INDUSTRY FEATURE: Tasmanian Wild Seafood
BORDER closures in the past two years have hit every hospitality business across Tasmania, forcing businesses to evolve and adapt to survive. One fishing charter and tour company is eager to spread the word they offer multiple experiences to clients For a business which had nearly all its clientele come via overseas tourists, Tasmanian Wild Seafood Adventures felt the brunt of Australia’s international border closures more than most. Headed by passionate and experienced skippers and divers Shane Wilson and Nick Daft, TWSA strives to offer an authentic seafood experience across its range of tours. Without doubt the signature cruise is the company’s Deep-to-Dish offering, a half day culinary and sightseeing cruise which takes guests to a range of iconic southern Tasmanian destinations, while allowing them to sample fresh seafood caught, prepared and cooked in front of their eyes.
“We used to do two tours a day, so the [Deep- to-Dish] tour, there were two of those a day and it was mostly about 90 per cent international market,” Tasmanian Wild Seafood Adventures bookings and events manager Julie Mann says. “And then of course when the borders closed, it just stopped. Nick and Shane, the owners of the boat, they are actually commercial divers… they just didn’t want it always going overseas and they decided that people in Australia and in Tasmania should have the opportunity of seeing what’s on their doorstep. “The periwinkles and the sea urchins, they dive down for them, bring them up and demonstrate on board how they’re cooked.” Without the influx of international visitors, the TWSA crew realised they needed to shift not only their marketing focus but also how they operated. What they found was a lack of knowledge of their product within the local community. “They’ve always done charters for bucks parties and hens and such, but we’re just trying to expand
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