recently voted Best Australian Experience by 8,500 North American travel agents at the industry’s annual Opal Awards.

And US travel industry members voted high-end, nature-based tour company, Exceptional Kangaroo Island, as Best Australian Experience at the OzTalk travel trade convention in California recently.

“These accolades show that our international marketing is really working, and we’re getting the word out in the important US market,” says Tourism Minister Jane Lomax-Smith.

“International visitor figures are also testament to our marketing success, showing that 375,200 people came to South Australia in the 12 months to June 2007 – a 9% increase compared to the previous 12 months.

Comments by experts who voted in the National Geographic Traveler survey include:

“(Kangaroo Island’s) coastal habitats are pristine, and rookeries of the little fairy penguin, seals, and sea lions are accessible. Its boardwalk across environmentally fragile high sand hills to a major sea lion population is one of the best I’ve seen, as is its regulations for interaction with the mammals, overseen by qualified guides.”

“The one-third reserve/parkland of this island is well monitored and protected by professionals who know their stuff. Private farms, where more unique flora and fauna flourish, are open to small group tours. Locals are key beneficiaries of tourism development.”
 

For more information please call Julia Angove on 08 8463 4610.

ADELAIDE SHOWS OFF ITS HIP SIDE

A new guide to Adelaide’s very coolest experiences will help South Australia to further boost its profile with the lucrative backpacker market.

The 2007-08 edition of the Hip Guide to Adelaide has hit the streets, and it’s packed with all the insider knowledge visitors need to get the most out of their time in our capital city.

Tourism Minister Jane Lomax-Smith says the free pocket-sized publication is aimed squarely at the backpackers who make up 28% of all international visitors to our State.

“Our marketing strategies and line-up of world-class events are attracting more and more backpackers to South Australia, and the new-look Hip Guide will really add to the stellar experience Adelaide offers these visitors,” Dr Lomax-Smith says.

“As well as being available in Adelaide’s hotels and backpacker hostels, the Hip Guide will be distributed in various international markets.”

Dr Lomax-Smith says the Hip Guide has been redesigned to keep ahead of changes in the backpacker market and to recognise new venues.

“Backpackers have expanded to include a range beyond the 21-year-olds spending their gap year overseas on a very tight budget,” she says.

“These travellers are still an important market for us, but a new breed of “flashpackers” has also emerged.

“Flashpackers are often in their 30s, are taking time off work, and have the money to spend up big if they find an experience that really impresses them.

“The new-look Hip Guide caters for backpackers on every budget, with features on day spas and Adelaide’s funkiest fashion designers alongside recommended cheap meals and a list of top 10 experiences under $10.

“Almost 20% of backpackers coming to Australia visit our State, and the launch of the new-look Hip Guide is an important part of our push to ensure that percentage continues to climb.

“We’re already well on the way, with the number of backpackers to South Australia up 13% in the past financial year – well above the national average.”

The 2007-08 Hip Guide’s content was put together by an independent panel of experts, including representatives from Adelaide’s mainstream media, street press, the arts, backpacker association, tourism industry, restaurant industry and music industry.

It includes sections on Adelaide’s hippest dining, nightlife, shopping, culture, nature, and day trips.

Free copies of the Hip Guide to Adelaide are available from the South Australian Visitor & Travel Centre, at 18 King William Road in the city, or by calling 1300 655 276.

For more information please call Julia Angove on 08 8463 4610.

ADELAIDE LABELLED THE RENAISSANCE CAPITAL OF THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE

Adelaide is labelled ‘the Renaissance Capital of the Southern Hemisphere’ in an article by one of the United Kingdom’s most influential journalists and published in the Telegraph newspaper.

Graham Boynton, who visited the State as a guest of the SA Tourism Commission and Tourism Australia late last year, has featured Adelaide heavily in his article, Australia: high art Down Under, published last month.

Tourism Minister Jane Lomax-Smith says this latest glowing endorsement of South Australia comes as the State is experiencing record numbers of international visitors.

“Each year we bring hundreds of journalists to South Australia to experience our tourism appeal, generating tens of millions of dollars of media coverage promoting our State to the world.

“The most recent figures show 375,200 international visitors came to South Australia in the 12 months to June 2007 – a 9% increase compared to the previous 12 months.

“We are also punching above our weight, outperforming the national 3% rise and setting a new record for international tourism in SA.

“We have worked hard to attract extra international flights to our airport and, by November, we will have 27 flights a week compared to 13 in 2003.

“These kinds of international endorsements are an important part of our push to attract more tourists and raise the profile of our State overseas.

Mr Boynton says had he discovered “the lovely city of Adelaide” 20 years ago he would have emigrated. His article, in part, reads:

“(Adelaide) is, like its spiritual sister city Cape Town, physically pretty, on the coast and at the centre of a booming wine industry.

