TOURISM INDUSTRY COUNCIL TASMANIA QUARTERLY ||WINTER2022ISSUE9 AGRITOURISM:03 MORE THAN A BUZZ WORD POSITIVE20IMPACT: HOW TOURISMTASMANIA’SINDUSTRYCANLEADTHEWAY NATIONAL10GOLD: FIRST-TIME TASSIE WINNERS AT NATIONALAWARDSTOURISM A NEW ERA IN TASMANIA’S EVOLUTION AS A VISITOR DESTINATION
As a rule, Tassie does cold things good.
||WINTER2022ISSUE9 1 To advertise in the next TICT Quarterly or for editorial enquiries contact info@tict.com.au Cover page image: Hamlet Café. Photo Credit – Rosie Hastie WELCOME: FROM TICT 2 AGRITOURISM: MORE THAN A BUZZ WORD 3 FIRST TIME NATIONAL GOLD FOR TASSIE WINNERS 10 NATIONAL TOURISM AWARDS 14 BLEND: BOTTLING WINE TOURISM 16 POSITIVE IMPACT: HOW TASMANIA’S TOURISM INDUSTRY CAN LEAD THE WAY 20 IN FOCUS: BUSINESS EVENTS 25 LAUNCESTON: WE CALL IT LAUNNIE 29 TICT PARTNERS 33
At the time of writing, anecdotalspruikedConference.Tasmaniancountdowntheapproachingwe’retwo-weektothe2022TourismWhilewe’veit(albeitwithonlyevidenceanda healthy dose of confidence in our program of events) as the Tasmanian tourism industry’s biggest annual event for many years, the response to this year’s Conference has been quite unprecedented. And, yes, there’s the matter of a certain Australian of the Year – cough, Dylan Alcott, cough – providing an enticing drawcard, but we’re quietly hopeful that the theme of Positive Impact might have dangled a secondary carrot in front of the hundreds of tourism professionals who have registered for this year’s Whetherevent. you’re joining us in Launceston for the two-day Conference program or not, there’s plenty in these pages to cover off on how the Tasmanian tourism industry can have – and is having – a positive impact. In this issue, TICT CEO Luke Martin steps through the evolution of the Tourism 21 agenda since the mid-90s, all the way through to its next iteration, which will set a vision for Tassie’s evolution as a tourism destination through the 2020s that takes seriously our responsibility – and competitive advantage – to make a positive contribution to the Tasmanian community, environment and way of life. This vision includes being a global leader
WELCOME: FROM TICT
While total state visitor numbers are still making their way back towards pre-Covid levels, it’s encouraging that wine at least hasn’t gone out of style, and tourists seem to have the right idea about where to get the best drops (spoiler: it’s Tassie). Check out the rest of the stats, as well as the ambitious strategy to establish Tasmania as the premier wine destination in Australia, further on in this Youissue.can also read about four first-time home-grown National Tourism Awards winners, the exciting future of business events, and this year’s Top Tourism Town, selfdubbed simply “Launnie”. Thanks for reading and for what you’re doing to have your own Positive Impact.
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cellargrowthWinerecently-releasedgood(seetourismIngreenbacktourismcompellingagritourismallWithproduce,toopeningvisitorproductsnumbermonikerhasdevelopmentproductTheafarsector,intoWeenvironments.ofandwithinpeoplesupportingcarbon-consciousness,inmoreyoungintoviablecareersthevisitoreconomy,mitigatingtheimpacttourismonournaturalalsotakeadeepdivethegrowingagritourismanddiscoverthatit’sfromthebuzzwordoffewyearsago.OpeningGate,astate-wideandbusinessprogram,doneexactlywhatitssuggests,withaofnewagritourismenhancingTassie’svaluepropositionbytheirowngatestouriststoconnectwithpeopleandplace.agriculturalchampionsoverourbeautifulisland,representsafrontierforourindustry,whilesowingintothevisionofaclean,Tasmania.asimilarvein,thewinesectorhasabunchwhatwedidthere)ofnewsstories,withtheBottlingTourismplancelebratinginvisitorspendanddoorvisitnumbers.
