ARTICLE John Fitzgerald
Earlier last month I joined the Premier in launching the ‘Love Autumn in the South’ campaign that was developed to encourage Tasmanians to visit bushfire affected regions and support businesses in those regions. The campaign was developed in partnership with Destination Southern Tasmania and aims to draw peoples’ attention to the vast array of things to do and see over the autumn months. ‘Love Autumn in the South’ carries a message of the beauty and appeal of Southern Tasmania during autumn and focusses on events and experiences encouraging Tasmanians and visitors already on-ground in Southern Tasmania to get out and embrace one of Tassie’s best seasons. The key campaign activities include the production of a booklet inserted into The Mercury newspaper and distributed through the Hobart Airport, Tasmanian Visitor Information Networks, hotels, cafes and key tourism sites in Southern Tasmania. There will also be ‘Love Autumn in the South’ advertising featured in The Mercury and Sunday Tasmanian every weekend until the end of May 2019. The campaign is also supported by outdoor billboards, digital advertising, and radio broadcasts. While Tasmanians are being encouraged to enjoy autumn, the team is also busy preparing our next campaign to tempt visitors from our key domestic markets to experience a warm, cosy winter getaway in Tassie. Our warmer months are certainly the busiest time for visitors, but we are firmly focused on encouraging visitors across the year and increasing the social and economic benefits those visitors bring to more Tasmanians and more regions around the state. The campaign will continue to position Tasmania as a winter destination for domestic and international visitors by leveraging our distinct and unique points of difference and targeting people who are seeking enrichment from their holidays. Our research tells us that these travellers are more likely to love what our state has to offer and as a consequence they will spend more in our communities and explore our regional destinations. Our unique events over this period are a strong hook to inspire potential travellers to book a holiday in Tasmania, and will be woven throughout the campaign messages. Tourism Tasmania’s campaigns are only one of the many methods we use to showcase our glorious state. We recently supported a visit for UK celebrity chef, Ainsley Harriott through our media hosting program. Ainsley was in Tasmania filming his new SBS TV series, 'My Market Menu' and is well known for his 'Ready Steady Cook' series and many cookbooks. He made a special appearance at Salamanca Market where the crew filmed him creating dishes using fresh Tasmanian produce
sourced from the market. The production also visited farmers and food producers on Bruny Island and the Huon Valley. Last month’s 2018 Qantas Australian Tourism Awards in Launceston were also a great success and a great way to showcase the state, with ten Tasmanian tourism operators taking home awards. It was a fabulous night at the Cataract Gorge and our national industry peers were very impressed with the stunning location. The event was unique and in-line with Tasmania’s brand which pleasingly resulted in some really positive media attention and exposure for Launceston and Northern Tasmania. It was also a great show of hospitality in the north with local chefs providing the entrées and Launceston’s Country Club Casino providing the delicious mains. The community was also involved with local students involved in the food service, welcoming guests and the local Men’s Shed members creating some of the décor. Well done to everyone involved in putting on such a fantastic event. I would also like to share the latest Tasmanian Visitor Survey statistics for the year ending December 2018 that were released last month. Overall, the results show that our visitors are spending record amounts in local communities and visitor numbers are growing steadily. The results show that a total of 1.32 million people visited Tasmania on scheduled air and sea services during the year ending December 2018, up 4 per cent from 1.27 million the previous year. Visitors also spent a record $2.46 billion on accommodation, attractions, tours, transport and other goods and services during this period. This an increase of 5 percent and represents an average spend of $1,864 per visitor. If you would like to read more about the latest visitation statistics visit www.tourism.tas.gov.au Thank you for your continued support and I look forward to providing you with another update on our activities in a few months.
April 2019 www.tha.asn.au
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