“Viticulture attracts gastronomy and gourmands tend to be civilised, so if you are looking for cultured Australia planted in an architecturally pleasing city with a generous green belt of parks, golf courses and botanical gardens, this one really fits the bill.

“In between long sessions of glorious cricket at the most beautiful Test match ground in the world I find myself walking the parks, strolling around Victorian buildings and catching the tram to and from Glenelg, the seaside resort that is Adelaide-by-the-Sea.

“That the culture of wine and the arts go hand in hand is a given and there is ample evidence of it here.”

For a full version of the article visit: www.telegraph.co.uk/travel

For more information please call Julia Angove on 08 8463 4610.



EXPANDED FESTIVAL TO LIGHT UP ADELAIDE

The Premier and Minister for the Arts, Mike Rann, has officially launched the 2008 Adelaide Bank Festival of Arts – with an expanded program of 80 events and more than 280 performances.

In this the 25th Festival, opening night on February 29th will be marked with North Terrace reserved for pedestrians as Adelaide’s beautiful cultural boulevard is illuminated with Northern Lights.

“I’m looking forward to the Ignition! of North Terrace with a dazzling fireworks display culminating in the spectacular illumination of the seven cultural institutions from Kintore Ave to Pulteney St,” Mr Rann said.

“It will be one of the largest projection installations ever displayed in Australia and, what’s more, it will be a free event running every night of the Festival.”

Other Festival highlights include:

The Adelaide premiere of the new double Grammy Award-winning opera (based on the life of Federico Garcia Lorca, Spain’s revered poet) Ainadamar, featuring an international cast and directed by Graeme Murphy, exclusive to Adelaide.
In a major collaboration between two titans of contemporary culture, Leonard Cohen and Philip Glass unite in a world first collaboration, Book of Longing, exclusive to Adelaide.

Following the outstanding success of Berlin’s Schaubühne theatre’s production of Nora at the 2006 Festival, the company returns for an exclusive season to Adelaide to present the Pulitzer prize-winning classic, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, re-imagined for the 21st Century.

The hit of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s “Complete Works Festival”, Tim Supple’s glorious sub-continental A Midsummer Night’s Dream is vivid, exotic and spectacular, with actors, dancers, musicians and martial artists from across India and Sri-Lanka.

The UK’s DV8 Physical Theatre is renowned for breaking down barriers between dance, theatre and personal politics. Making their long anticipated return to the Festival, a hand-picked multi-national cast will present a poetic but unflinching exploration of intolerance, religion and sexuality in To Be Straight With You, exclusive to Adelaide.

The Premier is also delighted to announce the impressive line-up of 64 writers attending the 2008 Adelaide Writers’ Week.

“In 2008 Writers’ Week will feature internationally recognised writers such as two Booker Prize winners, Peter Carey (twice) and Ian McEwan; Pulitzer Prize winner Geraldine Brooks and Orange Prize recipient, Linda Grant,” Mr Rann said.

In 2008, 65 percent of the Festival program will be exclusive to Adelaide and, with the support of the South Australian Tourism Commission, the Festival anticipates increased visitors to Adelaide and the State in the lead up to and during Festival time.

“In March 2008 Adelaide will again be a place of pilgrimage for artists and art-lovers, as more than 715 artists and performers converge on the city, including 277 from overseas, 232 from interstate and 206 local artists,” Mr Rann said.

For more information please call Julia Angove on 08 8463 4610.

AUSTRALIA'S FIRST SUPER LODGE ON TRACK

Australia’s first ‘super lodge’ is on track for a March 2008 opening, with the construction of Southern Ocean Lodge making waves around the world.

In the tradition of Huka Lodge in New Zealand and the Amanresorts of Asia, Southern Ocean Lodge on Kangaroo Island in South Australia is set to take luxury experiential travel in Australia to new heights.

21 luxe suites and a spellbinding lodge and spa facility are taking shape atop a secluded stretch of wild coast in south west Kangaroo Island. With the first two stages complete, work is well underway and on track for a March 2008 opening.

“The most difficult stages are behind us and our dream for Southern Ocean Lodge is fast becoming a reality,” said James Baillie. “The staff village and Spa are finished, as well as an incredible boardwalk to our beach and the establishment of access roads and paths.”

“Our focus is now on creating our spectacular guest suites and the main dining, lounge and bar facility; all with breathtaking views of this rugged and pristine stretch of coast.”

“With our first guests booked to arrive from March 29 next year, we’re planning a soft-launch in early March so we can satisfy demand from international and Australian media as well as tourism industry and trade who are desperate to experience the property and help us spread the word.”

For more information please call Julia Angove on 08 8463 4610.

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