inverted commas – a term used by a select group of those in the know to describe an up-andcoming subsector of the tourism industry. These days, though, not only is agritourism a bona fide word accepted by the Macquarie and Oxford dictionaries (via a yearslong transition from a now defunct hyphen), it’s one of the most compelling The Truffle Farm. Photo Credit – Ness Vanderburgh
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components of Tasmanian tourism’s current growth status. Agriculture and tourism are part of Tasmania’s DNA – and agritourism is the vehicle by which visitors can connect with produce and producers on farm, whether on land or sea. Agritourism experiences might be intimate extensions of existing farm-based activities, or larger-scale products in their own right. From foraging from a kitchen garden and preparing a shared meal, to pairing wine
AGRITOURISM: MORE THAN A BUZZ WORD
Not all that long ago, the beagritourismwordmightpresentedin
Anna Terry. Photo Credit – Ness Vanderburgh 4
It makes sense, then, that the development of agritourism is a priority in the T21 Visitor Economy Action Plan 2020-22, which has been accelerated by funding for regional tourism recovery from the Australian Government through a partnership between the Tasmanian Government and the Regional Tourism Organisation network.
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in 2021 quickly debunked the myth that agritourism is a niche market. In fact, it not only discovered that it’s a growing market opportunity with 7 in 10 domestic travellers potentially ‘in market’, but also found that agritourism spend by visitors is increasing.
Opening the Gate, a statewide product and business development program, has been underway since late 2021 to elevate and enhance existing agritourism products, as well as to develop new ones. While the program was originally projected to attract 40-50 businesses, it ultimately received over 120 expressions of interest from around the
Consumer conductedresearchbyKantar
Anne Greentree is Director Visitor Economy Strategy at Tourism Tasmania, and Project Lead for the T21 agritourism with gourmet food at a winery restaurant, agritourism has broad applications that appeal to equally wide and varied visitor appetites.
Thestate.businesses engaged to complete the program were required to work through six business development workshops, developed by Regionality over many years of working with agritourism businesses around Australia, to understand why they wanted to get into agritourism, as well as how
Photo credit – Jasper Da Seymour
their product might appeal to the tourist market. For many growers and producers, creating an agritourism product means opening up the space in which they live and work, so Opening the Gate worked with operators to scale a product that worked for them, often coming up with new ideas, or taking an original idea in a slightly different direction. Opening the Gate is being delivered by Tasmanian agribusiness experts Optimum Standard, who partnered with agritourism specialists Regionality, business advisers Collins SBA, and digital storyteller Tom Chapman Film.
6 Photo credit – Jasper Da Seymour
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As part of its core brand proposition, Tourism Tasmania continues to feature Tassie’s producers and agritourism experiences, showcasing them in the Tasmanian episodes of the latest “MasterChef” series, agri-stories on the new Discover Tasmania website and a second season of the Network Ten series “Left Off the Map” over summer 2021/22, uncovering the hidden gems of the island, including a number of Opening the Gate program
“It was –continuesandtobe – a huge propositions.”agritourismandideassomeinbeenanddemandwhetherwork,expertiseuniquepartnersheonecontributorsbetweencollaborationmanywithcommongoal,”said.“Eachbringsaskillsetandtothisregardlessoftheyareorsupply,theirinputhasinvaluabledevelopingofthesenewintoviablesuccessful
The Truffle Farm. Photo Credit – Ness Vanderburgh stages that agritourism businesses often encountered cumbersome, lengthy and costly development approvals processes that stifled product development and innovation. With this in mind, the Department of State Growth engaged planning experts ERA Planning to consult with businesses and regulators on ways to simplify and streamline processes, and identify how the regulatory environment can be fit-forpurpose in the Tasmanian agritourism context. For regional areas, agritourism presents an especially compelling opportunity to grow the value proposition for its visitor economy. Regional product development has
Aparticipants.referencegroup chaired by Nick Haddow, Founder and CEO at Bruny Island Beer and Cheese Co., informed this work, and identified in the very early work. She said the success of the project depended on the collaboration of many partners including Tasmanian Government agencies, Regional Tourism Organisations, local government and expert contractors, as well as the enthusiasm of the operators involved.
