Cradling our island like a baby
We can have tourism without killing the best of Tasmania, explains Luke Martin We can hardly compare the experience of ‘over-tourism’ in some of Europe’s larger cities to our own industry
As we enter another busy summer visitor season with more tourists on our roads, in our parks and our communities, it is understandable some Tasmanians are considering where the tourism growth we have experienced over the past few years is ultimately headed and what it means for our state.
Some commentators have gone so far as citing European cities like Barcelona and Venice grappling with tens of millions of annual visitors as a warning sign to Tasmania with our 1.3 million annual visitors.
Others have pointed to a new carpark at the Bruny Neck as evidence of us ‘killing the golden goose’, conveniently ignoring the fact carparking at that site has been a glaring red flag for public safety and wildlife preservation for decades.
Tasmanians understand and value the positive contribution tourism makes to our community.
A recent EMRS survey indicated Tasmanians see tourism as the industry with the greatest potential to contribute sustainably and positively to Tasmania over the next few years.
We value the increased flights and new air routes tourism growth delivers the state. We recognise growing visitor numbers gives people confidence to establish their own businesses.
It brings new events to Tasmania and there’s a sense of pride we can all share in laying claim to being the best performing tourism destination in the country over the past few years.
But with any growth comes challenges, some of which have been recently highlighted. Infrastructure pressure in our regional areas, long-term under-investment in our parks and reserves, skills shortages and the scale of some proposed developments are all real issues requiring serious responses and leadership.
As the peak body for the Tasmanian tourism industry we’re investing a lot of energy into considering how our industry can evolve over the next 10 and 20 years.
This starts with recognising the things that make Tasmania such a desirable place to visit — our natural environment, our sense of community and scale — are also the things that make Tasmania such a great place to live.
This means encouraging tourism that works in the best interests of the state, and not the other way around. Supporting investment in our industry that adds to the strength of the Tasmanian brand, not just draws from it.
Continuing to grow a tourism industry that makes Tasmania an even better place to live.
It is why, as the industry peak body, we have decided to formally object to the development of high-rise hotels in Hobart, while at the same time advocating for the re-use potential of the Treasury building to be fully tested.
Tasmania’s tourism appeal is based on our capacity to showcase our natural and built heritage through bespoke, immersive and high-quality accommodation and visitor experiences — not cookiecutter high-rise hotels dwarfing Sullivans Cove.
We believe our tourism future lies in developments like the innovative MACq 01 Hotel and the outstanding ‘Tasman Hotel’ under construction at Parliament Square in Hobart, along with Errol Stewart’s Silos and Joe Chromy’s Gorge Hotel in Launceston.
These hotels are all distinctly Tasmanian in scale and brand. They highlight the unique characteristics and values of Tasmania as a destination. They give rebirth to dormant sites, and create new tourism products all Tasmanians can be proud of.
There are exciting investment opportunities like this right now across the state, not just in accommodation.
The energy of our industry has always been with Tasmanians who see potential in new ways to experience our environment and capacity to make outstanding produce.
Innovators like Ian Johnstone and his multi-day walks, Steve and Tara Howell and their mountain bike pods, Ryan Hartshorn and his sheep whey distillery, and the many other Tasmanians who are forging their own unique way to experience our state.
As we look ahead and consider how we want to evolve as a destination we need to remember that the scale of our industry is one of its great strengths.
Eighty-five per cent of Tasmania’s tourism industry is made up of owner-operator businesses with fewer than five employees.
They provide authentic Tasmanian hospitality and
tourism-based experiences, many unlike anything else in the world.
We also need to lift our eyes beyond the Salamanca set and realise that while Hobart is forging ahead, there are other parts of the state only just starting to experience any dividends from our much lauded tourism boom.
We can hardly compare the experience of ‘over-tourism’ in some of Europe’s larger cities to our own tourism industry when accommodation operators in places like Stanley and Strahan are still reporting year-round occupancy of 60 per cent.
Indeed, beyond the Hobart CBD we’re still grappling with high rates of seasonality and lack of investment that is more representative of an immature industry than one at risk of over-capitalising.
That is why our priority lies in visitor infrastructure and initiatives designed to draw more visitors to our regions and ensure we can sustainably manage them when they arrive.
The evolution of the Tasmanian tourism industry over the past two decades from a cottage industry into arguably the best and most dynamic tourism industry in Australia today is one of Tasmania’s great achievements.
But our challenge now is to lay claim to one of the best and truly sustainable tourism destinations in the world.