“It’s been a major boost,” Janice Kurrle, marketing manager UK and northern Europe for the South Australia Tourism Commission (SATC), told TTG at Australian Tourism Exchange 2016 (ATE) in the Gold Coast, Queensland.

“We’ve also got Emirates and Etihad serving the route, so it’s made [pricing] really competitive now.”

Kurrle added: “It opens up the whole network and means people can start their Australian adventure in Adelaide. Adelaide as a gateway is probably a bit underrated [but] we’ve got a really strong proposition now in terms of entry to Australia.”

The increase in access has also led to a change in awareness and appeal, Kurrle said, explaining: “[South Australia] is becoming a primary destination to visit.”

Kurrle also hinted that more international airlift might be in the pipeline. “Airlines are starting to see Adelaide as an interesting proposition,” she said.

Qatar Airways Doha to Adelaide service launched on May 2.

South Australia has recorded impressive metrics for the UK market, including a 50% uplift in room nights, a 35% uplift in expenditure and a 7% uplift in visitors.

Despite the rise in new source markets, Kurrle said the UK was still a priority for SATC. “The US market is seeing quite a surge and Asia is an emerging market [but] the UK is still number one.”