“We only stock and serve local food, wine and other beverages, and we’re passionate about sharing the provenance stories of other producers,” she says. “Having neighbours who offer their own agritourism experiences means that guests are enticed to spend a night or two in the area, so that they can make the most of what’s on offer.”
The results of the Opening the Gate project will be showcased in a series of towelllikeearlyainregionsthroughouteventstheofthestateOctober.Farfrombuzzwordofthe2000s,itlooksagritourismisandtrulyherestay.
Photo credit – Jasper Da Seymour
Terry, owner of The Truffle Farm in Deloraine, sees these regional impacts at play in her own agritourism business. The Truffle Farm offers a range of on-site walking tours, as well as a narrated farm bus tour, allowing guests the opportunity to join the farm’s truffle dogs to unearth a rare black truffle with their own hands, as well as to experience the culinary magic of truffles in various food and beverage offerings.
8 seen a range of different experiences across varying scales build upon one another to tell truly regional stories and connect visitors to place and people in meaningful Annaways.
Anna says that creating an off-thebeaten-track destination experience has increased traffic in the region, and The Truffle Farm works closely with other likeminded operators.
SEL F-DRI VE HO L I D AY S • A CCO MMO D ATION • AT TR A C TION S & T O U R S SUGGES T E D I TIN E R A RI ES • GU ID E D WAL KIN G HO L I D AY S • M O U N TA IN BIKIN G G O L F T O U R S • G RO U P T O U R S • A IR & SEA TR AVEL • C A R & C AM P E R VA N HIR E tasmaniaPARTNER WITH TASVACATIONS 2023/2024WholesaleDistribution&MarketingProgramAPPLICATIONSCLOSE26thAUGUST2022 Foraprospectuspleasecontactbrochures@tasvacations.com
10 FIRST TIME NATIONAL GOLD FOR TASSIE WINNERSforourteam
For four first-time national gold winners, it will be a night to remember for many years yet.
Wonders of Wynyard – Rachael Hogge, Cr Robby Walsh and Tracey Bradley
While the GalaTourismAustralian2021Awardsmightbe a few months behind us, there’s little chance that its memory will fade any time soon for 15 brilliant Tasmanian operators who took away a national medal.
“Compared to previous years, our results were down and the disruptions of Covid meant that our long-term strategic planning flew out the
For Wonders of Wynyard, it’s a case of practice makes perfect when it comes to Tourism Awards submissions, and Rachael says the challenges experienced during the qualifying period might actually have been the secret sauce to their submission.
Wonders of Wynyard Exhibition and Visitor Information Centre is no stranger to Tourism Awards Gold, having won the category at the Tasmanian state level every year since 2016, and entering the Tasmanian Hall of Fame in 2018 after three consecutive wins. In 2019, they took things national, winning Silver in the Visitor Information Services category at the Australian Tourism Awards, before their national gold win at the most recent national Gala in March this year.
Tourism and Marketing Manager Rachael Hogge says the achievement was a humbling recognition of the team’s efforts throughout two of the toughest years our industry has ever faced. “It was such a proud moment
“But to recognisedbe at a national level was an absolute honour and a fitting celebration, given the last time we left the state was for the national awards in Canberra two years ago!”
As the Australian tourism industry’s peak awards program recognising and promoting excellence, taking out top spot is the highest honour, and team Tassie was thrilled to bring home eight gold trophies.
to say, ‘we survived and we did okay’,” she says. “Winning the Tasmanian Awards for the past five years has given us the confidence that we are getting some things right, that we understand our customers, and that we’re delivering a service that they need and appreciate.
||WINTER2022ISSUE9 11 window,” she says. “But I think the judges saw the passion our team has for their role in the tourism economy, their willingness to adapt to the challenges, and our ability to change our strategies on the hop and mitigate the risks that Thearose.”unique challenges of the two-year Awards qualifying period were acknowledged specifically in a new national category which was also taken out by a Tasmanian operator.
“Even during the peak of Covid, we had really good take-up on this offering, with between 75-95 percent occupancy in our pods. To be recognised at a national level for this meant a lot, and was a really wonderful feeling.”
