FEARS MOUNT FOR TOURISM

TASMANIA needs to give Queenslanders and South Australians a reason to visit the state, tourism experts say.

The Tourism Industry Council Tasmania predicts hundreds of local tourism businesses will fail this summer if more assistance is not given and tourists from Sydney and Melbourne remain locked out.

TICT CEO Luke Martin said thousands of jobs would be lost across the state without further and urgent business assistance and a clear plan towards “Covid-19 normal” travel this summer.

“Pump-priming the markets that are open to us, such as Queensland and South Australia, with incentives to travel, is the most practical way to stimulate visitor activity to keep our businesses afloat over coming months,” Mr Martin said.

He said he has been in discussions with the state government about further industry support.

“Businesses are burning cash sustaining staffing levels in expectation of a visitor season once we hit 80 per cent vaccine rates.

“The reality is we’re now in a race against the clock to get vaccine rates up to be able to open to vaccinated visitors from NSW and Victoria in summer.”

But some operators remain confident enough to open new accommodation ventures hoping the pent-up demand will see visitors flood in when travel restrictions ease.

Fusilier Cottage at Battery Point is already receiving five-star reviews.

Owner Mark Heyward has owned the historic cottage for seven years and said he was initially concerned how locals would react to the contemporary architecture.

But he said the reaction to the renovation had been overwhelmingly positive.

“I was chuffed when a member of the Battery Point Community Association told me we had given another 100 years’ life to the old cottage,” Mr Heyward said.

Mr Martin said Tasmania had been cocooned from the health risks of Covid and much of the economic costs.