Kick putt: State celebrates golf tournament bonanza
Interstate and international visitors to the LIV Golf event have delivered an economic boost benefiting businesses far beyond The Grange, proprietors say.
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Interstate and international visitors to the LIV Golf event have delivered an economic boost benefiting businesses far beyond The Grange, proprietors say.
Tourism Minister Zoe Bettison said many of those who visited the state to attend the Saudi-backed tournament had also explored other attractions in the city, or made regional trips.
“We are so happy to see people out and about exploring Adelaide, dining at our restaurants, wineries and cafes, visiting the Adelaide Zoo, our national parks, the Jam Factory and the art gallery,” she said.
“The city is buzzing and our regions and country towns are also getting a lot of attention from international and out-of-state visitors who have never been here before.
“Their feedback and love for South Australia has been overwhelming.”
More than 63,000 tickets were sold for the inaugural three-day tournament, with about 30 per cent of ticketholders from interstate and a further 10 per cent from overseas.
Official figures have not yet been released, but Ms Bettison said the popularity of the event translated into a strong weekend for hotel and restaurant bookings.
Jodi Brown, general manager at Eos by SkyCity, said the hotel was at 100 per cent occupancy over the weekend.
“Importantly, for the first time since opening in late 2020, the majority of our guests are international visitors,” she said.
“We’re not only showcasing Adelaide’s most luxurious accommodation to the world, but these guests also have a high level of expenditure which flows on throughout the precinct …”
Laura Sharrad, co-owner of Fugazzi Restaurant, said the venue had noticed more new customers and more walk-ins, especially pre and post events like the Gather Round matches.
“In fact, during the month of April so far at Fugazzi, 70 per cent of our diners have been new customers and 45 per cent of those being interstate or overseas travellers,” she said.
“These are definitely strong indicators of new money coming into the state and through our doors.”
Rachael Harman, general manager at the Sofitel, said 50 per cent of guests this weekend had come from overseas.
“Events like this help create great energy throughout the hotel and for visitors to the city generally,” she said.
“Looking ahead we are certainly feeling positive with Tasting Australia, NRL State of Origin and FIFA Women’s World Cup on the agenda.”
It comes as new figures released by hotel market data analytics firm STR showed the Friday and Saturday of last weekend AFL Gather Round attracted $6.8m in hotel bookings.
The data — which is collected directly from hotel reservation systems — means Saturday’s $3.5m figure now ranks as the highest-ever revenue for a single night on record for accommodation in Adelaide.
Friday’s $3.3m figure ranks the second-highest.
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