Blue Derby Pods Ride won the Covid-19 Judges’ Choice Award, recognising the business’ exceptional innovation and resilience throughout the 2019-2021 period. Director Tara Howell says the recognition affirmed the steps that the business took to adapt to a changing “Covidmarket.forced us to innovate really quickly, because 95 percent of our usual market comes from interstate or overseas,” she says. “We had undertaken risk profiles including changed markets, so we were able to automatically develop a custom Tasmanian offering that was geared towards an exclusively intrastate market.
“We’veyear.become more established as a business and had the space to become more innovative, so there’s Blue Derby Pods Ride – Tara and Steve Howell
Having won a number of Tourism Awards at the state level, including Bronze in the New Business category in 2017, and Silver in the Adventure Tourism Category in 2018 and 2019, Tara says this year’s Gold win confirms that their submissions get stronger every
While a small team was able to celebrate the win at the National Gala on the Sunshine Coast, Sean says the real celebration kicked off when they got home to Tasmania.
“We were ecstatic to be able to accept the award, but it was on behalf of our whole team who do a fantastic job day in and day out,” he says.
“In a room of high calibre peers all vying for Gold, it’s not a like a race with a clear winner,” he says of announcementthe on in March. “Everyone does an outstanding job, so you expect it to come down to fractions of points.”
“The mentoring and judges’ feedback is always helpful, too, and we have been able to use this to our advantage each year.”
12 more for us to reflect on and celebrate as we write our submission,” she says.
“When we got back to Tassie, it was another big high of celebrating together, and it was really special for the team to be able to hold the Award in their hand to symbolise all of their hard work.”
For Mures Tasmania , 2021 was only their second year of entering the Tourism Gordon River Cruises – Leanne Hays and Sean Gerrity
The west coast’s Gordon River Cruises is another Tourism Awards veteran, with three state-level Golds in the Tour & Transport Operators category under their belt. They’ve enjoyed a whirlwind of accolades over the past two years, with a Silver at the 2019 Australian Tourism Awards, and then a third consecutive state Gold ushering them into the Tasmanian Tourism Awards Hall of Fame in 2021. Their first national Gold in 2021 was the cherry on top, and Marine Operations Manager Sean Gerrity says the achievement still feels significant several months later.
Directors Will and Jude Mure say the rigorous Awards submission process provided an opportunity to record and reflect on what makes their business tick.
This year’s Tasmanian Tourism Awards program is now underway, with around 80 exceptional Tassie businesses vying for their shot at Gold in 2022.
“But this inspired us to innovate and to move forward with things that we had wanted to do for a long time, and we were able to celebrate that in our submission, too.”
“It’s a phenomenal feeling to have our hard work and passion recognised in this way,” Jude says. “We know that we do a great job, with an amazing team supporting our family’s vision, but we were also really honest in our submission about the struggles that our business has gone through with Covid.
Mures Tasmania – Jack, Judy, Wilson, Will and Eve Mure
“It’s a unique setting to walk into a room full of tourism operators who have gone through their own incredible journey of heartbreak, hard times and challenges,” he says. “We felt so proud to sit at a Tasmanian table as a collective group, and to share in how well we did as a state.”
Will says that the Tasmanian pride was strong at the National Awards Gala, and that representing the state as a national finalist was a win in itself.
||WINTER2022ISSUE9 13 Awards. In the stuff of awards trajectory dreams, they earned a state-level Silver in 2019, followed in quick succession by state- and national-level Golds in 2021.
