World-class tourism is no fluke
Tasmania’s tourism boom was planned and so too must be its continued expansion, explains Luke Martin
IN almost every way, Tasmania’s tourism industry has changed dramatically over the past two decades — and for the better.
The success of the twin Spirit of Tasmania ships and the disruption of Australia’s airline industry with the introduction of low-cost carriers has provided unprecedented access to the island from both our traditional and developing domestic markets.
We have seen the development in Tasmania of some of the finest accommodation found anywhere in Australia.
Properties like Avalon, the Henry Jones Art Hotel, Islington, Saffire Freycinet and others, have debunked old cultural-cringe perceptions of Tasmania as just a cheap and cheerful holiday destination for mainlanders.
Alongside Mona, we have developed outstanding worldclass cultural events like Ten Days on the Island, Festival of Voices and Dark Mofo, forging a reputation for unique and contemporary cultural experiences in Tasmania that complement, but do not detract from our cherished nature and wilderness brand.
We have become the go-to destination for multi-day walking; seen golf tourism emerge from the success of Barnbougle; established artisan cheese, whisky, chocolate and now gin experiences across the state, and witnessed the North-East be reborn as one of the world’s great cycling destinations.
With this evolution, our destination marketing has become more sophisticated and dynamic in engaging the travel market to look beyond the scenery to discover in Tasmania a truly immersive and engaging visitor experience.
Our tourism and hospitality industries now offer a genuine career path for young Tasmanians to work with some outstanding tourism operators here at home, or to venture out into the world to develop the skills and insights to eventually come back and add their own chapter to the Tasmanian tourism story as a tourism operator or hospitality professional.
None of this has happened by accident.
It has been through careful strategic planning by industry and all levels of government over a long time, and courageous investments in new visitor infrastructure and experiences.
By working in partnership, tourism operators and government, with the support of the Tasmanian community, have together built a worldclass tourism industry in Tasmania that we can all be proud of and confident in its future.
It is what this future looks like that was the topic of our annual Tasmanian Tourism Conference in Launceston in May.
We heard from a range of speakers considering the global trends and influences that will shape the travel industry over the next two decades and beyond.
From the rise of the millennials as Australia’s largest consumer group, to the influence of modern technologies changing the way we interact with our environment, to the challenge of managing growing global travel and the pressure it brings on smaller destinations.
The theme from all our speakers and delegates was that Tasmania can emerge through these changes as one of the world’s great, small, visitor destinations valued for its culture, outstanding produce and hospitality in a precious environment.
But to do so we must continue to be strategic and work in partnership with the community to grow visitor experiences that build on Tasmania’s strengths, not just draws upon them.
We need to consider how we manage growing visitor sectors and the pressure they generate across the state on our infrastructure, our regional communities, and the attractions that underpin the very reason we are such a desired destination in the first place.
The cruise sector is an example of a rapidly growing travel sector that presents tremendous opportunity for Tasmania, along with its own significant challenges.
Globally, the cruise sector has doubled in size in the past decade and is growing at an average rate of 6 per cent per annum.
Ships are getting bigger and the cruise companies are increasingly looking for the next untapped port, the next unspoiled destination.
Tasmania is at the forefront of this growth and there are few things more impressive than the frequent site of cruise ships docked on the Hobart and Burnie waterfronts.
We know the cruise ships love coming to Tasmania and generate activity that underpin tour operators and attractions across the state.
But this does not mean cruise companies should be given free licence to access any destination they like across the island, or that we should not foster the cruise market
segments that generate maximum value for our local tour operators and regional communities.
While six cruise ship arrivals into Freycinet National Park last summer might not seem a lot, you do wonder if the expectation of a visitor trekking to the Wineglass Bay lookout is to then look down and see a cruise ship docked off our world-famous beach.
Cruise ships arrivals into Port Arthur might be great for the historic site’s visitor numbers, but how many more operators would benefit if the infrastructure was developed somewhere like Triabunna to serve as cruise port for filtering visitation right along the East Coast and down to the Tasman Peninsula.
The demand for these visits is growing, and there are many challenges at destinations like Bruny and Maria Islands.
Much like we have fostered other sectors of the tourism industry through strategy and working together, there is a clear need for all stakeholders to come together and shape the future of the cruise sector in Tasmania.
What are the cruise markets that play to our strengths? Where should infrastructure be developed?
How do we disperse cruise visits across the state?
How do we get the balance right in fostering a dynamic, high-growth travel sector without compromising the unique values and brand that underpins the demand.
If we successfully answer these questions with the cruise sector, it will set a framework for Tasmania to manage other pressure points to come our way with the exciting growth in global travel.