EDITORIAL
Minister for Tourism, Hospitality and Events Jane Howlett
Scaling up for a sensational summer
now starting to redeem their vouchers the receipts are showing this is exactly what has happened. By the end of September, Tasmanians had spent more than $173,000 at tourism and hospitality venues, injecting more into the economy than the amount of money redeemed. Previous voucher schemes have generated more economic activity in regional communities, and with every dollar spent in the State’s tourism and hospitality sector generating another 83 cents for the economy this couldn’t be more important. A new Come Down for Air Campaign has been launched, tempting visitors to travel south from the mainland and see what makes Tasmania special. And Tasmania has been named one of the world’s top travel destinations for 2026 by the luxury Signature Travel Network. This national and international exposure will bring visitors from far and wide to our beautiful state, boosting occupancy in out hotels and creating jobs. We are committed to bringing visitors back to the State through an increase of $3.8 million to attract business events, and a new $5 million Events Attraction Fund. We know Tasmania can deliver when it comes to world-class food and produce, and quality tourism experiences. The Tasmanian Government is primed to help industry make the most of this exposure to potential visitors now and into the future.
As I make my way around the State I’ve noticed our tourism and hospitality businesses preparing for a busy summer season. Daylight savings has returned, giving us more time to enjoy time outside at our hospitality venues and the festivals are starting to fill the events calendar. I was honoured in August when Premier Jeremy Rockliff re-appointed me to the hospitality portfolio, and adding tourism and events to my Ministry is a natural pairing. Since then I have been meeting with industry stakeholders, hearing about what our Government can do to slash red tape and support the sector. The Tasmanian Government knows how important the tourism and hospitality sector is to our economy, and when we work together we can move our state forward. In May we launched our Eat Local, Stay Local initiative and nearly 60,000 people registered to take part. Each person who applied has been encouraged to take a short break, go out for a nice meal or try a new adventure with the Tasmanian Government providing a voucher for $100 in return. The Eat Local, Stay Local voucher program was about stimulating the visitor economy at a time that us traditionally quieter in Tasmania. We knew that in many cases people would spend more than the $100 voucher value and with people
15 Tasmanian Hospitality Review October/November Edition
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