Simon Currant (Pumphouse Point)
NATIONAL AWARDS
Emma Azon-Jacometti (TICT), Paul Selwyn-Norton and Jessica Robinson (Junction Arts Festival)
TOURISM
Ross Boobyer and Matt Casey (Saffire Freycinet)
Lorraine Ashdown (Ashdowns of Dover), Daniel and Melanie Leesong (Coal River Farm) and Gary Ashdown (Ashdowns of Dover)
Andrew Hennessy, Noah Pennicott, Michaye Boulter, Rob Pennicott, Mia Pennicott and Kate Hennessy (Pennicott Wilderness Journeys)
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Nicole Sherriff, Paul Fleming and Larni Davies (national judges)
Lynne & Paul Wagner (Sanctum Boutique Apartments), Tanya White (Anchors Retreat, VIC) and Kathryn & Andrew Stubbings (Heytesbury House, VIC)
Sam Denmead (Tourism Tasmania), Ruby Hardman (Peppers Silo Hotel), David & Jo Larter (Gorge Scenic Chairlift) and Paul Seaman (Peppers Silo Hotel)
Karen & Andrew Strikis (Lap of Tasmania), and Christine & Tony Johnson (Naiko Retreat, SA)
Gabs Manu, Ros Young and Sarah Wells (Tasmanian Walking Co.)
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15
John Fitzgerald (Tourism Tasmania) and Karen Fitzgerald (Tourism Australia)
It’s about growing connections and developing a shared vision for Tasmania to become Australia’s premier wine
With practical insights and information from Allison Clark and Rose Wright, from Tourism Tasmania’s “Opening The Gate” agritourism initiative (read more about that on page 3), and Sue Bell from Bellwether Wines, guests heard about recent research into what domestic visitors are seeking in terms of
Thisdestination.year’sBLEND provided a new twist, with the introduction of the inaugural BLEND Wine Tourism Workshop, geared especially towards those who wanted to delve deeper into the wine tourism industry.
BLEND: BOTTLING WINE TOURISM
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Delamere Vineyards. Photo Credit – Adam Gibson agritourism experiences, and how to expand and leverage their own offerings to drive value and visitation. Several case studies were shared, including the Bellwether wine tourism story, which now includes a boutique winery, cellar door, community kitchen, produce garden, campground and regular events. Of course, no wine tourism industry event would be complete without an array of delicious food and wine. The BLEND lunch event followed, with each table hosted by a local wine producer showcasing their exceptional wines alongside a feast from Hubert & Dan.
Along with our friends at Wine Tasmania, TICT hosted the fourth annual BLEND Wine + Tourism event at Tamar Ridge Cellar Door in July. Our tourism and wine sectors have much in common and share aspirations to grow our value through increased yield, while fostering a global reputation for sustainability and quality built on the Tasmanian brand. BLEND has always been – and continues to be – all about bringing our two sectors together to create the magic that is the sum of our parts: wine tourism.
* Source:
2019 2022 Visitors Tasmaniato(-43%) 1,315,618 744,200 Spend by all visitors (+55%) $1,902 $2,939 Visits to cellar doors (-28%) 279,139 202,200
Proportion of all visitors to Tasmania who visited a cellar door (+29%) Spend by cellar door visitors (+50%) $2,847 $4,262 trip spend by visitors to Tasmania who visited a cellar door (+10%) $780M $861M Tourism Tasmania Tourism Visitor Survey
21% 27%
The
Total
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2022 BLEND Wine & Tourism Luncheon. Photo Credit – Tess Astbury, Wine Tasmania Gordon Eckel is a Director at Raida Hospitality Group, a St Helens-based restaurant that serves a wide and varied winedrinking audience of locals and visiting mountain bikers. The 2022 event represented his first BLEND Wine + Tourism experience, and he says it was a great opportunity to meet a range of Tasmanian winemakers and other industry “Westakeholders.wereable to gain a better understanding of what the wine industry is doing around curating marketing initiatives, events and attractions,” he said. “The learnings that came out of the workshop, as well as the new relationships that we developed over lunch, highlighted how we can partner with Tasmanian winemakers and producers to target and appeal to visitors with truly immersive Theexperiences.”BLENDevent also presented the opportunity for TICT and Wine Tasmania to release the 2022-24 Bottling Wine Tourism plan, a joint plan to grow and progress the Measurenumbers:*
18 Moorilla. Photo Credit – Adam Gibson
||WINTER2022ISSUE9 19 shared wine tourism sector. The plan includes a review of the industry since the last plan was released in 2019, as well as current goals and opportunities. It summarised a blueprint that would see both industry bodies take shared responsibility to implement pragmatic, targeted actions over the coming three years to progress each strategic objective, including: • Fostering strong leadership for the wine tourism sector, working collaboratively across the wine and tourism sectors • Providing thecapabilitiestodevelopmentprofessionalopportunitiesbuildwineproducers’forsuccessintourismsector
• Supporting the tourism industry to leverage Tasmanian wine in other visitor offerings
“While visitor numbers are still climbing towards pre-Covid levels, visitor spend has well exceeded 2019, and cellar door visits have grown as a percentage of total visitors, up to 27 percent of all visitors in the year to March 2022,” she said.
