Tourism Industry Council Tasmania

Tasmania Defies National Trend

Posted on Tuesday, 22 December 2009 | Permalink

The Tourism Industry says Tasmania continues to defy the national trend by recording a strong increase in visitor numbers and expenditure in the past year.

Tourism Industry Coucil of Tasmania Chief Executive Officer Daniel Hanna said today the latest Tasmanian Visitor Survey (TVS) figures showing an overall four per cent increase in visitor numbers on the previous year was nothing short of incredible in the current national operating environment.

The TVS showed 917,100 scheduled air and sea visitors to Tasmania in the year to September 2009 and a total of 1.04 million when cruise ship and navy visitors were included.

“When you consider that just 10 years ago Tasmania was attracting less than 500,000 visitors, you get an idea of how successful we have been and how important the tourism industry is to the State’s overall economic performance. Tasmania is now the most tourism intensive state in the nation, with a greater proportion of the economy and employment due to tourism than any other state,” Mr Hanna said.

The TVS also showed that Tasmania recorded a five per cent increase in visitors during the traditionally quieter months of July, August and September when compared with last year.

“Anecdotally that is the story we’re getting from tourism operators and it is great that we’re starting to shrink Tasmania’s off-peak season and better spread visitation over the whole year,” Mr Hanna said.

“However, in summer we’re starting to hit full capacity, especially in Hobart which is a gateway to the State. We will need to do more to encourage the development of tourism accommodation to avoid a room shortage acting as a constraint to further growth,” he said.

Mr Hanna said Tasmania was faring better than other Australian destinations because it had carried out consistent and effective marketing over many years, developing a strong brand in key markets. Tasmania is also primarily a leisure destination and this market has held up better than business travel during the global slowdown.
 

Tourism Industry Support For Parks and Wildlife Funding

Posted on Thursday, 17 December 2009 | Permalink

The Tourism Industry Council of Tasmania has welcomed the increase in funding for the Parks and Wildlife Service and national parks.

TICT Chief Executive Daniel Hanna said today the State’s national parks and wilderness areas were an integral part of the Tasmanian brand and vital for tourism.

“Tasmania’s World Heritage Areas, national parks and reserves constitute some of our most important assets and are a vital part of the Tasmanian tourism experience,” Mr Hanna said.

“Tasmania has a reputation as Australia’s premier natural destination and needs to maintain existing facilities as well as develop new products to meet visitor demands, remain competitive and to attract return visitors.

“Unfortunately, the popularity of some of our iconic experiences has put our parks under pressure. While our national parks and reserves are still meeting and exceeding visitor expectations, unless there is sufficient management and maintenance Tasmania will reach a point where it fails to deliver on the promise to visitors. That is why this investment is badly needed and very welcome.

“In our Budget submissions to the State Government in previous years the TICT has argued for additional funding to protect our natural assets, provide new infrastructure like the Three Capes Track on the Tasman Peninsula, maintain essential facilities and infrastructure such as visitor centres, sewage, water supplies, walking tracks, and to rehabilitate areas already suffering degradation.

Mr Hanna said that the TICT had confidence in the Parks and Wildlife Service and welcomed the additional funding to help it maintain the parks and to protect the assets.
 

2009 Tasmanian Tourism Awards Winners Announced

Posted on Tuesday, 24 November 2009 | Permalink

The 2009 Tasmanian Tourism Awards were announced at the annual Gala Presentation Dinner at Wrest Point, Hobart on Friday, 20 November.  Click here to see who was succesful in each of the categories.

Spirits Vital for Tourism and Economy

Posted on Tuesday, 27 October 2009 | Permalink

The Tourism Industry Council of Tasmania says the TT-Line passenger ferries continue to prove their worth to the Tasmanian tourism industry and the economy.

TICT Chief Executive Officer Daniel Hanna said today that the release of the TT Line Annual Report demonstrated just how vital the service is to Tasmania.

“The introduction of Spirit of Tasmania I and II was one of the major factors that lifted tourism visitor numbers in this State from a plateau of about 450,000 in the mid-1990s to the current record level of 907,000,” Mr Hanna said.

The TT-Line annual report shows that the Spirits carried about 390,000 passengers and 182,500 passenger vehicles in the 12 months to the end of June; an increase on the previous financial year.

“The advocacy of the Tasmanian tourism industry was a driving force behind the decision to buy the two Spirit of Tasmania ferries and it has proven a major success.

“The Spirits provide a major benefit to the Tasmanian economy as well as for Tasmanians wanting to travel interstate. It has been shown that visitors who arrive by sea stay in Tasmania longer, travel more broadly in regional areas and spend more when they are here.

“In fact, interstate visitors that arrived in Tasmania on Spirit of Tasmania I and II spent nearly $300 million when they were in the state. This spending is the life-blood of many regional areas and small towns in Tasmania and boosts employment in tourism right throughout the state.

