Tassie tucker key for passengers

THE Ovation of the Seas has slipped quietly out of Hobart despite much fanfare on its arrival just 12 hours before.

The ship, one of the largest ever to sail up the River Derwent, had berthed alongside Pacific Eden early yesterday morning to jointly set a record for the most cruise ship visitors in Hobart.

Ovation of the Seas passengers Brad Otto, Kevin Dalton and Desmond James, all from Bali, were making the most of the cruise and its stop in Hobart.

“The boat is a bit like a floating shopping mall with lots of cafes, lots of shops and lots of places to eat,” he said.

“We’ve done the indoor skydiving three times, we’ve been indoor roller skating and there’s a lovely view of the ship and the sea from the North Star, which is a big glass bubble that takes you up [90 metres above sea level].”

The trio were preparing for a day of fine dining at Peppermint Bay with friend Jen Dickens, of Launceston.

“We’ll be having Tasmanian seafood, Tasmanian wine, Tasmanian beer and Tasmanian cheeses,” Mr Otto said.

Local tourism businesses are being put to the test under the record-breaking influx of visitors.

Managing director of Hobart’s Red Decker sightseeing tour Jonathan Gregory said it was a very busy morning with all six buses filling up quickly.

“It’s good for business and it’s good for the whole city,” he said.

“The service that we provide is spreading the visitor spend to all the businesses in the city, so it’s good for everybody.”

Although business is booming, Mr Gregory hopes the buses won’t be full all day.

“Having a lot of people is a good thing, but it’s about being able to deliver a good service too … and maintaining the quality of service.”

Tassie Tailor-Made Tours owner Andrew Belik lives in Sydney but operates his business in Hobart through the tourist season.

He said the cruise ship industry in Tasmania was still finding its feet.

“The cruise ships now are probably people looking for a bit of a cheap holiday,” he said. “A lot of Australians come over and walk around the town, they don’t want to spend a lot.”