Message from the Tourism Minister

From Andrew's Desk

SATC Takes out UK Award

The South Australian Tourism Commission has been named Tourist Board of the Year at the annual Flight Centre UK Awards Ball.

The SATC beat out national tourism boards from around the world to claim the honour, which was chosen by the Flight Centre UK's Product, Marketing and Commercial Directors and Managers.

Reasons for the SATC's success at the Awards included two very successful joint co-op campaigns in the past year. Both campaigns brought about huge increases in sales for South Australian products and flights to Adelaide.

The excellent working relationship  between the SATC UK office and Flight Centre UK, was another reason behind the win, as well as the  willingness of the SATC to suggest viable alternatives to standard campaigns in order to encourage more sales.

KI Operator Australia's Best

Last month, Craig Wickham of Exceptional Kangaroo Island won Australia's Best Experience at Corroboree - North America's largest Aussie Specialist retail event.

Exceptional Kangaroo Island was voted Best Experience in Australia by the 164 Aussie Specialist retail travel agents who attended the event.

This Tourism Australia-run event is a prestigious occasion and cements Exceptional Kangaroo Island's reputation as one of the best in the business.

Southern Ocean Lodge Award

In August, Southern Ocean Lodge won Best Australian Accommodation at OZtalk USA.

OZtalk is the largest wholesale training event in North America and was attended by 140 wholesale staff from the US and Canada.

This is the first year Southern Ocean Lodge has attended the event.

Newly opened to instant local and international acclaim, Southern Ocean Lodge is Kangaroo Island's first world-class wilderness lodge.

Located above the pristine limestone cliffs of Hanson Bay and commanding spectacular ocean, beach and wilderness views, the 21-suite escape offers a unique fusion of nature and luxury.

SA exposed at New Caledonia Travel Expo

In late July 2008, the South Australian Tourism Commission joined 30 suppliers and tourism offices from across Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific islands to exhibit at the inaugural Eden Tours Travel Expo in Noumea, New Caledonia.
The one-and-a-half day event was divided into a trade training afternoon, with networking function and a full-day consumer expo.

New Caledonia is a relatively new market for SA so a targeted 4-page flyer was produced especially for the event. Together with the SATC regional guides and a number of targeted operator brochures, these flyers were highly sought after on both days of the expo.

Approximately 80 travel agents were scheduled to attend the trade training session. The SATC secured 25 good quality appointments with Eden Tours staff (New Caledonia's number one international wholesaler), as well as retail groups such as American Express, Tropic Travel, Brock Travel and International Voyages.

The consumer expo was overwhelmingly positive with approximately 3,000 people braving the stormy tropical weather to attend. Through the assistance of a translator the SATC was able to indentify Kangaroo Island, the Murray River and the Flinders Ranges/Outback as the key experiences that appealed to New Caledonians and a three-minute interview broadcast over the load speaker at the exhibition centre greatly assisted in raising the awareness of SA and the tourism product on offer to all in attendance.

For more information on the event or the New Caledonian market, please contact Kris Shapley from the SATC NZ office on +64 9 368 5382 or kris@satc.co.nz