“TT Line is more than just infrastructure, it is a major stimulus for our economy and our society. It is vital that this contribution is considered by all who read the Annual Report of the TT Line each year.

“Importantly the TT-Line is a big investor in destination marketing interstate and its recent promotions aimed at attracting Spirit passengers also promote Tasmania more generally, thus also helping to attract people who arrive by air.

“The tourism industry also recognises that the TT Line Board and management team have played a vital role in delivering this strong result for the state. To deliver increased passenger numbers and vehicles in the current challenging and highly competitive travel market is an outstanding achievement. The TICT particularly want to acknowledge the outstanding leadership of the Chairman, Mr Denis Rogers AO; and the Chief Executive Officer, Mr Charles Griplas,” Mr Hanna said.

The report also highlights that Spirit of Tasmania had the highest ad recall for travel between Victoria and Tasmania with their web site receiving1.19 million visits – a three per cent increase over the previous year. The TT-Line also distributed 525,000 direct mail pieces and was represented at about 40 consumer and trade shows, attended by more than 1.2 million people.
 

Tourism Industry Welcomes Funding Commitment

Posted on Friday, 23 October 2009 | Permalink

The Tourism Industry Council of Tasmania says Premier David Bartlett’s commitment of an additional $4 million this financial year for marketing and events will go a long way to sustaining visitor numbers.

Tourism Industry Council of Tasmania Chief Executive Daniel Hanna said today the funding commitment demonstrated that the Premier understood the dynamics of the industry and its importance to the Tasmanian economy.

“The TICT has worked closely with Tourism Minister Michelle O’Byrne and the Premier over recent months to ensure they understood the indisputable link between investment in destination marketing now and the strength of the industry in one or two year’s time,” Mr Hanna said.

“The most recent Tasmanian Visitor Survey figures showing that Tasmania has done remarkably well compared to other Australian states over the past 12 months is due largely to past destination marketing efforts.

“The tourism industry is confident that this growth can continue into the future. This is because Tasmania has a very strong brand, a unique set of attractions and experiences, and a tourism product that keeps delivering high visitor satisfaction,” Mr Hanna said.

Mr Hanna said that the state tourism authority, Tourism Tasmania, had worked hard in recent years to become a highly efficient organisation.

“Tourism Tasmania, our state tourism organisation, has quietly gone about the job of becoming more efficient in the way it does business. In 2005-2006 nearly 50% of its budget was spent on staffing and overheads; but this year, they will spend just a third of their budget on staffing and overheads.

“At a time when all government agencies are under pressure to become more efficient and deliver greater bang for buck, Tourism Tasmania is now arguably the most efficient agency in government. This is why the industry has the confidence that an additional $4m in funding will deliver strong results.

In the 12 months to the end of June a total of 907,200 people visited Tasmania and spent more than $1.45 billion while they were here. Tasmania has also been found to be the most tourism intensive state in the nation, with a greater share of Gross State Product and employment in tourism than any other Australian state, including Queensland.

Mr Hanna said there were a number of reasons why Tasmania had fared better than other Australian destinations.

“One of the main reasons is that, despite recent budget cuts to tourism marketing funding, we are still benefiting from consistent and effective marketing over many years. We have also seen strong investment in marketing Tasmania by the TT-Line, airline and private tourism operators.

“This success against a national downturn underlines the importance of continuing to invest in destination marketing for the future, especially in Victoria and New South Wales which are far and away our biggest markets,” Mr Hanna said.

Mr Hanna said that in recent months, the industry had taken its concerns about a forecast 39 per cent decline in funding for tourism promotion to the Minister and Premier and they had listened.

“Our main concern was that by the next budget it may already be too late to head off a downturn in visitors and that therefore the Government needed to invest more in marketing in the current year,” he said.

Mr Hanna said that estimated decline in tourism funding in future years is still of great concern to the tourism industry.

“The additional funding that has been announced today is very welcome but will only resolve the issue in the short-term. There is still a need for longer term certainty of tourism funding and this will be an ongoing priority for the TICT in the coming months.

“Increased investment in tourism in the forward years we know, through research, will increase awareness of Tasmania as a destination and lead to increased visitors, wealth, and tourism jobs. Government investments in tourism marketing and attracting events also give the private sector the confidence and certainty that they need to continue to make major investments.

“The tourism industry has great faith in the capacity of Tourism Tasmania to stimulate demand for people to visit Tasmania. It has been demonstrated in recent years that investments by the Tasmanian Government in marketing through Tourism Tasmania will achieve a strong return for Tasmania,” he said.
 

Tourism & Forestry Protocol Agreement

Posted on Wednesday, 7 October 2009 | Permalink

The Tourism Industry Council of Tasmania says the new protocol agreement with the Forestry Industry provides more specific measures to deal with the tough issues and allows a maturing of the relationship between both industries.

TICT Chief Executive Officer Daniel Hanna said today the updated Tourism & Forestry Protocol Agreement recommitted both industries to working together to deal with difficult issues.

