The recent surge in the Australian accommodation market has been reflected in the AHA|SA statistics for Adelaide’s major accommodation hotels for 2007. According to official hotel industry statistics, overall occupancy for the calendar year 2007 was 81.26% – an increase of 2% on 2006 when occupancy was 79.09%. This means that since 2004, occupancy rates in Adelaide’s hotels have risen from 71.42% (2004) to 72.63% (2005) to 79.09% (2006) to 81.26% (2007). The majority of Adelaide’s major hotels contribute to the AHA|SA’s accommodation statistics, including the Hilton, Hyatt, Saville and Stamford hotels.
More information: 08 8100 2411

The Adelaide City Council’s electric solar bus ‘Tindo’ is the first in the world to be recharged using 100% solar energy, and will be used every day by the people of Adelaide through the Adelaide City Council’s free Adelaide Connector Bus service. Tindo – the Kaurna Aboriginal name for sun - is the culmination of the Council’s eight-year project to deliver a pure electric community bus. International research suggests people strongly prefer electric buses to those powered by other means, such as diesel engines. Electric buses can operate in busy city streets and residential neighbourhoods in a clean and quiet manner, which makes them very popular with both passengers and the public.
More information: www.adelaidecitycouncil.com/tindo

Henry the sea lion has delighted Adelaide locals for more than a decade, as he is frequently sighted lazing on rocks at Holdfast Shores and around the city’s beaches. But where does he go between appearances? The community will now be able to track his every move via a new website dedicated to the much loved pinniped at www.henrythesealion.com The Department for Environment and Heritage (DEH), the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI), the South Australian Museum, Zoos SA and Project Dolphin Safe met recently to discuss what could be done to ensure that Henry the sea lion is healthy. The website contains a live feed on his movements as well and information about Henry and about seal and sea lion conservation in South Australia. The website also has photos and numerous links for anyone who wants to learn more about the conservation of South Australia’s coast and marine ecosystems.
More information: www.henrythesealion.com

The Adelaide Convention Tourism Authority (ACTA) has announced the appointment of three new directors to its board. Joining the Authority are Douglas Gautier - Chief Executive of the Adelaide Festival Centre, Chris Ehmann - General Manager of the Hilton Adelaide, and Stephen Yarwood, Adelaide City Councillor and Principal Town Planner at the City of Playford. In making the announcement, ACTA Chairman and Adelaide Airport CEO Phil Baker said the new directors each bring valuable knowledge that will add substantially to existing expertise around the table.
More information: 0402 313 224

Regional events and festivals are now being invited to apply for funding support thanks to the State Government’s ongoing commitment to regional tourism. Tourism Minister Jane Lomax-Smith has announced that applications for the 2008/2009 Regional Events and Festivals Program and the Community Events Development Fund are now open. The 2007/08 Regional Events and Festivals Program supported more than 80 events, including the Bundaleer Forest Weekend, the Oysterfest in Ceduna, the Riverland Balloon Fiesta, the Robe Village Fair, and the Compass Cup. Funding from the Regional Events and Festivals Program can be used for event promotion, media and marketing activities. The closing date of applications for the Regional Events and Festivals Program is Monday 31 March 2008. Events are assessed against a series of criteria, which includes: potential for tourist visitation, likely media coverage, future viability and timing in relation to the tourist season.
More information: www.events.southaustralia.com

Now in its ninth year, the SA Short Screen Awards (SASSAs) rewards excellence and outstanding achievement in the South Australian film community. The SASSAs provide an exciting platform for short filmmakers to showcase their creative and technical talents. The Awards also recognise the integral role of key creative crew in the filmmaking process. For the first time the SASSAs will be presented by the Media Resource Centre, in partnership with the internationally renowned Adelaide Bank Festival of the Arts. In the lead-up to the Gala Awards Ceremony and After Party on Thursday March 6, the judge’s picks will be screened over three nights at the ‘Best of the Awards’ Public Screenings at the Mercury Cinema on Sat March 1, Monday March 3 and Tuesday March 4 from 7.30pm. These ‘Best of Screenings’ will show the best of the SASSA entries – drama, comedy, documentary, animation and digital media by SA filmmakers.
More information: 08 8231 3555

Director of the Art Gallery of South Australia, Christopher Menz has announced the appointment of Nici Cumpston to the newly created position of Assistant Curator of Australian Art. This three-year trainee curator position has been funded by the State Government, and will be the Gallery’s first to focus primarily on Indigenous Australian art. Adelaide-based Nici Cumpston is currently Lecturer in Photography and Indigenous Arts, Cultures and Design at the South Australian School of Art within the University of South Australia. A respected artist, Ms Cumpston is represented in the collections of the National Gallery of Victoria, South Australian Museum and Flinders University Art Museum, among others. This will be Nici Cumpston’s first position as a curator, and builds on her experience assisting with research, display and logistics for a number of Indigenous art exhibitions around Australia in recent years.
More information: 08 8207 7032

The Monarto Lion Cub naming competition is over and the lion cubs have finally received their names. Cub one and Cub two will now be known as Zinzi, meaning courageous, and Inkosi meaning king. The cubs were born at Monarto Zoo in September 2007 to mother Tiombe and Father Levi. They had their first outing as a pride into the exhibit three weeks ago and are looking strong and healthy, befitting of their new names.
More information: 0418 815 404

Sea SA car & passenger services have announced that two ferries will soon operate across the Spencer Gulf between Wallaroo and Lucky Bay, boosting the maximum number of services from 6 to 8 per day. The company’s new 64-metre catamaran, Sea Spirit, custom-built for Gulf conditions, will work in tandem with the current 49-metre ferry, Sea Scape, enabling a single timetable to operate out of both ports simultaneously. With finishing touches to the new vessel well underway at shipyards in Batam, Indonesia, it is expected that Sea Spirit will arrive at Wallaroo on the Yorke Peninsula to commence service in time for Easter. Onboard features of the new ‘big sister ferry’ will include – air-conditioned café, two plasma TV lounges, kids’ play zone, internet area and tourism booth. Additional weekend services will be added in peak periods subject to demand.
More information: www.seasa.com.au

Three bottles of South Australian wine have sold for more than $145,000 in the United States. Imperial bottles of Two Hands Wines’ Flagship series – its Barossa Valley Ares Shiraz, Aphrodite Cabernet Sauvignon and Aerope Grenache – went under the hammer during the prestigious Naples Winter Wine Festival in Florida, fetching US$130,000 (more than AUD$145,000) at auction for the set of three. The Naples Winter Wine Festival is the world’s most successful charity wine event. It brings together vintners and chefs with wine collectors and bidders and includes a charity auction that this year raised $14 million in four hours. Proceeds benefit The Naples Children and Education Foundation, which support at-risk and underprivileged children in southwest Florida.
More information: www.napleswinefestival.com



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