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Bunyeroo Valley, Flinders Ranges, South Australia © Ben Goode

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• Getting to South Australia

Vast swathes of ochre outback, dramatic coastline, world-class wineries and historic towns and cities – you’ll find it all in South Australia.

South Australia has made a name for itself as a relaxed region full of wine, wildlife and natural wonder. Soak up the capital of  Adelaide's  sophisticated art and dining scene, taste classic Australian drops in undulating wine regions and watch koalas snooze among island treetops. 

Internationally renowned for its production of fine wines, a trip to South Australia's undulating wine country is a must. But the state is also blessed with azure waters, arid outback and unique natural attractions that will impress and confound. It's an incredible place to explore the outdoors, while never having to sacrifice life's little luxuries.

• Unwind with spectacular wines from the Barossa Valley , McLaren Vale and Adelaide Hills
• Swim with sea lions, dolphins and giant cuttlefish on the Eyre Peninsula
• Discover epic nature and abundant wildlife in the Flinders Ranges or on Kangaroo Island

Adelaide is the most accessible hub to explore South Australia’s diverse regions. 

You can fly to Adelaide from many international destinations, as well as all Australian capital cities. If you’re coming from  Melbourne , don’t miss the opportunity to traverse one of Australia’s most famous road trips – the  Great Ocean Road . Or for an epic outback adventure, embark on the iconic  Explorers Way  road trip from the  Northern Territory's   Darwin  to Adelaide. 

Popular destinations in South Australia

Mclaren Vale

Fleurieu Peninsula

Clare Valley

Trips and itineraries.

Melbourne to Adelaide: A 5-day road trip

14 days from Darwin to Adelaide

Family road trip from Adelaide to Eyre Peninsula

5 days of Kangaroo Island and Adelaide

Things to do in south australia.

Top day trips around Adelaide

Adelaide's best rooftop bars

Unmissable winery experiences in the Barossa Valley

Looking for more inspiration? Go to southaustralia.com

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We acknowledge the Traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Owners of the land, sea and waters of the Australian continent, and recognise their custodianship of culture and Country for over 60,000 years.

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South Australia to host 2025 Australian Regional Tourism Convention

The adelaide hills in south australia will host the australian regional tourism (art) convention from 14-17 october 2025..

Regarded as the most significant annual event for regional tourism, the ART Convention provides a platform where industry experts are given the opportunity to exchange ideas, promote their products, discuss challenges and showcase best practice.

This is the third time this important business event has been held in South Australia, having been previously hosted in the Barossa Valley in 2008 and Victor Harbour in 2015.

Set to attract up to 200 delegates, the ART Conference will showcase the Adelaide Hills and wider South Australia on the national stage to industry, practitioners and government working in regional tourism across Australia.

Alongside promoting our world-class food, wine, and nature-based experiences, the Adelaide Hills convention will focus on key pillars for this regional destination, including agritourism and sustainability – environmental, economic and social. These themes are key to driving long-term success for the Adelaide Hills, and we can’t wait to share the expertise from our region with other national delegates.

Business events are an important economic driver for the state. They also provide fantastic opportunities to showcase South Australia as a must-visit destination to discerning business visitors from across the nation and globe.

In 2024, South Australia hosted a range of business events. These include the Asia Pacific Hotel & Industry Conference, for the fourth year running, attracting a record 1,500 delegates from over 40 countries as well as the Australian Cruise Association Annual Conference.

ART Convention registrations will open soon. For further information, visit www.regionaltourism.com.au .

The 2025 Australian Regional Tourism Convention is proudly supported by the South Australian Tourism Commission, Adelaide Hills Tourism and Business Events Adelaide.

Attributable to Minister for Tourism, Zoe Bettison

We are thrilled to be hosting the 2025 Australian Regional Tourism Convention in the Adelaide Hills, South Australia.

Just 20 minutes’ drive from the CBD, this thriving tourism region offers world-class winery experiences, pristine nature and wildlife, iconic agritourism products including Beerenberg and Jurlique, as well as the charming historic German town, Hahndorf.

The Australian Regional Tourism Convention will give us another valuable opportunity to showcase all that the Adelaide Hills offers, including agritourism, wellness and nature while encouraging delegates to extend their stay and enjoy wider South Australia.

Attributable to Joel Chadwick, Chair ART

Our congratulations to AHT, the South Australian Tourism Commission and Business Events Adelaide for securing this highly sought-after national event. We are excited to be working with Adelaide Hills on delivering an outstanding programme for 2025.