“Over the past six years the Protocol Agreement has served us well by facilitating consultation, communication and liaison between the two industries,” Mr Hanna said.

“The new Agreement takes the relationship to a higher level and has been refined to better respond to the current and future challenges.

This includes specific schedules to deal with the key issues of: planning and sightlines, planned burns, forest access roads and transport, and branding and education.

“This doesn’t mean that there won’t be disagreements between tourism and forestry on some issues but it shows that we can deal with these issues maturely when they arise,” Mr Hanna said.

“The TICT is not heavy on ideology. It is not our job to defend or attack other industries or groups in Tasmania; but to work closely with all, including the environmental movement, to find practical solutions. The TICT likes to consider itself an honest broker in this respect, an organisation committed to solutions and not conflict.

Mr Hanna said the updated agreement focused more on education and mutual understanding about each other’s industries.

“Importantly, this document will not ‘sit on the shelf’, but instead will be the vehicle for tourism and forestry to deal with the tough issues and increase our mutual understanding. The continued successful development of the relationship between tourism and forestry is particularly helpful in the increasing number of towns and areas in Tasmania for whom tourism and forestry are important parts of the local economy.

“Both parties recognise that each industry is crucial to Tasmania’s economic performance, investment, jobs and growth. We also both recognise that we have a shared responsibility to protect the Tasmanian brand,” Mr Hanna said.

An independent survey of Tasmanian tourism operators commissioned by the TICT in 2008 found that 80 per cent believe that the two industries can co-exist in the state into the future.

The Agreement commits both parties to jointly promoting Tasmania’s wilderness and forests, including its world class conservation reserve system on private land, and in State forests and national parks.
 

Tourism Industry Supports Princes Wharf No 1 Plan

Posted on Thursday, 24 September 2009 | Permalink

The Tourism industry’s peak group has thrown its support behind plans to redevelop the Princes No 1 Wharf shed.

TICT Chief Executive Daniel Hanna said today the draft design solution for redevelopment of Princes 1 met the tourism industry’s main requirements.

“The tourism industry has for a long time advocated the redevelopment of Princes No 1. The Hobart waterfront is one of Tasmania’s most visited attractions but currently the Princes Wharf shed is unattractive and under-used for most of the year,” Mr Hanna said

“Over a year ago we urged the Government to put an end to the ongoing public debate and move quickly to resolve the future use of the shed for the benefit of Tasmanians and the tourism industry.

“The draft design appears to be an acceptable solution that will allow the shed to become a more functional area that can be utilised for events and conventions, including off-site dining and exhibitions and increase local and visitor access to the site,” Mr Hanna said.

“While alternative proposals might also have been supported, the industry believes that the draft design meets the main criteria by: opening the area to visitors, providing a connection from Salamanca Place to the water and to Sullivans Cove generally, providing necessary services and amenities, continuing to be the home of the Taste Festival, providing a new exhibition and off-site dining space.

“Redevelopment will cause a few short-term problems for local businesses such as the dislocation of car parking but I’m sure these issues can be resolved.

Mr Hanna said that now the public consultation period was coming to an end the TICT urged the Government to move quickly on construction.
 

Tourism the Mainstay of the Tasmanian Economy

Posted on Thursday, 17 September 2009 | Permalink

Tasmanian Tourism has defied the global financial crisis by recording an increase in visitor expenditure in the past year and continues to be the mainstay of the State’s economy, TICT Chief Executive Officer Daniel Hanna said today.

Mr Hanna said the latest Tasmanian Visitor Survey (TVS) figures showing an overall four per cent increase in total visitor expenditure for the year was nothing short of incredible in the current operating environment and the experience of other destinations.

The TVS shows that during the 12 months to the end of June a total of 907,200 people visited Tasmania and spent more than $1.45 billion while they were here.

Importantly, visitors on average are also staying slightly longer which resulted in an increase in total visitor nights.

Mr Hanna said there were a number of reasons why Tasmania was faring better than other Australian destinations.

“One of the main reasons is that, despite recent budget cuts to tourism marketing funding, we are still benefiting from consistent and effective marketing over many years.

“This underlines the importance of continuing to invest in destination marketing for the future, especially in Victoria and New South Wales which are far and away our biggest markets,” Mr Hanna said.

“Tasmania is primarily a leisure destination and this market has held up better than business travel, but it is also clear that leisure travellers are looking for value for money. The TVS figures show that on average each visitor is spending less, reflecting a more value conscious traveller in the current environment.

“These trends, coupled with strong competition between the airlines and very competitive fares on the Spirits, make Tasmania an attractive destination in the current economic climate,” Mr Hanna said.

Mr Hanna said one of the surprises from the figures was the growth in international visitor expenditure by 35% in the 12 months to June 2009 to over $220m per annum. This result means that Tasmania has bucked the national trend of decline in international visitors and was most likely due to the State’s strong reputation as Australia’s premier natural destination and the many high quality tourism products to cater for this market.

