Welcome from Luke Martin

WELCOME: FROM THE CEO

Well, we’re back!

Welcome to the second edition of TICT Quarterly – our bold attempt at establishing a quality, thought-leading industry journal for the Tasmanian tourism industry and visitor economy. We did get a really encouraging response to the inaugural edition we sent out over Summer, and we had the follow-up Autumn edition ready to drop at the end of March, which was going to have a really positive focus on women working across our industry. Then the world ended. Well, not quite - but for those of us in tourism it has certainly felt that way at times. The last couple of months have been traumatic, emotional and uncertain for everyone who works in Tasmania’s tourism and hospitality sector. The systematic and total shutdown of our successful and exciting visitor economy in the space of basically a week was beyond the worst of our nightmares. Talking to so many tourism operators over the past few weeks about the challenges you’ve had to work through in your business. Letting staff go. Sifting through the details of the support packages being made launched by government. Worrying about the banks. It has been heartbreaking. But at the same time it has also been inspiring to see the resilience on display from so many of you. The positivity throughout the regular zoom catch-ups the RTOs have been running. The examples coming through on a daily basis of operators innovating in re-setting their business for the recovery. The way my board, and our industry leadership more generally, has rallied, focussed and collaborated with our partners in government on laying the pathway to our recovery. Today, we have a light at the end of tunnel for when restrictions will be lifted and when our borders might reopen. In this context, we are proud to launch this edition of TICT Quarterly, which is all about the Tasmanian tourism industry’s re-opening and rebuild. It will take time, and there will be more frustration to come, but the Black Swan is passing by and our industry will come out of this stronger, better, and together.

Luke Martin Chief Executive Officer

Image credit: Stu Gibson

It has also been inspiring to see the resilience on display from so many of you. The positivity throughout the regular zoom catchups the RTOs have been running. The examples coming through on a daily basis of operators innovating in re-setting their business for the recovery. The way my board, and our industry leadership more generally, has rallied, focussed and collaborated with our partners in government on laying the pathway to our recovery.