Suggestions on boosting tourism in SA?

[rev]

Theme park in the parklands? We would have civil war on our hands the tree lover groups would go bananas

How about a national sporting museum incorporating a theme park? That would piss the Vics off who claim to be the national sporting capital of Australia

[rubberman]

If you compare the Flinders Ranges and Wilpena Pound to Uluru, in terms of actual things to do and see and actual beauty, the SA attractions far far outrate those in the NT.

So why does Uluru get near enough to half a million tourists per year? Most of them from overseas.

I suspect that the answer is that NT Tourism is a dynamic focused entity that is well funded. It has convinced the world that a rather ordinary rock is something mystical and an international world wonder. Actually, most people on their way to Uluru make the mistake of thinking that a similar megalith Mt Connor is Ayers Rock. (Mt Conner is actually more regular shape than Ayers Rock/Uluru but who cares?). Frankly, it is no more mystical than Wilpena Pound. It is just sold better. On the back of this salesmanship though is an industry with about 800 employed at the township 20km away, a sealed airport capable of taking 737s and a great boost to the NT economy.

In addition, the management of the resort is very ruthless and thorough in its pursuit of profit. You arrive in the afternoon, and pay for a very expensive ordinary room. You pay for a very expensive evening trip to the rock (plus entrance), you pay for a very expensive meal thereafter, you pay for a very expensive morning trip to the rock (it looks different in the morning light folks), you then pay for a very expensive breakfast, you then get poured on the coach or aeroplane by 0900 in time for the cleaning staff to get your room tidy for the afternoon. Rinse, repeat 365 days per year. Wheee!!

With a very little promotion by SA tourist authorities, this could have been in SA. There is nothing at all to Uluru that could not have been sold in exactly the same way for Port Augusta and Wilpena Pound and the Flinders Ranges.

Maybe we could still do it.

[pushbutton]

tourism is one of our main economic cash-cows.

It is???

No offense but I can't see how. There's nothing for tourists to do here.

[Matt]

Theme park in the parklands? We would have civil war on our hands the tree lover groups would go bananas

Not such a bad suggestion.
Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen (I'm here now actually) is a bit like the Garden of Unearthly Delights, but permanent and with a few other bits and pieces... not quite a theme park, but there are a few rides, a hotel, lakes with paddle boats, water/light shows, fountains, food outlets, amphitheatre for outdoor concerts, etc.

The entire place is beautifully landscaped... immaculate gardens, bags of tulips everywhere, and super clean and tidy.

Something similar to this (probably on a smaller scale) would be nice if enough people got on board and went.

Our weather would lend itself to something like this more than Denmark (it bucketed down today, as it would do often)

[Waewick]

personally I think we need to create things within the CBD bounds that are interesting and free.

we don't need a big glitzy item, we need value add items that people can enjoy because they are hear already which add to the overall product.

things as minor as a hedge maze, or themed gardens that remove the implications that Adelaide has "nothing to offer"

[rhino]

There's nothing for tourists to do here.

Getting really sick of hearing this from you. Have you ever been to Perth? Hobart? Darwin? Found anything to do there (I have, and it has nothing to do with theme parks or rides). There is so much to do here, as has been exampled many times in these forums, and guess what? People do come and do stuff! Have a look in the paper, there is constantly stuff going on. I get the impression that if you are visiting another city, you will make an effort to find out what there is to do there before you go, but here in Adelaide you can't be bothered making that effort, you want it to be in your face so that you don't have to look.

We have the National Motor Museum here, the National Railway Museum, a maritime museum, world renown wine growing areas, beautiful white sand beaches, quaint seaside suburbs, beautiful hills villages, cafes and restaurants everywhere, a brilliant art gallery, an outdoor shopping mall with over 700 shops, little playhouses (theatres) dotted all over, a nightclubbing precinct, beautiful public gardens and a wonderful Botanic Garden, a zoo, an open range zoo, a gorgeous Japanese garden, an adventure playground, an interactive tram museum where you can ride the old trams, a self-guided mangrove walk on a boardwalk that floods when the tide comes in (it's brilliant!), slot-car racing, public swimming pools, surf beaches, jetties to fish off, Cleland Wildlife Park, walking trails in the parklands and up into the hills, and along the beaches, skydiving clubs, model aero clubs, model boat clubs, tracks where you can race your own petrol-driven remote control cars, elite level sports on every weekend March through September, a brewery where you can brew your own beer in tightly controlled conditions, lots of boutique breweries, sailing clubs, marinas where you can organise an afternoon out in the Gulf, scuba diving, hang gliding .... the list goes on...and on...and on

Nothing for tourists to do here!

