The Adelaide Oval has already set all sorts of records for crowds this year – and it’s about to break another.
3000 people have booked into the famous Adelaide Oval tours for September so far, which is not far off what the Oval used to attract throughout a whole year prior to the redevelopment.
And on September 19th the Oval is expecting more than 300 patrons to tour in one day – a record since its reopening and more than double the August daily average of 114.
“We understand the Oval used to cater for around 3-5000 people annually coming through for tours,” said Laura Robinson, the Adelaide Oval SMA’s Tourism & Programs Manager.
“Since we re-started the tours just before last December’s Ashes Test match, more than 15,000 people have come through the gates and it doesn’t look like slowing,” she said.
“The demand is just incredible; people are coming from all over South Australia, Australia and the world to see the Adelaide Oval – and from all accounts, they absolutely love what they see.”
Some facts and figures about Adelaide Oval tours:
- 3000 patrons have booked for tours in September, predominantly though group tours which are fully booked. This number will increase as public tours continue.
- The 15,000 who have come through the Oval (between December 2013 and the end of August 2014) include tourists, school groups, corporate groups and locals.
- The Adelaide Oval SMA now has 53 guides, all of whom are volunteers, and is planning to recruit another 25+ in preparation for summer. The guides have led more than 650 tours to date.
- The Oval averages around 4-5 tours every weekday, and that number will likely increase to up to seven tours a day heading into summer.
- October is almost a sell-out for group bookings.
“While the Oval is undoubtedly the main attraction, the real stars are our volunteers,” Laura said.
“Their passion and knowledge is what makes a tour of the Adelaide Oval such a fantastic experience for everyone and we think it’s one of the big reasons why they’ve been so successful.”
