South Australian Tourism Commission Chief Executive, Andrew McEvoy has praised this week�s announcement by Tiger Airways to launch a second Australian base in Adelaide, saying it will be of huge benefit to the local tourism industry. �Adelaide makes perfect sense as the place for Tiger Airways to base airlines and crews,� Mr McEvoy said.

�Our central location means it is within easy flying distance of most of Australia�s capital cities and regional centres.

�Tiger�s use of Adelaide as a base potentially means 10 million extra passengers coming into and out of Adelaide Airport during the next eight years.

�This is great news for the State�s tourism industry, and means more interstate visitors will be able to travel to South Australia more affordably. �The introduction of low cost carriers has already been beneficial in attracting bigger numbers of visitors from interstate

�These carriers make South Australia cost competitive with other capital city destinations as a holiday destination.�

�The South Australian Tourism Commission has worked with Adelaide Airport and the Department of Trade and Economic Development to secure Adelaide as Tiger Airways� second Adelaide base.

�It has been a fantastic joint effort to secure this deal, and the SATC will continue its collaborative efforts in the future to entice more airlines and flights into and out of Adelaide.�

Mr McEvoy said the demand for flights into Adelaide is strong and every time new capacity is introduced the take up is immediate.

�It demonstrates that Adelaide and South Australia is under-serviced and that there is more opportunity to grow,� he said.

�That is why we have been working so closely with airlines to improve air access to the State. In the past five years, the number of weekly international flights has doubled from 13 to 26.�

For More Information:

Melissa Humphrey, Media Relations Manager, Ph: 0245 766985 Mob:0414 317 913 E:melissa.humphrey@tourism.sa.com