David Koch has been chosen to chair South Australia’s Tourism Commission, even though he lives in Sydney.
The high-profile appointment has raised concerns among some South Australians who believe that a local should have been chosen for the job.
“It’s a little bit weird that he doesn’t live in SA – that he’s not living here but being the head of it,” one said.
“It would be nice to have someone embedded in SA, living in SA, part of the community in SA as well,” said another.
Premier Peter Malinauskas has defended the decision, highlighting Koch’s national profile and financial expertise, which he believes will be valuable in advising small businesses in the tourism sector.
“We as a state have punched above our weight in regards to tourism and hospitality but there is a lot more growth to be had,” Malinauskas said.
Koch, for his part, was born in Adelaide but said he won’t be moving back for the role.
“My businesses are based in the Eastern states and my family is there so (wife) Lib and I have been looking at buying a place here – an apartment – so we can have a home base,” he said.
He believes the South Australian Tourism Commission has been on the right track, even amidst challenges such as the Sam Smith concert for social media influencers, the controversial “most boring state ever” campaign and the directive to interstate media to stop calling Adelaide the “City of Churches”.
“You’ve got to try everything, you’ve got to be innovative,” he said.
This article was produced with the assistance of 9ExPress.