TICT Supports Parliamentary Inquiry into Tourism

Posted on Thursday, 10 September 2009 | Permalink

The Tourism Industry Council of Tasmania says it supports the Legislative Council Select Committee inquiry into Tasmania’s tourism industry.

TICT Chief Executive Officer Daniel Hanna said today the Inquiry would focus on the importance of the industry to the State’s economic future and the appropriate level of State Government support.

“The industry is very confident that the Select Committee will highlight not only the valuable contribution the industry is currently making to the Tasmanian economy and employment, but also its potential for further growth,” Mr Hanna said.

“In the face of an international and national slow down in tourism and greater competition from other destinations, the TICT has been campaigning strongly to reverse the recent decline in funding for tourism marketing so we can maintain and increase our share of visitors from key interstate markets.

“The TICT welcomes public scrutiny of the role that tourism plays in Tasmanian society and the Tasmanian economy. The Parliament is an appropriate way for this scrutiny to take place and the TICT will be an active participant in the Select Committee Inquiry.

“In addition to the $2.2 billion annual expenditure by visitors, and the 25,000 jobs it creates right throughout Tasmania, the private sector has also invested billions into new tourist infrastructure over recent years which have generated jobs in construction, manufacturing, hospitality, agriculture and the retail sectors.

Mr Hanna said an independent survey conducted for the TICT earlier this year found that Tasmanians ranked tourism above all other major Tasmanian industries as the sector which contributed most to economic growth.

“The survey also found that most Tasmanians know that over the next five years our industry will make the greatest contribution to economic growth,” Mr Hanna said.
 

Tasmanian tourism industry sentiment remains strong

Posted on Friday, 28 August 2009 | Permalink

A new survey shows the State’s tourism industry is holding up well compared to the rest of the nation but warns that the competitive environment is making industry growth difficult.

Tourism Industry Council of Tasmania Chief Executive Daniel Hanna said the Tourism & Transport Forum’s survey also revealed the downturn was having a mixed impact on operators.

Mr Hanna said the TTF’s Tourism Sentiment survey found Tasmania’s reliance on domestic rather than international visitors was cushioning the State from the downturn.

“This underlines the need for Tasmania to do more now to hold and increase our share of the domestic tourism market,” Mr Hanna said

“While the survey is overall good news for Tasmania we’re concerned that the downturn in tourism nationally is a negative influence on investors in tourism businesses.

“This means that in two or three years Tasmania may be short of new tourism products just when the global and domestic economies are growing again. This is why investments in tourism infrastructure such as the Three Capes Track, the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery and opening up accommodation development on the Hobart waterfront are so important” Mr Hanna said.

The survey found Tasmanian businesses had been much less likely than the Australian average to reduce staffing levels, were much more positive about retaining staff into the future and that almost half of the Tasmanian tourism operators surveyed expected Tasmania to perform better than the Australian average into the future.

“In Tasmania, more than half of the respondents in the tourism sector rated their sales, forward bookings and profitability as equal to or better than what they would reasonably expect for this time of the year.

“The survey results confirm that the Tasmanian tourism industry is far more positive about current conditions and the future than our colleagues on the mainland,” Mr Hanna said.

“Nevertheless, we know there is a lag effect in Tasmania and we normally are slower to go into recession and slower coming out of them, so we may not have seen the worst yet.

“Even this survey found that 30 per cent of Tasmanian tourism stakeholders expect that tourism performance over the next six months will be “worse” or “much worse” than the previous six months.

“The survey found that 27 per cent of Tasmanian businesses reported that they had cut staffing levels in the past six months compared to 44 per cent nationally reporting some cuts and another 12 per cent reporting significant cuts. It is also worrying that 12 per cent of tourism businesses in Tasmania believe that more cuts to staffing levels are likely.

Mr Hanna said that TICT research demonstrated that the level of spending on tourism destinational marketing now would have an impact in around two years time.

“Put simply, we need to spend more money on promoting Tasmania as a destination now to ensure we hold and increase our market share as the domestic and global economies come out of the downturn,” Mr Hanna said.

 

Tasmania’s political leaders agree to a free public debate

Posted on Thursday, 27 August 2009 | Permalink

Premier David Bartlett, Liberal Leader Will Hodgman and Tasmanian Greens Leader Nick McKim will meet in a free, open and public debate in Hobart on Tuesday, the 1st of December at the Federation Concert Hall.

“The People’s Debate” is a joint initiative of leading Tasmanian organisations: TasCOSS, Unions Tasmania, the Local Government Association of Tasmania (LGAT), the Tourism Industry Council Tasmania (TICT), the Property Council of Tasmania, Environment Tasmania and Australian Medical Association (AMA) Tasmania Branch.

CEO of the TICT Daniel Hanna said “our seven organisations all believe that more than anything Tasmania needs a genuine leaders’ debate on the key issues that will shape the State’s future”.