This is a region that anchors heavily into its provenance and nature-based products, historical towns and villages, all of which are supported by a thriving local community and a growing visitor economy, common themes heavily explored by ART.

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Visitor information centres

Visitor information centres and outlets.

South Australia’s Visitor Information Centres (VICs) are an accredited body for tourism information. There are a number of Visitor Information Centres throughout South Australia providing quality service and reliable information. Look for the yellow Accredited ‘i’. Additionally, there are a number of non-accredited visitor information outlets available to assist you with local information. For general travel information and booking enquiries please contact the relevant VIC or visitor information outlet below.

VISITOR INFORMATION CENTRES AND OUTLETS

Plan your trip to south australia, find all the information you need to make the most out of your trip to south australia.

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South Australian Tourist Guides Association

South Australian Tourist Guides Association.

What does s.a.t.g.a. offer.

• I.D. and accreditation card
• Listing on the S.A.T.G.A. website and guides database
• Regular education sessions and familiarisations
• Sharing information and networking opportunities
• Support from experienced colleagues
• A copy of each edition of “Guiding Light”, S.A.T.G.A.’s newsletter
• Use of S.A.T.G.A logo on their business cards
• S.A.T.G.A. Brochure.pdf
• SATGA Newsletter 89  
• SATGA Newsletter 90

South Australian Tourism Commission

The South Australian Tourism Commission (SATC) markets South Australia as a holiday destination nationally and internationally and builds the state's events calendar by securing, developing and expanding major events and festivals to grow the visitor economy and create jobs for the state.

Chief Executive: Emma Terry

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SA tourism businesses urged to spruik green credentials amid post-COVID travel dip

By Josh Brine

ABC South East SA

Topic: Tourism and Leisure Industry

Dan Billingsley and Rachel Gerds have set up geodesic domes at Mount Schank as ecotourism accommodation. ( ABC South East SA: Josh Brine )

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Dan Billingsley and Rachel Gerds never pictured setting up glamping domes on the side of a dormant volcano.

The couple had planned to start a tourism business in Europe, but instead, they settled in South Australia's South East and turned a horse paddock at the base of Mount Schank into ecotourism accommodation.

"I don't think you need to build the traditional cottage or cabin-style dwelling that run a lot more expensive than these do," Mr Billingsley said.

"If you have something that's beautiful enough they [visitors] are happy to come out here and spend the time in nature."

Industry bodies hope these ecotourism offerings will help SA's regional tourism market bounce back after a post-COVID dip.

Ecotourism accommodation is growing in popularity in regional SA. ( Supplied: Tahnee Jade Photography )

Regional tourism's 'new normal'

According to Tourism Industry Council SA (TiCSA) data released last month, the visitor economy in regional parts of the state shrunk by 15 per cent in the 2023-24 financial year, from $4.7 billion in 2022-23 to $4 billion.

TiCSA chief executive Shaun de Bruyn said many tourists were heading back overseas for their holidays.

"There's also a significant price advantage in terms of flying overseas, in terms of how far your dollar goes when we're having cost of living challenges," he said.

"There's opportunity to do holidays overseas that quite often are significantly cheaper than doing it in Australia."

SA Tourism Minister Zoe Bettison says regional tourism has dipped since COVID-19. ( ABC News )

South Australia's Tourism Minister Zoe Bettison said the domestic dip was a "new normal" after record highs during COVID-19.

"We saw enormous increases in regional tourism in '21 and '22," she said.

"What we need to do is continue to market our regional areas to attract new people to come and visit."

Eco-friendly options

Elsewhere in SA, Martin Freney runs an "Earthship" bed-and-breakfast at Ironbank, on Adelaide's outskirts, and designs other self-sufficient "EarthBnBs".

One has been completed at Willunga, while there are plans for another at Penola and two in New South Wales.

The off-grid sites are made from sustainable or reused materials, such as old tyres, and are covered over with earth.

Martin Freney's earthship, which he built in Ironbank, is another example of South Australian eco-accommodation. ( Supplied: Martin Freney )

"People are attracted to the name and just think it sounds interesting," Dr Freney said.

"It's people of all walks of life who seem to really enjoy it."

Dr Freney said he's noticed more people looking for ecological holiday experiences.

"Rather than jumping on a plane, they're jumping in a car and driving for four hours to some beautiful place they've never been before," he said.

Martin Freney has designed self-sufficient bed and breakfasts. ( Supplied: Martin Freney )

Reaching a new audience

Ms Gerds said social media was the main method that ecotourism operators now used for marketing.

She said it was particularly important to reach younger, inner-city residents.

