Wavemaker  has expanded its relationship with the South Australian Tourism Commission (SATC) after securing the commission’s Destination media account following a competitive agency review.

The new appointment, effective Thursday, October 1, brings SATC’s Destination and Events media portfolios under one agency, giving Wavemaker responsibility for a broader tourism brief covering Australian domestic media as well as global markets, with New Zealand excluded from the remit.

The development follows the agency’s earlier success with SATC’s Events portfolio, which Wavemaker Adelaide secured in June. With both assignments now housed within the agency, Wavemaker is set to coordinate media activity across two closely connected areas of South Australia’s tourism promotion.

Client Director Jess Phillips will take charge of the combined portfolio. Phillips has already worked closely with SATC’s Events team for several years, making her appointment to lead the expanded account a continuation of an existing relationship with the commission.

Describing the development as a long held professional ambition, Phillips said the opportunity to bring the two portfolios together represented an ideal scenario for the agency.

She said South Australia offered a rich collection of stories for the team to communicate, adding that Wavemaker planned to apply fresh insights and energy to the state’s “Celebrate the Simple Pleasures” platform while helping increase visitation.

For Wavemaker Adelaide, the expanded relationship also places greater emphasis on the value of combining local market knowledge with the resources of an international agency network.

Wavemaker Adelaide Managing Director Kevin Kivi said the agency was proud to have earned responsibility for both the Destination and Events portfolios, pointing to SATC’s role in determining how South Australia is presented to audiences beyond the state.

According to Kivi, Wavemaker’s Adelaide team brings strong local understanding to the assignment, while its global network provides additional scale and capabilities.

He added that the agency sees South Australia as having a compelling tourism story and intends to help more people discover the state as a destination to visit, experience and invest in.

The expanded account arrives as South Australia pursues ambitious tourism growth targets. Under its refreshed Tourism Plan 2030, SATC aims to increase the state’s appeal as an Australian tourism destination from sixth to third and grow the visitor economy to $12.8 billion by 2030.

That ambition gives the media mandate a broader commercial context, particularly as tourism continues to contribute substantially to the state economy.

The latest SATC visitor economy figures show that total visitor expenditure reached $11.5 billion in the year ending March 2026, representing a five per cent increase on the previous year.

International tourism also recorded growth during the period, with international expenditure rising 16 per cent to $1.7 billion, while international visits increased four per cent to 452,000.

Against that backdrop, the Destination account gives Wavemaker a role in communicating South Australia’s tourism proposition across multiple markets while supporting the commission’s wider visitor economy objectives.

The agency will also build on the destination brand platform “Celebrate the Simple Pleasures”, which SATC introduced as part of its broader strategy for increasing demand and strengthening the state’s tourism appeal. The commission identifies nature, food, wine and drink, alongside events and festivals, as key competitive drivers for South Australia.

The decision also marks a return to a relationship that has changed hands over the years. Carat, the incumbent agency, took over the account from Wavemaker in 2021. Wavemaker’s latest win therefore restores the agency to the Destination assignment while simultaneously expanding its remit through the Events portfolio secured earlier this year.

For SATC, bringing the two portfolios together under one agency creates an opportunity to connect destination marketing with the events that attract visitors to the state.

For Wavemaker Adelaide, the expanded remit creates a single platform from which it can coordinate campaigns across domestic and international audiences.

The agency’s appointment comes at a time when South Australia is seeking to convert growing visitor expenditure into further long term tourism value.

SATC says its broader strategy is designed not only to increase demand but also to develop new tourism products and experiences and position tourism as a force for economic, social and environmental good.

With the Destination and Events accounts now combined, Wavemaker Adelaide will therefore be tasked with translating the state’s tourism proposition into media activity capable of reaching audiences across Australia and international markets, while helping SATC pursue its 2030 visitor economy ambitions.