TICT CEO Luke Martin said Tasmania’s evolution as a renowned wine tourism destination was now a template for many other businesses seeking to engage with a growing visitor economy.
•
Wine Tasmania CEO Sheralee Davies reported significant increases in wine tourism over the past 12 months, and said that the relationship between wine and tourism was more important than ever.
Tasmania“Establishingasa leading agritourism destination will be a priority for Australia,”tourismtheinwethetogetherTourismthecomingandgovernmentindustryoveryears,andBottlingWineplanbringsandelevateskeyprioritiesseeasessentialmakingTasmaniapremierwinedestinationinhesaid.
Progressing developmenttheof Tasmania as a distinctive wine tourism destination with a reputation for innovation and excellence, and • Coordinating and collaborating on wine trade and destination marketing to promote Tasmania as a wine tourism destination
Meadowbank Wines. Photo Credit – Adam Gibson
This first Tourism 21 committed industry and government to work together in seeking to generate $1 billion of annual visitor spending across Tasmania by the year 2000. The T21 approach in bringing tourism industry representatives and government leaders together to determine a set of shared goals, priorities, and actions, has steered Tasmania’s evolution as a visitor destination since that first agreement. Initiatives to professionalise the industry and encourage investment in new products, sectors and markets, as well as strategies to tackle the perennial challenges of Tasmanian tourism around access, regional dispersal, and seasonality, have all been common themes through past MostT21s. recently, the T21 framework has guided Tasmania’s response to the immense disruption of Covid on our visitor economy. In the winter of 2020, when all our borders were shut, government and industry sat down and agreed on over 90 initiatives to rebuild visitor demand, re-establish air access, and support our operators through the pandemic. All of these priorities were designed to ensure Tasmania was able to restore the value of visitor spending to pre-Covid levels as quickly as possible, while keeping one eye on the future and how Tasmania might develop as a destination when the Covid crisis had passed. As this Covid-era T21 reaches its end date, we have progressed nearly every one of those initiatives, and the State is now well-placed to reach pre-pandemic visitor spending levels of nearly $2.5 billion in But2023.through the pandemic, we also began to shape a clear vision for the evolution of Tasmanian tourism through the 2020s that looks beyond numbers and the pure Hamlet Cafe.
Photo Credit – Rosie Hastie
POSITIVE IMPACT: HOW TASMANIA’S TOURISM INDUSTRY CAN LEAD THE WAY
In the mid-90s, tourism industry leaders from across Tasmania sat down with the State Government and negotiated for the first time a shared vision for growing the State’s tourism industry.
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In Tasmania, we are choosing to embrace this idea through a ‘Positive Impact’ agenda in the next iteration of our T21 Strategy. This strategy will set a vision for Tasmania’s evolution as a tourism destination through the 2020s, built around our strengths as an industry, but also our responsibility to foster tourism that makes a positive contribution to the Tasmanian community, environment, and way of life.
Some destinations have embraced the concept of regenerative tourism, or the idea that tourism should leave a place better than it was.
Balancing visitor demand and the economic and cultural benefits that tourism can bring to a community, with the need to respect the priorities and values of residents and the people who call destinations home, is critical.
At the core of this Positive Impact agenda will be our ambition for Tasmania to be a global leader in the transition Blue Derby Mountain Bike Trails. Photo Credit – Stu Gibson
21 economic value of tourism. Before Covid, the industry was already considering how tourism impacts the environment, and the communities in which it operates. Tourism operators were demanding action on climate change and environmental sustainability. Many Tasmanians were beginning to challenge the tourism industry to ensure a growing visitor economy did not mean compromising what’s special and unique about our state. COVID has disrupted how we live and see the world. History has shown these types of disruptions only accelerate trends that were present before the disruption.
