Put out welcome mat

Luke Martin says critics of tourism growth need to get some perspective

CIVIC and tourism leaders who are embracing the influx of visitors into Tasmania are urging Hobartians to tell everyone that the state is open and welcomes those who come to experience it.

The push for a communityled “good news” campaign stems from recent comments from Hobart Lord Mayor Ron Christie that mass tourism could kill Tasmania and its lifestyle and it was time to apply the brakes.

The Tourism Industry Council Tasmania will soon relaunch its “Tourism is a Team Effort” campaign and CEO Luke Martin said another major tourism announcement was due this week.

“I don’t think it is necessary for a new campaign to try and counteract any negative fallout from Ald Christie’s comments but let’s hope from here we can have a sensible, mature debate about the challenges and planning issues connected with Hobart’s growth,” he said.

“We are hoping we can counter the negativity through facts. I don’t think the publicity given to Ald Christie’s views will stop people coming.”

Ald Christie is standing by comments that mass tourism could “kill” Hobart through traffic congestion, too much growth in Airbnb and soaring house prices.

A recent survey also showed more Tasmanians were concerned about the effect of growth in the tourism sector than at this time last year.

Hobart alderman Marti Zucco said he was doing what he could behind the scenes to fight the negative perceptions flowing from Ald Christie’s stance.

“I have been here since 1975 and have seen the change. We as a city were waiting for Hobart and Tasmania to be put on the map – we now are and don’t want to shut the gates,” Ald Zucco said.

“Some things simply cannot be planned for. What we need to do is adjust to these positive changes.”

Mr Martin said Hobart was growing and a lack of forward planning, poor policy and investment in our public infrastructure and social services like public housing over many years were now being exposed.

“But we must resist these calls to ‘put the brakes’ on and retreat into a state of mediocrity,” Mr Martin said.

“Rather let us rise to the challenges of a growing state head-on and, as Jim Bacon once said, “avoid the spectre of being paupers in paradise”.

“Tasmania’s tourism growth has been a slow burn for over two decades and we expect visitor numbers will continue to grow at a steady and manageable rate in the foreseeable future. Our vision and strategy is anything but mass tourism.”

SINCE the introduction of the twin Spirit of Tasmania ships and low-cost airlines to Tasmania 15 years ago, visitor numbers to the state have grown at an average 4 per cent each year. In the past 12-months, visitor numbers grew by just 2 per cent.

Hobart Lord Mayor Ron Christie and others who suggest we’re headed down some slippery path of unconstrained and poorly managed tourism growth need to look at the facts and discover some perspective.

Referring to the experience of Barcelona and its 34 million visitors last year as a warning sign to Hobart and our one million annual visitors is like citing Beijing as the case study for traffic congestion on the Southern Outlet. It’s absurd.

Yes, Hobart is growing, and a lack of forward planning, poor policy and investment in our public infrastructure and social services such as public housing over many years is now being rudely exposed.

This is why we need sensible and measured civic leadership, not the ignorance and hyperbole we’ve witnessed over the past week. We also need a growing and robust economy generated by population and visitor growth to generate the investment we need to address these longterm challenges and ultimately make our city and state an even better place to call home.

The other day, I ran into an old school friend who had left for Melbourne after graduating from university and was pursuing a great career interstate. He was in Hobart for the fun of Dark Mofo but also scouting local job opportunities to enable him to move home to raise his family.

I’ve lost count of how many conversations I’ve had like that over the past few years.

Tasmanians in the prime of their lives who were previously lost to the career opportunities interstate are now seeking to come home and be a part of this “New Hobart”.

It’s the same excitement we experience among the hordes of young Tasmanians in regional areas who a generation ago saw limited job opportunities in their local communities beyond traditional resource industries but are now lining up to do work experience with the likes of Rob Pennicott, or aspiring to be Tasmania’s next great chef, winemaker, walking guide or entrepreneur.

We must resist these calls to “put the brakes” on and retreat into a state of mediocrity.

Rather let us rise to the challenges of a growing state head-on and, as former premier Jim Bacon once said, “avoid the spectre of being paupers in paradise” any longer.

Tasmania’s tourism growth has been a slow burn over twodecades and we expect visitor numbers will continue to grow at a steady and manageable rate in the foreseeable future.

Our vision and strategy as an industry is anything but “mass tourism” but rather a dynamic and prosperous visitor economy renowned for the quality of its experiences.

Yes, we need to respond to both the opportunities and challenges growth is presenting Hobart, but we also need to recognise that regional Tasmania is still a very undeveloped and relatively immature visitor economy. There is certainly no “tourism boom” in Stanley, Strahan or Geeveston.

The industry and the State Government have already reset our priorities to growing yield, increasing how much our visitors spend when they are in the state – and dispersal – how many nights they spend outside Hobart. Which is why projects like the Cradle Mountain Master Plan, the new Spirit of Tasmania ships, and upgrading visitor infrastructure and experiences in our national parks are so important in drawing visitors into regional communities.

But we must not forget Hobart is also a drawcard and a jewel in Tasmania’s crown.

Hobart is also our hero in finally breaking the perennial challenge for Tasmanian tourism of seasonality, with the activation of the city through Dark Mofo and the Festival of Voices. Hobartians have proven that when we embrace our wonderful winters and offer something cool and different, visitors will embrace it.

Our next challenge is to encourage other parts of Tasmania to follow Hobart’s lead.

I believe over the next decade and beyond Tasmania will emerge as Australia’s premier visitor destination with one of the world’s most dynamic small visitor economies. We should encourage robust and mature debate about what this means for those of us who love our island, led by sensible, pragmatic and visionary community and political leaders.