How do we lose the 'boring & dull' stereotype?

[pushbutton]

One MAJOR thing we lack in Adelaide is tourist attractions.

There are people who will say that we do have some, but honestly, the very few attractions we do have are absolutely pathetic by international, or even national standards.

The recent international campaign "Where the bloody hell are you?" really made me laugh, and cringe actually, because it's obvious that the answer is, they are somewhere where there is something to see and do (eg, not Adelaide!!!)

Adelaide has all the essentials of a really brilliant international tourist destination. We have good weather, great beaches, beautiful countryside and interesting wildlife. Also at long last we finally have a decent airport. Admittedly it's tiny by international standards, but at least it's nice and it is likely to grow and develop further.

Admittedly we do have the Barossa Valley and other wine growing areas, and something COULD be made of that to attract tourists. However as it currently stands, it is simply not enough to make most people in the world want to come here for a holiday!

What we lack is world class resort style hotels, and most importantly THINGS FOR THE TOURISTS TO ACTUALLY DO!

Above all else, we need at least one major, BIG theme park.

There are plenty of suitable sites for such a park, and with a little encouragement from the government (rather than the active discouragement they give at present) there are certainly companies out there who could see Adelaides potential and would be willing to invest in building and operating such a park.

I propose that a very large suitable parcel of land (something about 5 times the area of Mawson Lakes) be identified where there are currently few existing buildings (outisde the metro area but not too far) and that site be declared exclusively a major tourism region. Planning regulations for that area should then be put in place that ONLY permit the construction of facilities that would attract tourists (Hotels, theme parks, casinos, shopping centres, resorts, swimming pools, sports facilities, leisure complexes, theatres, cinemas, restaurants etc)

Once that is set up, a master plan need to be developed to ensure that the tourism region is well planned and well laid out, and to set a high standard for visually attractive buildings.

Ideally this region would include a long stretch of beach too.

Once that is done, the government should then invest in the basic infrastructure (roads, power etc etc) to support the region and build them to a very high standard as can be seen in other international tourist regions, and then pull out all the stops to attract suitable companies to invest in it, promote the region appropriately around the world, and work towards a realistic timeline of say 10 years to have the whole region fully complete and operational.

Give the region an attractive and exciting name and develop an exciting brand for it (logo and marketing theme) to portray it as a modern, family oriented, exciting and uniquely South Australian holiday experience.

I would envisage the tourism region opening in about 3 major adjacent phases, each taking about 3-4 years to develop.

It would require a serious financial investment from the government, but the payoff, if it was done properly, would be massive and ongoing economic benefits from the many thousands of tourists who would flock here. Make it a little different than other existing tourist spots like the gold coast, but make it family friendly and include a few unique attractions that only SA would have.

Provide efficient, fast, fun, safe, attractive and cheap public transport between this major tourism region and other places the tourists might want to look at whilst here (Barossa Valley, Glenelg, Kangaroo island, Victor Harbour, CBD, and of course servicing the airport). I suggest a modern high speed train line at least running from the tourism region to the airport, and special free or cheap buses to link the other places I mentioned (not ordinary transadelaide buses, but something truly world class, with toilets, TVs and catering on board).

Within the tourism region itself, there should be a monorail to link all the attractions.

Off the top of my head, without having done a lot of research, I would suggest somewhere in the vacinity of Victor Harbour could provide the ideal location for this new tourism region. It has beaches, and natural attractions, Victor Harbour itself already has the beginnings of some tourism, it could be under an hour from Adelaide metro area if proper transport was put in, and there is ample open space around it.

[pushbutton]

Interestingly enough, I posted the last post this morning, and then went out for lunch and read todays Sunday Mail. In it was a full page editorial saying pretty much EXACTLY what I said in the above post, that we need things for tourists to DO, ideally a theme park.

Talk about synchronicity!

[cruel_world00]

One MAJOR thing we lack in Adelaide is tourist attractions.

There are people who will say that we do have some, but honestly, the very few attractions we do have are absolutely pathetic by international, or even national standards.

The recent international campaign "Where the bloody hell are you?" really made me laugh, and cringe actually, because it's obvious that the answer is, they are somewhere where there is something to see and do (eg, not Adelaide!!!)

