The South Australian Premier has announced that as of midnight tonight (Wednesday), South Australia will open its borders to New South Wales.
According to the Australian Chamber - Tourism, in 2019, one in four visitors to South Australia came from NSW, representing about 800,000 trips.
"This decision will mean South Australia can start to build back $2.5 Billion in domestic interstate tourism enjoyed pre-COVID," Australian Chamber Tourism chair John Hart said.
"These border closures have had a profoundly detrimental impact on tourism businesses, with the domestic interstate tourism June data down 82 per cent compared to last year and the overnight spend down to $404 million compared to $2.9 billion in June 2019."
The announcement comes just days after the SA government said it would offer South Australians travel vouchers of up to $100 to use towards accommodation across the state, as part of a significant tourism stimulus package to boost the visitor economy.
The Australian Federation of Travel Agents (AFTA) also welcomed the decision along with a move by Queensland to relax its border restrictions with parts of NSW.
“South Australia’s decision is very welcome and Queensland’s expansion of the border bubble to allow an additional five local government areas to enter the state is a step in the right direction, especially given New South Wales has just 16 active cases which are predominantly returned international travellers and zero locally acquired cases,” AFTA CEO Darren Rudd said.
Whether it be a last minute long weekend escape or a Christmas holiday break, South Australia has something for everyone - and it’s now right at your fingertips. With this in mind, we present a list of some of the best ‘eat, play, stay’ experiences in the state.
Visit SouthAustralia.com for further information on the below.
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