News
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.