"The tourism market, like any market, is increasingly competitive and any way you can differentiate yourself, the better," she said. 

The geodesic dome tents at Mount Schank are one example of ecotourism in SA. ( Supplied: Take Us With You )

Ms Gerds said regional operators, in particular, could ride the ecotourism wave that has become popular online.

"[These places] tend to be farther from the major centres, but that's what makes them so beautiful," she said.

"Instagram, being a more visual platform, really lends itself to marketing our accommodation."

Dr Freney's bed and breakfast is made of reused materials, including car tyres. ( Supplied: Martin Freney )

Spruiking green credentials

Mr de Bruyn said tourism operators needed to expand their customer base and focus on attracting visitors who wouldn't normally consider heading to regional and rural communities for a holiday.

He said more visitors were seeking offerings with strong environmental credentials and believed that gave SA a significant advantage.

"The reliance and the use of renewables in South Australia is incredibly special by global standards," he said.

"Our single-use plastics regime is a really important part of how government has worked with industry over time.

"That positions us so well with these consumers that are really environmentally conscious." 

Ms Bettison said marketing the state's green credentials was being discussed within the SA Tourism Commission.

"We have what the world wants, whether it's decarbonisation or this beautiful ability to immerse yourself with nature," she said.

ABC South East SA — local news in your inbox

The South Australian Tourism Commission (SATC) is the lead State Government body for the cruise industry in South Australia and welcoming cruise ship visits in ports and anchorages in the state.

Key ports of call are Adelaide, Port Lincoln and Kangaroo Island.

Over the past two decades the SATC has worked with a wide range of industry partners to develop, manage and grow the state’s cruise industry. This is achieved through encouraging new investment into South Australia’s port infrastructure, service delivery and new product development as well as playing an active role by contributing to and providing leadership for national initiatives.

The SATC are committed to growing the visitor economy to $12.8 billion by 2030 and cruise will play a vital role in supporting this.

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South Australia to host 2025 Australian Regional Tourism Convention

The Adelaide Hills in South Australia will host the Australian Regional Tourism (ART) Convention from 14-17 October 2025.   Regarded as the most significant annual event for regional tourism, the ART Convention provides a platform where industry experts are given the opportunity to exchange ideas, promote their products, discuss challenges and showcase best practice.   This is the third time this important business event has been held in South Australia, having been previously hosted in the Barossa Valley in 2008 and Victor Harbour in 2015.   Set to attract up to 200 delegates, the ART Conference will showcase the Adelaide Hills and wider South Australia on the national stage to industry, practitioners and government working in regional tourism across Australia.   Alongside promoting our world-class food, wine, and nature-based experiences, the Adelaide Hills convention will focus on key pillars for this regional destination, including agritourism and sustainability – environmental, economic and social. These themes are key to driving long-term success for the Adelaide Hills, and we can’t wait to share the expertise from our region with other national delegates.   Business events are an important economic driver for the state. They also provide fantastic opportunities to showcase South Australia as a must-visit destination to discerning business visitors from across the nation and globe.   In 2024, South Australia hosted a range of business events. These include the Asia Pacific Hotel & Industry Conference, for the fourth year running, attracting a record 1,500 delegates from over 40 countries as well as the Australian Cruise Association Annual Conference.   ART Convention registrations will open soon. For further information, visit www.regionaltourism.com.au .   The 2025 Australian Regional Tourism Convention is proudly supported by the South Australian Tourism Commission, Adelaide Hills Tourism and Business Events Adelaide.   Minister for Tourism, Zoe Bettison said it is a thrill to be hosting the 2025 Australian Regional Tourism Convention in the Adelaide Hills, South Australia.   "Just 20 minutes’ drive from the CBD, this thriving tourism region offers world-class winery experiences, pristine nature and wildlife, iconic agritourism products including Beerenberg and Jurlique, as well as the charming historic German town, Hahndorf," Minister Bettison said.    "The Australian Regional Tourism Convention will give us another valuable opportunity to showcase all that the Adelaide Hills offers, including agritourism, wellness and nature while encouraging delegates to extend their stay and enjoy wider South Australia."   ART Chair, Joel Chadwick congratulated AHT, the South Australian Tourism Commission and Business Events Adelaide for securing this highly sought-after national event.

"We are excited to be working with Adelaide Hills on delivering an outstanding programme for 2025," Mr Chadwick said.     "This is a region that anchors heavily into its provenance and nature-based products, historical towns and villages, all of which are supported by a thriving local community and a growing visitor economy, common themes heavily explored by ART."

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