Adelaide has all the essentials of a really brilliant international tourist destination. We have good weather, great beaches, beautiful countryside and interesting wildlife. What we lack is enough world class resort style hotels, and most importantly THINGS FOR THE TOURISTS TO ACTUALLY DO!

Above all else, we need at least one major, BIG theme park.

There are plenty of suitable sites for such a park, and with a little encouragement from the government (rather than the active discouragement they give at present) there are certainly companies out there who could see Adelaides potential and would be willing to invest in building and operating such a park.

I propose that a very large suitable parcel of land (something about 5 times the area of Mawson Lakes) be identified where there are currently few existing buildings (outisde the metro area but not too far) and that site be declared exclusively a major tourism region. Planning regulations for that area should then be put in place that ONLY permit the construction of facilities that would attract tourists (Hotels, theme parks, casinos, shopping centres, resorts, swimming pools, sports facilities, leisure complexes, restaurants etc)

Once that is set up, a master plan need to be developed to ensure that the tourism region is well planned and well laid out, and to set a high standard for visually attractive buildings.

Ideally this region would include a long stretch of beach too.

Once that is done, the government should then invest in the basic infrastructure (roads, power etc etc) to support the region and build them to a very high standard as can be seen in other international tourist regions, and then pull out all the stops to attract suitable companies to invest in it, promote the region appropriately around the world, and work towards a realistic timeline of say 10 years to have the whole region fully complete and operational.

It would require a serious financial investment from the government, but the payoff, if it was done properly, would be massive and ongoing economic benefits from the many thousands of tourists who would flock here. Make it a little different than other existing tourist spots like the gold coast, but make it family friendly and include a few unique attractions that only SA would have. Provide efficient, fun, attractive and cheap public transport between this major tourism region and other places the tourists might want to look at whilst here (Barossa Valley, Glenelg, Kangaroo island, Victor Harbour, CBD)

Off the top of my head, without having done a lot of research, I would suggest somewhere in the vacinity of Victor Harbour could provide the ideal location for this new tourism region. It has beaches, and natural attractions, Victor Harbour itself already has the beginnings of some tourism, it's only about an hour from Adelaide metro area if proper transport was put in, and there is ample open space around it.

That is a great idea. But unfortunately, as is the case in most situations, it requires VISION. Something that the powers that be in SA do not appear to have.

[pushbutton]

No they don't unfortunately, but I do think that is slowly changing. I say again SLOWLY, but it is.

If enough of us get word out that we actually want to see major investment in tourism, sooner or later it might happen, even in Adelaide!

[monotonehell]

That is a great idea. But unfortunately, as is the case in most situations, it requires VISION. Something that the powers that be in SA do not appear to have.

There is one other thing we lack, that's the economics to support a theme park. Theme parks derive the majority of their support from locals. Disneyland would not survive financially with out the huge group of local Angelinos who buy an Annual Passport every year. DisneyWorld is a little different as the scale of the place plus all the other tourist traps around it, makes it a tourist destination in its own right. But the APs still play a large part in their revenue stream.

South Australia simply doesn't have the population to support a theme park that would be World class enough to attract tourists in its own right. What we would get if a developer put up the money would be something parochial that would slowly become neglected (think Magic Mountain).

Even what the Gold Coast has is a bit shabby in terms of World Class.

[Cam]

If you could take Adelaide at one extreme and a Theme Park at the other and morph the two together you might have part of the answer. Also, build Expressways into the City as that will get the heart pumping.

[monotonehell]

If you could take Adelaide at one extreme and a Theme Park at the other and morph the two together you might have part of the answer. Also, build Expressways into the City as that will get the heart pumping.

Explain how?

[jk1237]

Sorry, I just dont see a theme park in the outer suburbs doing all that much for our city. Focusing on inner city vibrancy such as more large scale projects such as the Balfours residential development, and making Adelaide even more of a university city is what I want. University students = vibrancy, young people, nightlife, city living etc

[pushbutton]

Surely even if only 10% of Adelaides population bought an annual pass, that together with interstate and overseas travellers should be enough to keep a park viable shouldn't it?

