ARTICLE John Fitzgerald
In this month’s edition, I would like to acknowledge the difficult times that many have experienced across the country due to this summer’s devastating bushfires. The impact of the bushfires on communities, businesses and the natural environment has been significant and our thoughts remain with those affected. The team at Tourism Tasmania has been working closely with Tourism Australia and the other state tourism organisations to support recovery efforts and urge international visitors to pay us a visit. It is important that visitors and those planning a trip to Australia are aware that many destinations in Australia remain safe and continue to welcome visitors. An online resource and map to help international visitors and trade partners identify areas of Australia that have been unaffected has been developed and is available at Australia.com. We are thankful that Tasmania has been largely spared and our tourism destinations are operating as usual, however, we won’t be immune from the downturn in international forward bookings so we will ramp up our marketing activity. We are also working closely with Tourism Australia in national efforts to encourage Australians to travel within the country and support our local communities. The latest International Visitor Survey results were released last month and we’re pleased to see that international holiday makers are spending more in Tasmania. The data show that we had a marginal decline overall in numbers, but international visitors holidaying in Tasmania remained steady. Critically, international holiday expenditure increased to a record $320 million up 12 per cent from the previous year, meaning we are attracting the right visitors who are willing and able to spend more. Other positive signs for our visitor economy outlined in the IVS include increases in total visitors from the United States (up 9 per cent), Hong Kong (up 21 per cent) and the United Kingdom (up 7 per cent). This comes off the back of active campaigning by Tourism Tasmania in these markets over the past few years and our island being added onto the itineraries of international visitors. This is particularly important as more Tasmanians per capita are employed in tourism than in any other state with 42,800 Tasmanian jobs directly and indirectly supported with $3.2 billion injected into gross state product annually. We saw a double digit decline in holiday travellers from China, but importantly we saw no decline in expenditure. There is a lot of competition in the Australian market for China and some of the market is attracted by the many deals available. Tasmania doesn’t compete on price and pleasingly we seem to be retaining the valuable part of the market with spend remaining high. In a competitive national and global marketplace, seeing such positive expenditure increases confirms that Tourism Tasmania and the government’s strategy of targeting international visitors who
will spend more in our communities is working. Tasmania is home to some fantastic festivals and events and the state is becoming well known for this among ‘mainlanders’. Our marketing program includes engaging in partnerships with brands and events, like Mona Foma, that are aligned to our Tasmanian brand and help promote Tasmania as a travel destination. We are proud to have partnered with Mona Foma for another year and the event has been a great success and drawcard for northern Tasmania. This year our partnership with Mona Foma included PR and campaign activity for the Air Mofo competition, promotional activity and content production, hosting journalists, media and a social media ‘instameet’. I was lucky enough to join the competition winner and 149 of his friends on the Air Mofo flight, assisting with hosting the some of the journalists as well as social media influencer/food and wine expert Leiti Hsu from the USA. Partnering with Mona Foma and AirMofo not only provides great exposure for northern Tasmania, but also allows us to generate engaging marketing content to share with our domestic and international audiences, encouraging them to visit our culturally rich and vibrant island. Our latest campaign Come Down for Air ramps up again in February, targeting segments of the travelling public that are more inclined to stay longer, travel farther and spend more in communities across the state. It is important to note that we aren’t a stopover destination or an easy place to get to. So, it’s crucial for us to stand out against other destinations that are also competing for holiday-makers and their expenditure and it’s more important than ever to provide our visitors with great service and the welcoming Tasmanian hospitality that our state is famous for. In a competitive travel market, the experiences travellers have and the way they feel when they’re here make them connect with our state and its people, prompting them to recommend a trip to Tassie to their friends and family. In a tough market in 2020, it will be more important than ever to drive recommendations for Tasmania. If you haven’t already, I strongly encourage you to get involved in the THA’s Great Customer Experience program. It is a great opportunity to receive a free assessment of your venue and get advice and assistance to facilitate and encourage great customer service within your business. This is an important factor in getting our visitors promote future travel to Tasmania.
February 2020 www.tha.asn.au
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