[Dazzeland]

There's nothing for tourists to do here.

Getting really sick of hearing this from you. Have you ever been to Perth? Hobart? Darwin? Found anything to do there (I have, and it has nothing to do with theme parks or rides). There is so much to do here, as has been exampled many times in these forums, and guess what? People do come and do stuff! Have a look in the paper, there is constantly stuff going on. I get the impression that if you are visiting another city, you will make an effort to find out what there is to do there before you go, but here in Adelaide you can't be bothered making that effort, you want it to be in your face so that you don't have to look.

We have the National Motor Museum here, the National Railway Museum, a maritime museum, world renown wine growing areas, beautiful white sand beaches, quaint seaside suburbs, beautiful hills villages, cafes and restaurants everywhere, a brilliant art gallery, an outdoor shopping mall with over 700 shops, little playhouses (theatres) dotted all over, a nightclubbing precinct, beautiful public gardens and a wonderful Botanic Garden, a zoo, an open range zoo, a gorgeous Japanese garden, an adventure playground, an interactive tram museum where you can ride the old trams, a self-guided mangrove walk on a boardwalk that floods when the tide comes in (it's brilliant!), slot-car racing, public swimming pools, surf beaches, jetties to fish off, Cleland Wildlife Park, walking trails in the parklands and up into the hills, and along the beaches, skydiving clubs, model aero clubs, model boat clubs, tracks where you can race your own petrol-driven remote control cars, elite level sports on every weekend March through September, a brewery where you can brew your own beer in tightly controlled conditions, lots of boutique breweries, sailing clubs, marinas where you can organise an afternoon out in the Gulf, scuba diving, hang gliding .... the list goes on...and on...and on

Nothing for tourists to do here!

THANK YOU!!!!

[Shahkar]

We really need to work on our promotion don't we. Always surprises me how Perth manages to get more tourists than us.

[Will]

There's nothing for tourists to do here.

Getting really sick of hearing this from you. Have you ever been to Perth? Hobart? Darwin? Found anything to do there (I have, and it has nothing to do with theme parks or rides). There is so much to do here, as has been exampled many times in these forums, and guess what? People do come and do stuff! Have a look in the paper, there is constantly stuff going on. I get the impression that if you are visiting another city, you will make an effort to find out what there is to do there before you go, but here in Adelaide you can't be bothered making that effort, you want it to be in your face so that you don't have to look.

We have the National Motor Museum here, the National Railway Museum, a maritime museum, world renown wine growing areas, beautiful white sand beaches, quaint seaside suburbs, beautiful hills villages, cafes and restaurants everywhere, a brilliant art gallery, an outdoor shopping mall with over 700 shops, little playhouses (theatres) dotted all over, a nightclubbing precinct, beautiful public gardens and a wonderful Botanic Garden, a zoo, an open range zoo, a gorgeous Japanese garden, an adventure playground, an interactive tram museum where you can ride the old trams, a self-guided mangrove walk on a boardwalk that floods when the tide comes in (it's brilliant!), slot-car racing, public swimming pools, surf beaches, jetties to fish off, Cleland Wildlife Park, walking trails in the parklands and up into the hills, and along the beaches, skydiving clubs, model aero clubs, model boat clubs, tracks where you can race your own petrol-driven remote control cars, elite level sports on every weekend March through September, a brewery where you can brew your own beer in tightly controlled conditions, lots of boutique breweries, sailing clubs, marinas where you can organise an afternoon out in the Gulf, scuba diving, hang gliding .... the list goes on...and on...and on

Nothing for tourists to do here!

