According to newly released data, Adelaide’s post-pandemic visitation levels in April 2024 (including visitors and workers) were above those achieved in 2019, surging ahead of East Coast cities, thanks to weekend tourists attending some of the many events in our vibrant city.
The Tourism & Transport Forum (TTF) and DSpark report, released today, found that Adelaide and Perth have recovered post-pandemic with vigour not seen since 2019.
Of course, we Adelaideans already know that our city reigns supreme, but how validating is it to get rock-solid data that it’s next-level awesome?
Adelaide outstripped other major Australian cities’ visitor numbers to its central business district (CBD), a a testament to our community’s resilience and passion to thrive, not just survive.
The city’s weekend activities have garnered most of the attention. Total visitation in April 2024 was 101% compared to pre-COVID levels, while weekend visitation was 108%. If you thought the ‘buzz’ of our city’s nightlife had amped up, you’d be correct, with data showing a 121% improvement on the pre-2019 levels.
Major props for the surge go to sensational sporting events, the AFL Gather Round and LIV Golf Adelaide. We’re also kicking conference goals with recent events collectively attracting nearly 3,100 delegates during April.
Other events that have swiped the national and global highlighter over Adelaide, include the Santos Tour Down Under, Adelaide Fringe, WOMADelaide, Tasting Australia presented by RAA Travel, and the sold-out CommBank Matildas match at Adelaide Oval (go gettem girls!).
With this uptake in tourism, Adelaide’s hotels are heaving, achieving the highest occupancy rates among 14 major cities across Australia and New Zealand in April. Not only did our hotels achieve chart-topping volumes, but the nightly revenue for metropolitan Adelaide hotels hit an all-time high, averaging $2.1 million!
Minister for Tourism Zoe Bettison reinforced the city’s standing as one of Australia’s most vibrant capitals, saying:
“Adelaide is once again among the nation’s most vibrant capital cities, as one of the top performing cities in Australia for CBD visitation post pandemic.”
“These results help demonstrate why the State Government is backing major events such as AFL Gather Round and LIV Golf Adelaide as they help drive people back into our city and into our tourism and hospitality businesses.”
“We are committed to continuing to deliver innovative events and activities to boost visitation in our CBD and beyond and put valuable dollars into the pockets of South Australian businesses.”
“And there are certainly many reasons to continue to visit our city over winter, including the Adelaide Cabaret Festival which opened this week and the highly anticipated return of Illuminate Adelaide next month.”
If you’re not already giving Adelaide’s tourism and hospitality sectors a standing ovation, now would be a good time!
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