EDITORIAL
Labor Leader Josh Willie
By virtue of spending more time travelling around Tasmania, I am reminded just how lucky we are to live here, and that our hospitality and tourism industry punch well above their weight. As a small island at the bottom of the world, we’ve built an international reputation that far exceeds our size, consistently delivering experiences that rival anywhere in the world. That reputation has been earned through decades of commitment to quality, creativity and hard work. In speaking with operators, I’m also reminded that great hospitality doesn’t happen by accident. Visitors don’t just come to see ‘Tasmania’, they come to see what Tasmanians have created— our produce, restaurants, cafes, pubs, wineries, breweries, distilleries, festivals, museums, markets and experiences. The uniqueness of our island, the pride in our produce and the passion of our people is what drives our visitor economy and gives Tasmanian hospitality a place on the world stage. Despite records in both visitation and spend in recent months, these operators can’t run on postcards and tourism campaigns alone. Supporting one in six jobs across the state, Tasmania’s tourism and hospitality operators are under immense pressure, being squeezed from all sides as the cost of doing business, and cost of living, continues to climb. Business owners, industry bodies, and workers are waiting for the Liberals to deliver on their word to lower costs. Lofty ‘TasInsure’ claims were dead-on- arrival; the night time economy policy never written; reforms to trade waste legislation not delivered; no relief from TasWater price increases; and no red tape has been slashed.
premier dining destinations, our operators and those they employ deserve support through economic uncertainty. We need to celebrate hospitality as a career, and ensure the people who make our industry exceptional can afford to build their lives here. That means supporting venues with the rising cost of doing business; forming stronger pathways into hospitality and tourism careers through apprenticeships, traineeships and high-quality vocational education; investing in housing and services so workers can afford to comfortably live - particularly in regional areas where tourism is growing - and backing infrastructure that will support both visitors and locals. Tasmanian Labor welcomes investment to strengthen and grow our visitor economy. This industry delivers enormous economic and social value, but growth for growth’s sake isn’t enough to thrive. The Government needs to back the people whose skill, warmth and professionalism shape how visitors experience Tasmania. Success can’t simply be measured by visitor numbers or how much they spend. It should also be measured by whether the people welcoming those visitors can afford a home, whether businesses can find staff, whether young Tasmanians see a future here, and whether regional communities are stronger because of tourism and not struggling despite it. Tasmania is an extraordinary place to visit because it is home to extraordinary people. If we continue investing in them, our visitor economy will remain one of the state’s greatest strengths for generations to come.
If we want Tasmania to remain one of Australia’s
17 Tasmanian Hospitality Review August/September Edition
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