Reports over the last week have brought home the dire situation playing out across the accommodation industry, particularly in the Adelaide CBD.
While the regions have fared better over the last 18 months, the lack of interstate and international travel has brought the city accommodation sector to its knees. This was particularly evident at Adelaide Airport first thing yesterday morning which was so quiet, there was not even an attendant to move along cars for parking too long in the pick-up/drop-off zone.
Consequentially, hospitality and retail have borne a significant brunt as a result of empty hotels, exposing a gaping hole in the city economy. Over the past two months, the South Australian Business Chamber members have raised extremely concerning numbers on occupancy rates and the need for substantive financial support to keep staff in jobs. A case on behalf of industry, including the South Australian Business Chamber, has been put forward to the State Government and we look forward to a prompt response.
On a brighter note, the announcement of the #GoToTown campaign last week will be welcome news for many businesses in the CBD.
The South Australian Business Chamber, South Australia’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry, welcomes any initiative by the State Government that will help kickstart the Adelaide CBD economy. As the hub of our state, and home to some 15,000+ local businesses, 142,000+ employees and 18.2% of SAs (GSP) gross state product, support in this area could not be more vital to the state’s recovery.
Although these short-term campaigns are important, with the next state election looming, bold and creative ideas must be brought to the table from all sides of politics to further aide our CBD to a position of long-term, sustainable growth and prosperity.
The South Australian Business Chamber’s ‘Charter22’ was released last month, outlining multiple initiatives that could have a sustained impact on the success of our city, including our natural pool proposal for the Torrens and recommendation around positioning South Australia for major sustainability events, including the UN COP conference to be held in Glasgow next month, a city half the size of Adelaide.
Our CBD heavily relies on tourism-based initiatives like the Fringe and Adelaide Festivals. A COVID de-risk fund as recommended in Charter22 for the events, arts and live performance industries would provide organisers with the certainty they need to take a risk and start organising such events for 2022. This would provide accommodation, hospitality, and retail establishments with the confidence required to stand strong over the coming months.
The light at the end of the COVID tunnel is getting brighter and we have every reason to be confident in Adelaide’s future.
The South Australian Business Chamber will continue to advocate for any realistic and achievable measure to ensure every organisation, big or small has a fighting chance of thriving on the other side of the pandemic.
In the meantime, I encourage everyone to take advantage of the #GoToTown campaign by snapping up a city deal and enjoying the many offerings of our wonderful town.
Originally published in The Advertiser’s South Australian Business Journal on 07 September, 2021