[Omicron]

Sorry, I just dont see a theme park in the outer suburbs doing all that much for our city. Focusing on inner city vibrancy such as more large scale projects such as the Balfours residential development, and making Adelaide even more of a university city is what I want. University students = vibrancy, young people, nightlife, city living etc

I prefer a more market-driven approach, too - that which results in developments that are more organic in nature and representative of real demand, rather than falling into the potentially perilous trap of creating an attraction without a market. If the population and wealth is there, then the necessary entertainment investment will follow - more people in the CBD demanding more restaurants and bars, Certainly, certain events and buildings can act as major catalysts for fundamental positive changes to the soul and character of a city, but without the vibrancy of population, diversity, density, wealth and youth that already exist (or are easily attained), grandiose developments become nothing more than passing fads unable to be supported in the long-term by the existing market.

I still feel quite strongly that our series of festivals are by no means exploited as well as they could be - considering the vast audiences they reach (or have the potential to reach), the relatively limited financial outlay compared to a multi-million dollar tourist development of some kind appears to give a much greater return on investment, even in the context of shaking off negative stereotypes. Adelaide is a marvellous city when it is packed full of people - strolling through the CBD during the Fringe is one of the most fantastic experiences one can have in a major Australian city, even without a theme park, observation tower, superstadium, international museum or vast skyscraper. Our evolution into a more desirable city must absolutely lie with the pursuit of people and of character, because they give a wonderful, intangible energy unattainable through buildings created solely for the purpose of hopefully finding a new market.

[Will]

Surely even if only 10% of Adelaides population bought an annual pass, that together with interstate and overseas travellers should be enough to keep a park viable shouldn't it?

Not to mention that we do not have the appropriate weather for a theme park.

Theme parks do not belong in Adelaide; that is one thing I wouldn't mind the Gold Coast takes!

[pushbutton]

But how do we not have the appropriate weather? The weather in SA is perfect for a theme park surely? That being said, successful theme parks exist in many parts of the world with varying climates, so I don't think any particular weather is all that important.

We certainly have nice sunny weather a lot of the time though, and if England can have successful booming theme parks then I'm sure SA can!

[Joely]

I'm also against the theme park idea. It's such a done and dusted concept. "We need to boost our tourism, let's just slap a theme park here". Surely we have more class than that.

[monotonehell]

I still feel quite strongly that our series of festivals are by no means exploited as well as they could be - considering the vast audiences they reach (or have the potential to reach), the relatively limited financial outlay compared to a multi-million dollar tourist development of some kind appears to give a much greater return on investment, even in the context of shaking off negative stereotypes. Adelaide is a marvellous city when it is packed full of people - strolling through the CBD during the Fringe is one of the most fantastic experiences one can have in a major Australian city, even without a theme park, observation tower, superstadium, international museum or vast skyscraper. Our evolution into a more desirable city must absolutely lie with the pursuit of people and of character, because they give a wonderful, intangible energy unattainable through buildings created solely for the purpose of hopefully finding a new market.

Well said ol' bean.

Just to pick up on a thread that was mentioned at the start of this discussion, why are so many young professionals leaving Adelaide for OS? Because the jobs just aren't here. We need to foster more industry here that can support the kinds of jobs that out of university 20-somethings are leaving for interstate and overseas to find.

[pushbutton]

I'm also against the theme park idea. It's such a done and dusted concept. "We need to boost our tourism, let's just slap a theme park here". Surely we have more class than that.

Well I agree we have more class than that. Did anyone suggest we just slap a theme park here? I certainly didn't.

My idea was that we develop a fully integrated major tourism region, that would probably include a theme park as one of its many (very classy) elements!

I just think that, while there is merit in the "organic growth" argument, we need to start being a bit more bold and believing in SA as being an attractive place for tourists, and for business for that matter. What if Dubai had taken the "let it develop slowly and organically" approach? Dubai would still now be little more than desert! Instead, it is very rapidly becoming the worlds biggest centre of international tourism and commerce.

Admittedly, we don't have the massive amounts of money they do so I wouldn't suggest we start building any miniature earths just yet! I just think we need to do something MAJOR about bringing tourism to SA, because I honestly believe it could be our biggest industry and generate billions of dollars for SA economy, as well as making Adelaide a much more exciting place to be, and thereby bringing in a higher residential population and more business activity.