Press Release

STATE SET TO ACHIEVE HISTORIC TOURISM MILESTONES

Monday 17 December 2007

Tasmanian tourism is on the threshold of achieving two historic milestones within the next few years – a million visitors in a single year and an increase in expenditure to $2.2 billion.

The Minister for Tourism, Arts and the Environment, Paula Wriedt, said the Tasmanian Government and the tourism industry have now completed a three-year business plan to take advantage of the growth opportunities.

Tourism 21: Strategic Business Plan 2007-2010 is the fifth update of a major plan first launched 10 years ago that committed the State Government and industry to precise targets, strategies and deadlines.

“The inaugural plan in June 1997 was a landmark event,” Mrs Wriedt said.

“In 1997 the industry was made up of about 1300 tourism business. There were less than 500,000 visitor arrivals, and their total spending was around $585 million.

“Since then we have witnessed extraordinary growth, resulting in about 2,400 tourism businesses in Tasmania today. Around 870,000 visitors are also coming here every year and spending just over $2 billion.”

The new plan takes the Tasmanian Government and industry through to 2010, and paves the way for significant growth over the next three years.

“It also provides longer-term projections of where the industry could be in 10 years, explains how the industry is expected to be influenced over the next 10 years by new technology, which is impacting on the way we do business and people’s perceptions of the world,” Ms Wriedt said.

“Tasmania is endeavouring to stay one step ahead of these challenges and creating opportunities as it moves forward.”

To achieve this, Tourism Tasmania and the tourism industry have agreed to focus on four core strategies:

  • Create a highly desirable destination
  • Market the destination effectively
  • Make it easy to travel, and
  • Deliver on that promise.

“The plan covers issues of access to and from Tasmania, travel distribution, the internet, climate change, and the challenge of connecting with potential travellers,” Ms Wriedt said.

“It also includes specific activities to be carried out by Tourism Tasmania and by the Tourism Industry Council Tasmania to achieve the new targets within this new Plan.

“The new targets focus on growth in domestic and international market share and, for the first time, targets for growing the number of Tasmanians holidaying in their own state.”

Ms Wriedt said the two historic milestones of one million visitors and $2.2 billion of visitor spending are expected be achieved during the course of the new three-year strategic plan.

“How soon each milestone is reached will depend on the continuing positive relations and collaboration between the Tasmanian government and tourism industry,” she said.

 

For further information contact Tourism Tasmania's Communications Unit

(03) 6230 8244
email mediainfo@tourism.tas.gov.au