“We are putting aside our different perspectives to make this debate happen, as we are strongly united in our belief that a free, open and public debate is in the best interest of Tasmania”.

“Tasmania faces important challenges over the next decade and this historic event is an opportunity for Tasmania’s political leaders to outline and debate how they will govern in the interests of all Tasmanians”.

The debate will be independently moderated and cover a broad range of issues for Tasmania’s economy, community, democracy and environment.

CEO of TasCOSS Tom Muller said members of the public will need to register, and are invited to ring TasCOSS on 6231 0755 to book their free tickets or register their details online at www.ourisland.tascoss.org.au to be posted their free tickets.

“The concert hall has limited capacity, so it is first in first served and we encourage all Tasmanians who want to see a genuine leader’s debate, to get in touch with us now and book their free tickets.”

“We believe Tasmanians value their democracy and will support this historic event.”

“The three party leaders are to be commended for agreeing to participate in the debate and for ensuring that Tasmanians have the chance to see them debate at a free and public event.”
 

Tasmania Tourism Promotion Going Backwards

Posted on Friday, 12 June 2009 | Permalink

The Tourism Industry says Tasmania is the only State where tourism marketing is going backwards and that this will inevitably have a negative impact on our competitive position.

Tourism Industry Council of Tasmania Chief Executive Daniel Hanna said today’s State Budget showed that over the next three years tourism’s budget would lose close to $10 million.

“This is crisis time for the tourism industry. Tasmania is getting outspent and out muscled by our competitors interstate and in the region,” Mr Hanna said.

“The TICT argued that money saved by selling Tasmania’s Temptations needed to go back into marketing Tasmania as a destination to reverse a downward trend in funding,” Mr Hanna said.

“We know from our own research that an increase in destination marketing has a direct positive impact on visitor numbers and on jobs in the tourism industry.

“While the Budget Forward Estimates show that the Tasmanian tourism marketing budget is going backwards, other States are directing more money to win a bigger share of the domestic tourism market,” Mr Hanna said.

“This is a big disappointment and a missed opportunity. The TICT had been calling on the State Government to put an extra $6 million a year into marketing to promote Tasmania in our core markets of Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland to protect jobs during the economic downturn,” Mr Hanna said.

“South Australia has just announced $12 million in additional funding over four years for a direct, consumer-focused tourism marketing campaign within Australia.

“Western Australia is increasing overall tourism funding by $2.9 million per annum and the Northern Territory increased their marketing budget by $9.3 million over the next two years,” he said.

Mr Hanna said the State Budget documents confirmed that the next two years would be tough.

“This is when we need to invest to offset the downturn in domestic and global travel caused by the global financial crisis,” Mr Hanna said.

Mr Hanna said the TICT would convene a special board meeting in Hobart next Tuesday to consider the implications of the tourism marketing budget cut.

Tourism Promotion Boost Needed Urgently

Posted on Thursday, 4 June 2009 | Permalink

The Tourism Industry says Tasmania is being left behind by other States putting more money into destination promotion to counter the economic downturn and the potential impact of swine flu on travel.

Tourism Industry Council of Tasmania Chief Executive Daniel Hanna said today other States had jumped ahead of Tasmania with funding for campaigns to attract a bigger share of the domestic market.

“We have been calling on the State Government to put an extra $6 million a year into marketing to promote Tasmania in our core markets of Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland to protect jobs during the economic downturn,” Mr Hanna said.

“We’ll be looking to next week’s State Budget to counter the effects of the global financial crisis, competition from other states and now the potential impact of swine flu,” he said.

“South Australia has just announced $12 million in additional funding over four years for a direct, consumer-focused tourism marketing campaign within Australia.

“Western Australia is increasing overall tourism funding by $2.9 million and will spend a total of $28 million on tourism marketing.

“This is all direct competition to Tasmania and will affect our market share unless we respond.

Mr Hanna said there was concern in the tourism industry that the swine flu would cause a further contraction in interstate travel.

“We have heard this week from the Director of Public Health that anyone traveling to Tasmania from Victoria who exhibits flu-like symptoms will be quarantined.

“The industry accepts that public health has to come first, but we are very concerned that such measures will have a major detrimental impact on domestic travel, keeping in mind that the vast majority of visitors to Tasmania are domestic rather than overseas tourists. It is therefore very important that governments weigh up the full impact of their decisions in response to swine flu,” Mr Hanna said.

Tas Temps Savings Need to Go Back into Tourism Promotion

Posted on Thursday, 7 May 2009 | Permalink

The Tourism Industry Council of Tasmania is seeking a guarantee that savings from Tourism Tasmania’s sale or closure of Tasmania’s Temptations Holidays should go back into tourism marketing.

TICT Chief Executive Officer Daniel Hanna said today the industry supported the decision to cease operation of Tasmania’s Temptations Holidays from 30 September 2009 and to call for offers for the business.

