David Koch appointed new chair of the South Australian Tourism Commission

The Sydney-based media star says he won’t need to be in Adelaide to make a difference to the state.

High-profile media personality David “Kochie” Koch has been named the new chair of the South Australian Tourism Commission (SATC).

Mr Koch, a former Sunrise host who has been chair of the Port Adelaide Football Club since 2012, will work with the SATC board to set the agenda for the commission, which is an independent statutory authority.

He has dismissed concerns that he will take up the role while living interstate – saying he will bring a valuable “national perspective”.

Mr Koch, whose three-year appointment will begin on July 2, will replace Andrew Bullock, who has served as chair of SATC since 2019.

David Koch has been appointed the new chair of the South Australian Tourism Commission for a three-year term from July. Picture: Jonathan Ng

Premier Peter Malinauskas, who announced the appointment on Thursday alongside Tourism Minister Zoe Bettison, said Kochie is a well-known figure to all Australians and has always been tremendously passionate about his home state of South Australia.

“He has long-been a fierce advocate for small business which is the lifeblood of our tourism industry,” he said.

“Through major events like LIV Golf and Gather Round, the eyes of the nation and the world are upon us.

“We need to capitalise on these opportunities to sell what South Australia has to offer as a unique holiday destination for both interstate and overseas travellers.”

He thanked Mr Bullock for his leadership of the SATC over the past five years.

Mr Koch said South Australia has many advantages “that make us an ideal destination for holidaymakers”.

“We do the best food and wine in the nation, and we have some of the nation’s most spectacular regions,” he said.

“We also retain a reputation for delivering first-class major events and festivals.

“More recently, the perceptions of Adelaide and South Australia have shifted significantly on the east coast – and we have an opportunity to capitalise on this momentum to grow our tourism sector even further.”

Mr Koch said a focus for him will be trying to help small businesses in tourism to grow through innovation.

Asked about concerns that he doesn’t live in South Australia – Mr Koch has been a long-term resident of Sydney – he said the same issue had been raised when he took on the role at Port Adelaide.

“I bring a national perspective, which I think can be really valuable,” he said.

“My role isn’t to be here running South Australian tourism - it’s being able to help direct strategic issues and strategic initiatives and plans going forward, to be a sounding board to (SATC chief executive) Emma Terry.”

He said he and his family are already regular visitors to South Australia due to family and business commitments, but he expected he would spend more time in the state after he started in the position.

However, a Facebook poll of Advertiser readers on Thursday showed 360 agreed the SATC chair should live in South Australia, compared to 211 who disagreed.