Matt Williams (Hindmarsh, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Summer is not too far away, and where better to go in summer than the great beaches of Adelaide. Adelaide is regularly ranked as one of the most livable cities in the world. Not only do we have an enviable lifestyle, world renowned wineries and wine regions but we have pristine beaches where you can enjoy the warm, dry heat of an Aussie summer. I strongly encourage everyone in the House to head down to Adelaide. Many members of the House are cyclists. I know the member for Isaacs is, and I am sure he will be going to Adelaide in January for the Tour Down Under. He is just giving me the thumbs up, which is great to see. The world Tour Down Under not only is a world-class event but it celebrates cycling and also the many festivals that are on in Adelaide at around that time.

My electorate of Hindmarsh is blessed with some of the best beaches I have ever seen—Somerton, Grange; the list goes on—and there are already some great hotels and tourist spots in the region, from Glenelg and Adelaide Shores to Henley Beach. Regarding Henley Beach, the federal government has contributed $2 million to the redevelopment of Henley Square and, when it is completed in a few months time, I am sure it will be a great place for families to go, with new water parks and decking looking out onto the jetty—a great scene down there.

There is a lot of activity happening in Glenelg at the moment too. There is the redevelopment of the foreshore, where the federal government has contributed $500,000 and is working with the council and other stakeholders. This Saturday there will be a fashion parade along the jetty, as part of the Adelaide Fashion Festival. There will be much more than beachwear on show, as Angel Wings, MAN by Jeans Corp and Jophiel showcase their latest summer fashions in the picturesque setting of the jetty at sunset. I was speaking to the owner of The Beachouse where my children love to go and many other children love to be entertained. He is going to be introducing the world's largest inflatable slide at Glenelg over the summer, so I am looking forward to seeing that.

Recent figures show that Jetty Road, the main tourist strip, has recorded its lowest vacancy rate in six years. This is great news for the local area. Tourists spent about $2 million in Glenelg last year, with 175,000 overnight visitors and almost a million daytrippers. The Jetty Road Mainstreet Management Committee has been championing a new project to have a hotel at the end of the jetty. While it is at an early stage, the committee has commissioned consultancy firm Mott MacDonald to develop concept plans. I have met with several of the people involved and I commend them for coming up with something innovative and visionary. No-one is sure what the final plans will look like or how it will end up, but this is an exciting project. The Holdfast Bay council are right behind it. Linda Johnson, the manager of the Jetty Road Mainstreet Management Committee; chairman Mark Faulkner; and Mike Deare have all been involved in various capacities during the project and, along with many others, should be commended for having a go.

Adelaide, like Australia, needs more four-and five-star hotels. From speaking to the previous tourism minister, Andrew Robb, I know he was always outlining the potential and the need for our tourism infrastructure to be improved. I take heart from the fact that there is some activity and that there are some new projects, such as the one Holdfast Bay council is looking at. In addition, businessman Bruno Marveggio and the state government have announced plans to allow buildings over 10 storeys on the foreshore of Adelphi Terrace along the Anzac Highway, Jetty Road and Pier Street.

By 2020, almost 200 million Chinese tourists are expected to travel internationally, a doubling of current numbers. This is where some of the growth potential is. I was just speaking with the new tourism minister, Richard Colbeck, about the Indian market and the potential there as well. We know that is a real growth area. Australia is well placed to capitalise on this rising demand, but, as I have mentioned, we need significant investment in tourism infrastructure. We need to look at new and iconic hotels that offer international visitors a unique experience.

Tourism Research Australia has released some figures on tourism numbers for the last financial year that show an increase of seven per cent to a new high of 6.6 million visitors. International visitor spend grew by 10 per cent to a record $33.4 billion, or $3.2 billion more than the previous year, and visitor nights increased eight per cent. But South Australia has missed out on this increase and the number of tourists to South Australia fell from 388,000 to 385,000. This is not good enough. The embattled South Australian Minister for Tourism has been under fire for many things over recent months, but if he keeps performing badly South Australia will miss out. We are the only state not to experience an increase in the number of tourists. Tasmania was up 22 per cent, Victoria 11 per cent and Queensland eight per cent. Tourism is a growing industry and an important one. It means more jobs and more economic prosperity for our country.