South Australia Tourism opens new office in Hong Kong

By Kenny Coyle Hong kong South Australia's Tourism Commission (SATC) has opened a new office in Hong Kong to spearhead the state's promotion in what it sees as the "most lucrative, emerging international tourism market of the decade", according to SATC chief executive Bill Spurr. China and Hong Kong are the third and fourth largest Asian source markets for South Australia and have registered strong growth over the past few years with the HKSAR achieving eight per cent average growth since and Mainland visitor levels growing by 161 per cent in 2002, with only Sars bucking the upward trend. Aside from general leisure tourism, South Australia is keen to build on its potential for incentives said SATC marketing manager, China and Hong Kong, Anna Cheung. She has previously worked for Air New Zealand, DragonAir and Cathay Pacific. The SATC plans to raise the profile of South Australia, building on the existing recognition of state capital, Adelaide, and the ecologically diverse destination of Kangaroo Island. South Australia is famed for its wine and cuisine, being the heart of the Australian wine industry. Vineyard tours and wine-tasting programmes have become an important part of corporate incentive trips across Australia. The SATC operates from the same HKSAR offices as the Australian Tourism Commission.