A new virtual tip jar is giving South Australian tourism operators a helping hand – and a virtual spotlight – during the COVID-19 travel restrictions.
The initiative has been launched by the South Australian Tourism Commission (SATC) via its online content platform SATV.
It gives people the opportunity to contribute what they can to South Australian tourism operators at a time when they need it the most.
Tourism is a key economic driver in South Australia – contributing $8.1 Billion to the economy, and employing more than 38,900 people across 18,000 businesses.
The Virtual Tip Jar function is another way that the cooped-up community can continue to support local tourism operators and businesses to help give them confidence in their offering until restrictions can be eased.
SATV is a whole lot of fun, featuring businesses hosting a virtual version of their product or experience, such as online cooking classes, wildlife and nature experiences, happy hours and cocktail making demonstrations, as well as virtual wine tastings.
It was launched in April with the aim of giving South Australian tourism operators and businesses a platform to continue to promote what they do or their adapted offering, as well as taking people on a visual journey through some of South Australia’s most iconic regions – all without leaving the comfort of their lounge room.
SATC Chief Executive Rodney Harrex said the agency is committed to finding innovative ways to support the state’s tourism industry get through this crisis and rebound as strongly as possible on the other side.
“The virtual tip jar aims to appeal to the kindness of the Australian community, many of whom are looking for ways to support fellow Aussies and local businesses during these unprecedented times.”
SATC Chief Executive Rodney Harrex
“As people can’t physically travel in or to our state right now, the content on SATV is designed to inspire cooped-up travellers and keep SA top of mind for when it is safe to travel again.”
The Virtual Tip Jar function is located above each video listed on
www.southaustralia.com/SATV with contributions from as small as $5 made using Stripe payment and deposited directly into the corresponding operators’ bank account.
Early results from SATV show the platform is reaching a wide audience with more than 20,000 views across the video series and more than 19,500 direct leads back to South Australian tourism businesses – many of those leads going to the new adapted e-commerce offers. More than 450,000 visits to southaustralia.com since SATV’s launch, indicate there remains a strong desire for travel to SA.
To view SATV and access the tip jar, see southaustralia.com/SATV.
