Latest data from Tourism Research Australia shows total visitor expenditure in South Australia for the year-ending September 2023 reached $10.2 billion, and that international expenditure has surpassed its pre pandemic value to hit a record $1.22 billion.

The International and National Visitor Survey results show:

• Total visitor expenditure in South Australia reached $10.2 billion – a new all-time high for the state.
• International spend has grown to $1.22 billion, surpassing the previous record of $1.21 billion in December 2019.
• Interstate spend has reached a high of $3.6 billion, up $69 million in the last quarter with intrastate spend steady at a high of $3.2 billion.
• Visitor spend in regional South Australia remains strong at $4.7 billion, driven by the intrastate market and re-emerging international market.
• Visitor spend in Adelaide is at a record $5.6 billion, driven by strong growth from the international market.

Australian Hotels Association SA CEO Anna Moeller said the data supporting this record milestone reinforced that tourism and hospitality had the potential to be a significant engine room for jobs and investment in South Australia going forward.

"These results are reflective of the continuing recovery of the industry post the devastation of COVID," Ms Moeller said.

The news comes on the back of several successful summer sporting events in South Australia, including the Santos Tour Down Under which drew cycling enthusiasts from around Australia and the world, and the Adelaide International, which drew a bumper crowd of 51,117 tennis fans – the highest attendance for a single-week event since 2020.

Adelaide International tournament director Alicia Molik said there was a huge appetite for world-class tennis in South Australia.

"The fans have spoken; they love tennis and the experience at The Drive," Ms Molik said.

"The players love competing here in Adelaide, the environment space and ease of the Adelaide International continue to be the common thread when speaking with the playing group. There is nowhere else they would rather be."

In other tourism news, caravan parks, houseboats, tour operators, shack accommodation and other River Murray tourism businesses significantly impacted by last year’s once-in-a-century flooding event will receive a combined $315,000 boost from the State Government to support recovery.

Grants from $5000 to $50,000 will be allocated to 14 tourism businesses throughout low-lying Murray River regions as part of the South Australian Tourism Commission’s Mid Murray River Tourism Business Support Program.