South Australia’s tourism regions have a bold plan to grow the state’s regional visitor expenditure to $4.0 Billion by 2025.
The South Australian Regional Visitor Strategy 2025 (released March 2021) outlines priority action areas set by the state’s 11 tourism regions after extensive consultation involving more than 800 stakeholders.
More than 48 per cent of South Australia’s total visitor expenditure is spent in regions, up from 44 per cent at the end of 2019 – pre bushfires, drought and COVID-19.
Initiated by regional tourism organisations through the Regional Tourism Chairs Forum and led by Helen Edwards as Chair of the Regional Visitor Strategy steering committee, the strategy is a collaboration involving stakeholders from tourism operators to Local Government Association of South Australia, Regional Development Australia South Australia, Tourism Industry Council SA, and the South Australian Tourism Commission. It is a strategy developed by the regions, for the regions.
The 2025 RVS outlines eight strategic pillars that apply across regions, critical to the success of SA’s visitor economy. 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.