But there's no Dracula's haunted castle or monorail!

[claybro]

Problem seems to be our poor efforts at promoting our attractions rather than our lack of attractions. Rubbermans post in the "suggestions of boosting tourism in SA" thread highlights this perfectly. Our "marketing department" needs a rocket!

[ml69]

Theme park in the parklands? We would have civil war on our hands the tree lover groups would go bananas

Not such a bad suggestion.
Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen (I'm here now actually) is a bit like the Garden of Unearthly Delights, but permanent and with a few other bits and pieces... not quite a theme park, but there are a few rides, a hotel, lakes with paddle boats, water/light shows, fountains, food outlets, amphitheatre for outdoor concerts, etc.

The entire place is beautifully landscaped... immaculate gardens, bags of tulips everywhere, and super clean and tidy.

Something similar to this (probably on a smaller scale) would be nice if enough people got on board and went.

Our weather would lend itself to something like this more than Denmark (it bucketed down today, as it would do often)

I think something a little like this would be perfect for the Pinky Flat area on the northern riverbank of the Torrens.

I envisage something family-friendly like an adventure playground, water playground, food/dining/cafe outlets, lawns and amphitheatre for live music overlooking the river (and back to the city) and beautiful landscaping. Some modern paddleboats would make use of the Torrens and a water/light show on the Torrens would attract people to the food/dining/cafe outlets at night. Decent lighting at night is a must so the area doesn't feel dangerous.

Yes it would borrow elements of Brisbane's Southbank parklands, but I think it would perfectly complement the riverbank setting. And attract many more people than a "wetland" as proposed in the Riverbank master plan.

[pushbutton]

A fair list of things to do there, but they're all very low-key or expensive (or both) compared to what other cities have.

I do go out of my way to try to find things to do here, and was aware of all the things on your list. To me they comprise pretty much nothing when compared to what other cities have to offer.

I don't expect you to agree. Just stating my opinion.

[Matt]

Marketing is an issue.

At the AFL exhibition game in London, there was a "visit SA" page in the Footy Record with an aerial photo of the Victoria Square fountain overlayed with a dated font saying nothing in particular.

Seriously grim.

What about the beaches? (shit on most of Europe's from a great height), The wineries? The cafes/bars/alfresco? The weather that lends itself to being outside, etc, etc.

Any of these would be more appealing and would be a point of difference to people over here.

If you're marketing to Londoners, a dodgy photo of a fountain is going to do very little to encourage people to spend £1,000 on the 24 hour flight over.

[Nathan]

I think the wetlands & boardwalk currently earmarked for Pinky Flat are a good idea. However, there's no reason why something like that couldn't work immediately next to it on the other site of the Morphett St bridge - unless it would be considered too close to the new one in Bonython Park. It could tie in then with the skate park, and would also be good placed near the hospital.

[claybro]

A fair list of things to do there, but they're all very low-key or expensive (or both) compared to what other cities have.

I do go out of my way to try to find things to do here, and was aware of all the things on your list. To me they comprise pretty much nothing when compared to what other cities have to offer.

I don't expect you to agree. Just stating my opinion.

In fairness to you pushbutton, I do agree that although there is plenty to do here, they are difficult to get to (unless you have a car), poorly executed, or outrageously expensive compared to the experience. I recently had some friends visit from Austria. Now there is a country full of natural beauty. Took them to the resort in the Barossa. Great location but the resort seemed a bit shoddy, and very expensive.(we do not do resorts well in SA and Wirrina on the South Coast is another example of a perpetual wasted opportunity) I was disappointed, they were polite. Houseboat on the Murray....they loved it but couldn't believe the price of the houseboat. (mega expensive). Took a beach house on the South Coast.. they absolutely loved it. Their overall impression of SA was it was a bit on the wild side, and loved the wide open spaces and the choice of what is available in the city. The week with them was great for my getting out in my own state, but I did wonder, as a casual international tourist, what they would have done here without local knowledge, given their time frame of 7 days.