Tourism industries across the globe have taken stock over the past two years in reassessing how we measure tourism success.
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22 nungu/West Point. Photo Credit – Tourism Tasmania and Jason Charles Hill
||WINTER2022ISSUE9 23 to carbon-conscious travel. We have a competitive advantage in this space thanks to our carbon-free renewable energy base, but this positioning needs to be supported at all levels of the visitor economy.
Any genuine commitment to a positive impact agenda also means resolving some of the challenging debates we have across Tasmania about the scale and impact of tourism in some of our communities. We need to listen and respond to concerns from many Tasmanians about the impact of large cruise ships in our ports, and the impact of short-stay accommodation on rental affordability.
head-on,generationalTacklingchange.Tasmania’sdisadvantagethroughinnovative
Getting the policy levers right to facilitate tourism investment and growth on our terms, that maintain our industry values of quality
Working together as an industry to reduce emissions across all of our businesses, while supporting Tasmanian-based carbon offsetting initiatives, is something all operators can be a part of in making a meaningful positive impact on our local environment, while contributing to the global response to climate
T21.oftheinthatvisitordeliversustainabilityandtoauthenticexperiencescanonlyhappenTasmania,willbeultimatemeasureourPositiveImpact
Three Capes Track. Photo Credit – Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service
training pathways that support more Tasmanian kids into the career opportunities of a growing visitor economy, will not just make a positive impact in these people’s lives, but is also the most sustainable solution to our sector’s longterm workforce challenges.
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||WINTER2022ISSUE9 25 IN FOCUS: BUSINESS EVENTS
Prior to theeventsTasmania’sCovid-19,businesssectorwasquietachiever of our thriving tourism and hospitality industry. As the specialist bidding organisation responsible for marketing Tasmania as a business events destination, Business Events Tasmania tracked data on delegate spend and our market’s contribution to the visitor economy, with strong results. With a pre-pandemic estimated economic impact (EEI) of $150 million, business events delegates remain the highest yielding market segment of any traveller across the visitor economy, with the lucrative corporate and incentive market especially so.
Business events delegates typically indulge in pre- and post-touring opportunities, often bringing family members or friends along with them, and this sector does a lot of the heavy lifting during the off season, with a higher number of business events taking place over the winter months. It is therefore not surprising that the benefits reaped by business events are felt right across the visitor economy and beyond, with tourism operators, transport providers, cafes, bars and restaurants, and retail all Brickendon Estate. Photo Credit – Melanie Kate Photography
26 sharing in the high yield this market delivers. Like everyone else working in Tasmania’s tourism industry, the challenges of the last two years have been immense for the business events sector. Density restrictions crippled our operators’ ability to trade at usual levels, and as an industry there were concerns that inperson conferencing would be significantly disrupted by digital technology and ‘hybrid’ events. However, with increased border stability, Australians largely learning to live with Covid, and density restrictions finally lifted, the first half of 2022 has delivered Tasmania’s business events sector a much-needed period of stability, and we are now seeing positive signs of recovery. With years of Zoom meetings bringing about an age of digital fatigue, people –resoundingly – do want to come together, and they want to come together in Tasmania. With our wide-open spaces, net carbon negative status, and the perception of having weathered the Covid-19 storm relatively well compared to other jurisdictions without major outbreaks or lockdowns, Tasmania has never been more appealing. Business event organisers seeking a safe and clean destination know our state will appeal greatly to delegates wanting to extend their stay beyond their Businessconference.Events Tasmania has responded quickly to this increased interest in our island state. We have tailored marketing activity to remind the domestic market that we have capacity for larger association conferences, catering to up to 500 guests or delegates in Launceston, and around 1,100 across our conferencing facilities in Hobart.
