I agree with the comment about SA Tourism, they have been useless in the past which has resulted in average tourism adverts and the boring reputation. There is lots of interesting things to do and see in Adelaide and SA but much of is missing from tourist guides or there is very little information about it. The whole Adelaide tourist brochure needs an overhaul and even maybe possibly including the Adelaide Hills. Considering it's an extension of Adelaide and majority of visitors to Adelaide always end up in places like Hahndorf or Mt Lofty.pushbutton wrote:I give the developer HUGE credit for having the vision and commitment to do this in SA. It's the SA government and the SA tourism commission I was having a go at.
They should be encouraging a lot more major projects along these lines, and they should be designating certain huge parcels of land exclusively as future tourist attraction development zones. That's what happens in all the major cities in the world that have tourism.
I'm going to sound like a typical Adelaide basher but some of our major tourist attractions aren't exactly amazing. I'm hoping this city resurgence and future mining boom and results in a new larger South Australian Museum, don't get me wrong the current building is a lovely piece of architecture but it's restricted in size and missing the wow factor. I would love to see an exhibit dedicated to Adelaide's history, bigger exhibitions and more interactive things. The Art Gallery however is a lovely attraction inside and out.
Another museum that needs to be relocated is the Maritime Museum. Again another beautiful old building with some interesting exhibits, but it's restricted in size. I would love to see a new Maritime Museum built along the Port Adelaide Waterfront, with possible additions being the City of Adelaide ship and a submarine. I went to the Sydney Maritime Museum recently and it was extremely fascinating climbing inside a submarine and ex air-warfare ship. This could be the answer to putting Port Adelaide back on the map.
I would also like to see the Adelaide Zoo relocated to a bigger site or expanded, but that's a pie in the sky dream. Though in the meantime they can drop the ridicolous over-priced entrance fees to a more decent price, then maybe more people will go there.
While it's high time our awesome festivals and events got bigger national attention. I want to see more advertising for our major events, especially the Adelaide Fringe and Tour Down Under.
However it's not all doom and gloom. As we all know we've got a State Government that is committed to making Adelaide a vibrant and competitive city again. Projects like the Riverbank developments and changes to the planning guidelines for buildings and small bar venues will give tourists the impression that Adelaide is an exciting destination with many things to do and see. It's quite exciting to think in the near future that people will be able to walk from a AFL match to the city centre via a redeveloped and improved riverbank precinct, resulting in more tourists from interstate, particular Victoria. Where as before they were put off by travelling to a substandard 1970s stadium miles away from the city.
Then there's Rundle Mall which is such a major asset to Adelaide that gets taken too much for granted. There is nothing better than taking a stroll down the mall and watching the buskers, the upgrade will only enhance it further. Victoria Square is another exciting prospect, let's just hope that it actually finally starts this time.
It sucks we have lost attractions like Dazzleland and Mt Thebarton (kids have no idea how good it was back then). Though hopefully this resurgence that is happening in our city will result in more tourism options, things like a new and exciting SA Museum or Mike Rann's Aboriginal Culture Centre or even just the simple thing of a multi-screen mainstream cinema and bowling alley. Adelaide has the foundations to be a very exciting tourist destination with the added bonus of being the gateway to world-class wineries, beautiful regions and the outback. One day...
Moving onto the regional areas, Alexander Downer is right that our major natural attractions are missing decent and large resorts. The Flinders Ranges for example looks amazing, but it's missing a major resort with different options of accommodation and leisure facilities. Have a look at Uluru, I would love to see something similar but on a smaller scale.
Adelaide Hills could do with more accommodation options and same with Kangaroo Island. On the KI topic, considering the State Government is spending millions on advertising the island in SA and around Australia, it's time those ridiculously over-priced ferry prices were overhauled to a more affordable and decent price. My partner and I have thought about going to KI for a holiday, but it's just cheaper to head interstate. I've even had family come over to Adelaide for a holiday and thought about going to KI, but were scared off by the prices.
Even the prices for some KI's attractions are pretty overpriced. This needs to change if Kangaroo Island wants to become a major tourism drawcard for Australia.
What do you think South Australia needs to boast tourism and state image?. Lets not go down the typical usual path of Adelaide needs a theme park, because quite simply it has white elephant written over it, lets be creative!. Though an upgrade of Greenhills Adventure Park or the construction of a new one, similar to one in Geelong or Perth is definitely needed.
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I think we can all agree with this statement
Alexander Downer wrote:The solution? We need to go out and persuade investors that SA is a great tourist destination. And we must be prepared to stare down the inevitable opponents of any development. They're always there in SA. Honestly, they've had too many wins.
No one will even consider risking their money in our state if they think they'll be buffeted by controversy. They need to know the Government and business and union leaders will back them. Then we might get the tourist investments we need - and also the tourists.