“The business has been a drain on Tourism Tasmania’s meager resources for some years. Now more than ever that money needs to be diverted to where it is most urgently needed – into marketing and promotion of Tasmania as a destination,” Mr Hanna said.

“This is where it will do most good for small and medium sized businesses across the State.

Mr Hanna said so far this year Tasmania’s visitor numbers had held up well but businesses were now starting to report slow bookings for the second half of the year as a result of the downturn afflicting the national and international tourism markets so the State needed to act now to gain market share and protect jobs.

He said over the past decade Tas Temptations share of the market and revenue had fallen dramatically as people turned to online booking and, had a private operator been running the business, it would have been restructured and sold years ago.

“The market failure that made it difficult for individual tourism operators to sell their product and which encouraged the Government to set up Tas Temps no longer exists.

“While we support this decision, we call on the Government to guarantee that the resulting savings are kept within Tourism Tasmania which is currently facing a 34% real terms cut to its marketing budget by 2011,” Mr Hanna said.
 

Public Wants Government To Do More To Promote Tourism

Posted on Thursday, 23 April 2009 | Permalink

More than 90 per cent of Tasmanians think the State Government should maintain or increase spending on promotion of tourism.

The vast majority of Tasmanians (98%) also believe that a healthy tourism industry is vital for the State’s future.

Importantly, Tasmanians think that tourism has made the greatest contribution of any industry to the growth of the state economy in recent years and has the potential to make the greatest contribution over the next five years.

These are the key results of a survey of 1000 people across Tasmania by EMRS for the Tourism Industry Council of Tasmania.

TICT Chief Executive Officer Daniel Hanna said today it was imperative that the Tasmanian Government recognised what most Tasmanians already knew – that the State’s economic future depends on tourism.

“At a time when Tasmanians say they want the same or more money spent on attracting visitors, the State Government is cutting its investment in destination marketing and events,” Mr Hanna said.

“In the Budget forward estimates published last year the tourism marketing budget faces a 30% cut from $18.57 million in 2007-08 to $12.66 million in 2010-11. In the same period the budget for events will be cut from $4.3 million to just $2.87 million.

“This sort of mentality is like killing the goose that laid the golden egg,” Mr Hanna said.

“Unless we actually increase the tourism marketing budget we’re putting at risk 25,000 jobs right across every sector of the Tasmanian economy and in every location in the state.

The most recent Tasmanian Visitor Survey found that Tasmanian tourism had held up strongly in 2008 with 897,100 visitors, who spent some $1.48 billion in the State while they were here.

However visitor numbers have fallen across Australia and other States have reacted by dramatically increasing their destination marketing.

“The tourism industry fears a decline in 2009 unless we react now to increase market share. The competition Tasmania is facing from other destinations in our region has never been stronger,” Mr Hanna said.

The key findings of the EMRS survey are:

• 98% of Tasmanians think it is important to have a healthy tourism industry in the future.
• 93% of Tasmanians think that tourism will be important to Tasmania during 2009 and 2010 with the impact of the global financial crisis.
• 91% of Tasmanians think that the state government should be investing more or the same in promoting Tasmania to attract visitors in light of the global financial crisis.
• Tasmanians believe that tourism is the industry with the potential to make the greatest contribution to Tasmania’s economic development in the next five years. Tasmanians support tourism as the highest placed industry by more than two and a half times the second placed industry (52% for tourism and 20% for agriculture) and three times the third placed industry (52% for tourism and 17% for forestry).
• When prompted with a list of high profile industries, 79% of Tasmanians think that tourism is an industry that has made the greatest contribution to the Tasmanian economy in recent years. This support is again well over double that of the second placed industry (forestry at 33%).
• When unprompted, Tasmanians believe that tourism is the industry that has made the greatest contribution to the Tasmanian economy in recent years. This support is nearly double that of the second placed industry (40% for tourism and 22% for mining).
• Tourism is strongly supported in all regions of Tasmania, with the strongest level of support in the north and north-east of the state.

Please click here for the full results of the EMRS survey.

Tourism Sustains Tasmania's Economy

Posted on Wednesday, 18 March 2009 | Permalink

The latest visitor numbers released today show that tourism is sustaining Tasmania’s economy, Tourism Industry Council of Tasmania (TICT) Chief Executive Officer Daniel Hanna said today.

“The Tasmanian Visitor Survey showing that Tasmanian tourism has held up so strongly is very encouraging news when other destinations in our region are struggling,” Mr Hanna said.

Mr Hanna said that given that tourism is labour intensive, the buoyancy of tourism would have helped Tasmania sustain low unemployment against the national trend.

The TVS showed that Tasmania received 897,100 visitors in 2008, who spent some $1.48 billion in the State while they were here, a 12 per cent increase from 2007.

“Importantly, during the December quarter when the financial crisis really started to bite globally and domestically, visitor numbers rose by 9% and expenditure rose by 19% when compared to the December quarter in 2007. This growth will have benefited many industries throughout the state from retail and agriculture to manufacturing and not just direct tourism businesses like accommodation, restaurants and transport,” Mr Hanna said.

