Mass tourism threatens repeat visitation

CONGRATULATIONS to the Mercury on its Tassie 2022 insights, particularly on the tourism industry. From the late 1980s to 2002, my wife and I created the only fully integrated tourism facility within the boundaries of the World Heritage Area at Lake St Clair. I sat on the board of the Tourism Industry Council and chaired regional tourism associations for many years as the present brand for tourism evolved, numbers tripling since the 1980s. I question seeming pressures from government and some parts of the industry to create a mass influx of visitation. Our brand is clearly liked by our visitors, as nearly 70 per cent are here for a second or more time.

Skyscraper hotels, increased runway lengths and the promise of charter flights put this at risk. Mass tourism is a poor alternative to small specialised facilities offering high-quality and worldleading design with high-yield returns to the state and complementary to our established values. I shudder to think of the reaction of our reliable repeat visitation should charter flights and mass tourism continue to be our aim and I strongly suggest this hard-won market segment will diminish together with our reputation. In addition, visitors do not like a proliferation of salmon farming pens in our waterways.

My fear is that unless our political masters and industry curb their unfettered desire for numbers alone, our reputation and indeed viability is at risk. Small specialist tourism befits Tasmania while mass tourism is fickle and can disappear as quickly as it came.