TOURIST BOOM HAS A DOWN SIDE

Tasmania’s post Covid-19 tourist boom continues to break new ground but now it’s causing a few issues for both locals and tourists. Since the state was reopened and flights returned to the Apple Isle the tourism market has been going off.

Visitor numbers have been way up on recent years with some segments even surpassing pre-Covid-19 figures.

There were records broken at the Hobart Airport over the Easter long weekend, the number of visitors heading to Dark Mofo’s winter festival were extremely strong and solid bookings for the mainland school holidays and the looming Tasmanian school holidays are extremely good news for the tourism and hospitality sector.

But all the extra love and attention from our mainland cousins has caused some issues, the majority of them involve getting vehicles, trailers and caravans across Bass Strait on the ferry service.

Many stories abound on social media about people wanting to bring their caravans to Tassie for a holiday but don’t because they can’t book a return trip until months later.

It’s the same story for Tasmanian's wanting to take a trip to the mainland.

One frustrated person posted: “We are Tasmanians wanting to travel and go away in October (nearly six months) with a caravan on. Can you believe I can get over in October ‘just’ but not one available spot to come home in October, November or December unless we come home on Christmas Day.”

The stories are backed up by calls to the Mercury newsroom.

One phone call this week was from a frustrated local who sold his caravan on Marketplace to a mainlander. The deal was signed and sealed until he couldn’t get the van on the ferry until the end of the year, that’s when the sale fell over.

Another young woman who got a promotion from her job in Tassie to a job on the mainland had to leave her car behind and fly so she could be present for her first day of work.

It is an issue for many people but fortunately there is a solution, unfortunately the solution is years away.

TT-Line chief executive Bernard Dwyer, the man who runs the Spirit of Tasmania ferries, said it was obvious Tasmania needed larger ferries to cope with demand.

And those new bigger ships are on order.

Spirit of Tasmania IV is due to arrive in the first quarter of 2024 and the Spirit of Tasmania V in the last quarter of 2024.

Granted it’s three years later than first announced but they are coming.

And as Mr Dwyer said there is a huge pent-up demand.

The only solution at the moment is to book well in advance.

Responsibility for all editorial comment is taken by Editor Craig Warhurst, Level 1, 2 Salamanca Square, Hobart, TAS, 7000