“The results confirm the predictions made by the TICT late last year that we were well placed to ride out the storm because Tasmania:
• is primarily a holiday destination as opposed to business;
• is primarily a destination for domestic travelers as opposed to international;
• is highly desirable with a strong brand presence; and
• is well placed to benefit from a weaker dollar, lower petrol prices and lower interest rates.

“The TVS shows that visitor numbers increased in all regions – which means the whole state benefits from a healthy tourism industry. The regional dispersal of visitors when in Tasmania is one of the defining features of our destination and means that the economic benefits are felt by every area of the state.

Mr Hanna said the current economic circumstances in Australia and key international markets underlined the urgency for Tasmania to more heavily promote the State as a destination – especially during the second part of this year.

“Tasmania has held up well to the end of 2008 and through the early months of the effects of the global financial crisis. However, 2009 is going to be a very tough year for every tourism destination throughout the country and we need to be aggressive to win market share. This is because the Australian travel pie will shrink in 2009 and we simply have to take a larger slice.

“Tasmania’s tourism strategies, including our marketing campaigns, have been effective over many years. During tough times it is vital that as a State we have the confidence to continue with the strategy that has served us so well in the past.

Mr Hanna said the industry would continue to focus on driving demand for people to travel to Tasmania, but it also needed the State Government to continue its commitment by providing additional resources to effectively promote the destination.

“Tasmania’s economy needs a strong tourism industry and we can’t afford to be complacent. During these difficult times, tourism can help to keep the Tasmanian economy growing and keep Tasmanians in jobs; but it is vital that the Tasmanian Government continues to resource our marketing activities strongly.

“Tourism is one of the only sectors where governments can stimulate demand and the TICT urges the Tasmanian Government to not just maintain the existing level of resources, but make additional investments in destination marketing.

“Now more than ever we need to continue to stimulate demand if we want to continue to grow and provide more jobs for Tasmanians,” Mr Hanna said.

Tourism Industry Welcomes Tas e-Connect

Posted on Monday, 16 March 2009 | Permalink

The Tourism Industry Council of Tasmania has urged all tourism operators to get on board Tourism Tasmania’s new Tas e-Connect initiative.

TICT chief executive Daniel Hanna said the move was the right response to new demands of tourism consumers and potential visitors to Tasmania.

“Tas e-Connect gives tourism operators the means to connect their businesses with consumers everywhere,” Mr Hanna said.

“Consumers aren’t just researching their holiday online anymore; they now increasingly want to book and pay for it that way as well.

“When people think about the last holiday they took, how many would have used the internet to search and then book pay for their hotel, travel and tickets to events?

“All tourism operators no matter how big or small will benefit from being involved with the new technology. This is a great way for tourism businesses to have their product seen and booked by visitors from around the world,” Mr Hanna said.

Mr Hanna said that the online and digital environment provided great opportunities for tourism operators to connect with customers.

“It doesn’t mean that traditional methods of product distribution are dead, but this is a new and efficient way for tourism businesses to connect with customers and gives tourism operators more choices.

“It is great that Tasmania is leading the way as one of the first states to move to an Open Booking Exchange system. It means that we can get the jump on our competitors, something that is very important in these challenging times.

“Tourism is an innovative industry and despite being dominated by small and micro businesses, demand for this technology has been very strong. This initiative will be taken up by operators and the TICT strongly encourages all tourism businesses to get on board with Tas e-Connect,” Mr Hanna said.

Tourism Industry Demands Government Retain Drysdale Brand

Posted on Friday, 6 March 2009 | Permalink

 The Tourism Industry Council of Tasmania says the State Government has broken a commitment it gave to retain the Drysdale brand in its Tasmania Tomorrow reforms.

TICT chief executive Daniel Hanna said today the industry was not happy with the loss of Drysdale.

“Tourism and hospitality training in Tasmania had its own brand in the Drysdale Institute and now it’s been killed off,” Mr Hanna said.

“This is not a good start for Tasmania Tomorrow or the Polytechnic. The Polytechnic is designed to span the gap between the education system and industry and its first action is to kill a brand that the tourism industry had asked to have retained.

“Drysdale is a brand that has value as a recruitment tool for young people into our industry and we were assured the brand would be retained,” he said.

Mr Hanna said that the decision to axe the Drysdale name should not be linked to the proposal to establish the Tasmanian Culinary School of Excellence.

“The Culinary School of Excellence is a good idea but is not and was never envisaged as a replacement for Drysdale,” he said.

“The TICT was proactive in advocating the retention of the Drysdale brand in the Polytechnic as part of the Tasmania Tomorrow reforms. The TICT held personal discussions and was given assurances that this would happen. We therefore feel disappointed and let down.

“The TICT is demanding that the Government honours the commitments we were given. It is not good enough for the Premier to say the decision to drop the Drysdale name was not his.

“At a minimum all the handbooks and brochures, other course marketing materials, teaching staff and qualifications received need to retain the Drysdale brand name,” Mr Hanna said.

Tourism Industry Welcomes Plans To Market Tasmania, But Says More Still Needed

Posted on Wednesday, 4 March 2009 | Permalink

The Tourism Industry Council of Tasmania has welcomed the tourism initiatives in the Premier’s State of the State address but says more effort is still needed to maintain visitor numbers.

TICT chief executive Daniel Hanna said today the industry fully supported the establishment of a Tasmanian Culinary School of Excellence.

“This was an idea first put forward by the tourism industry and will benefit Tasmania in several ways by promoting our cuisine interstate and overseas and training top chefs for our hotels and restaurants,” Mr Hanna said.

Mr Hanna said that while such initiatives were good, the Government should not lose sight of the fact that the single most important thing they could do to protect existing jobs and create new jobs in the tourism industry was to spend more in Tasmania’s key interstate markets to maintain and grow market share.

“We’re still looking for an additional $6 million for destination marketing to get visitors to the State. No amount of new events, new national parks or investment in heritage buildings will help if we don’t attract people here to see them,” Mr Hanna said.

Mr Hanna said industry welcomed initiatives such as plans to investigate the establishment of a Bay of Fires National Park, develop Oatlands as a heritage destination, a new Tasmanian Festival of Ideas and redevelopment of the Hobart waterfront.

He said the industry also had campaigned for many years for reform of planning laws to address the obstacles faced by operators in building new facilities and for the freeing up of training for apprentices.

“On the face of it all these things have potential benefits, but the devil will be in the detail, so we will be seeking more information on what is proposed and will provide a tourism industry view on how they should be achieved,” Mr Hanna said.

Qantas Australian Tourism Awards Tasmanian Winners

Posted on Monday, 2 March 2009 | Permalink

The Tourism Industry Council of Tasmania congratulates the State’s successful entrants in the Qantas Australian Tourism Awards announced tonight.

The Maria Island Walk has taken out the award in the Adventure Tourism Category, the Old Woolstore Apartment Hotel won the Deluxe Accommodation Category while the Wilderness Gallery was Highly Commended in the Specialised Tourism Services Category.

Tourism Industry Council Tasmania Chief Executive Daniel Hanna said today Tasmania continued to punch well above its weight in the national tourism awards.

“To win two of the 27 national categories and be highly commended in a third is a magnificent outcome for those businesses and demonstrates the high quality of the Tasmanian entries in the national awards,” Mr Hanna said.

All category winners from the Tasmanian Tourism Awards were nominated for the Australian Awards.

Tourism Can Cushion Tasmanian Economy

Posted on Wednesday, 25 February 2009 | Permalink

The Tourism Industry Council of Tasmania says the industry has the potential to cushion the State’s economy against prolonged economic downturn.

TICT chief executive Daniel Hanna said today tourism continued to be a powerhouse of the Tasmanian economy.

“Major events like today’s Launceston Cup attract visitors as well as generate intrastate travel and benefit the whole Tasmanian economy,” Mr Hanna said.

“At a time when governments around the world and around Australia are looking at ways to prime the economy to generate new jobs and protect existing jobs, investment in tourism marketing is something they, and the industry, can do now which will have an immediate impact,” he said.

The TICT is currently surveying its members to get a clear picture of how much the industry is investing in marketing to offset the economic downturn.

“The private sector has invested billions into tourism product over recent years and this benefits all sectors from construction to hospitality, agriculture and even manufacturing,” Mr Hanna said.

“Last September we released figures which showed plans for another 66 tourism-related projects worth over $1 billion and we need to invest in marketing to increase our market share to ensure businesses remain confident to go ahead with those developments.

Mr Hanna said tourism delivered $2.2 billion annually directly to the pockets of Tasmanians and the industry provided 25,000 real jobs year round.

“Recent calls by the Manufacturing Industry Council to take money away from tourism and redirect it to manufacturing show a very poor understanding of the importance of tourism to Tasmania’s economy,” Mr Hanna said.

“Tourism is not just a three or four month job and comments by the Manufacturing Industry Council’s Richard Lowrie that it is not something that can give someone a stable salary for the whole year is just plain rubbish.

“Successive surveys show people believe our future prosperity lies in tourism.

“Rather than cut tourism marketing we need to aggressively sell Tasmania in our key national markets. Just a half a percentage point gain in Tasmania’s share of interstate trips taken by Australians will deliver industry growth of between 8% and 9% over the coming year which will generate an extra $120 million in revenue and could create between 1500 and 2000 direct and indirect jobs.

“The value of aggressive marketing at this time has been proved by the TT-Line’s strong booking performance on the back of a sales and marketing campaign. On its own this campaign increased travel of mainland visitors to Tasmania which will drop tens of millions of dollars straight into the pockets of businesses in all parts of the State,” Mr Hanna said.

“The time to act is now,” he said.