We have scene.gourmetcommunity,culture,inareexperiencesprovidingcapabledestinationastonowincentivecorporatethepresentedopportunitiesoncapitalisedalsoemergingbyhigh-yielding&market,attractedTasmaniaadomesticofbespokethattrulyimmersiveourwilderness,history,andfood
Gin Blending Experience at Gin(bar). Photo Credit – Al Bett
Last year, Business Events Tasmania was fortunate to receive a grant under Austrade’s Regional Recovery for Tourism program to host a series of famils. We know that bringing event organisers and influencers to the state is the most effective way for us to convert new business. Our famil program showcasing the north, south, east coast and Tasman Peninsula has clearly impressed the market, with our sales team identifying 75 events in our pipeline with an EEI of over $70 million directly attributed to attendees participating on this famil. From this pool, we have so far confirmed 10 events for the state with an EEI of over $7 million – a figure we expect to grow throughout the remainder of the year, adding to a further $67 million in events already secured by our sales team.
With Australia’s business event sector now worth more to the economy nationally than the peak of our pre-pandemic Chinese tourism boom, the recovery of our sector looks strong. The opportunity for Tasmania’s tourism industry to harness the post-pandemic wave of business events activity is enormous. We remind operators and developers that our door is always open for people seeking further information and advice on the needs and drivers of our valuable niche market.
events.shareoureconomyTasmania’sthestrategyonrazor-sharpTasmaniaofLeadershiptheDominicChairBaker,BoardandTeamBusinessEventshasafocusaligningourtoaidrecoveryofvisitorandgrowstate’smarketofbusiness
Contact Taryn Reid BET Experience and Engagement treid@betasmania.com.auManager
Led by
Port Arthur Historic Site. Photo Credit – Paul Redding
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28 WE CALL LAUNNIEIT LEARN MORE AND BECOME A LAUNNIE PARTNER AT WWW.LAUNNIE.COM.AU
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generations.moreandcitywaterways,Theresilience,community,independence.meetingplaceofthreeourbeautifulhasbeenaculturalhubgastronomiccentreforthantwothousand LAUNCESTON:
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The first to love this land were the Tasmanian Aboriginal people, who have one of the oldest continuing cultures in the world. Today, around 110,000 people call Launnie home. There are no tourists here – just locals and temporary locals still discovering their true north. Our city is human scale. A series of green and wild spaces linked by heritage streetscapes and thoughtful adaptions. A real blend of old-world and new, tradition and innovation. We’ve honed our craft and aren’t scared to experiment either – there’s always something exciting bubbling away. Our natural and built heritage, food, wine (and spirit) have drawn together a diverse community of makers, artisans, storytellers and nature lovers from all over the world. Culture takes many forms, and we’ve made life’s simple pleasures an art. We aren’t much into big-city swagger, but you’ll find plenty of charm. Our close-knit community always has time for people, time to connect. Here, the farm gate is the local store, nature is our playground, and the cellar never runs
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There’s something that lies beneath the surface here that defines us as a city. You may not see it at first, but the moment you step foot here, you feel it. You sense it in the architecture, in the streets, out in nature, between the people — an undercurrent — born from generations of hard-work, curiosity, WE IT LAUNNIE.
Holyman House, Brisbane Street. Built in 1936, this iconic Art Deco building originally housed Holyman Company’s automobile showroom as Havilah Wine Bar well as shipping and aviation interests. The buildings sleek curves and neon-lit spire embodied the owners bold, futuristic vision. Kings Bridge, Trevallyn Road. Dating from 1864, Kings Bridge links to the accessible paths of the magnificent Cataract Gorge Reserve. Fabricated in Manchester, England and transported to Launceston, it was assembled on a pontoon and floated into position before being lowered onto its abutments on the receding tide. Prince’s Square, Elizabeth Street. Established in 1858 on a disused brickfield, Prince’s Square is known for its dappled light and beautiful Val d’Osne Fountain. Its manicured symmetry belies earlier use as a rubbish dump, military parade ground, and rowdy political meeting-place.
The Post Office, Cameron Street . Launceston Post Shop was built between 1886 – 1899 in the Queen Anne architectural style. The stout tower (nicknamed the pepper pot) was added a few years later by public subscription, and the clock installed just in time to celebrate Launceston’s centenary in 1906.
Eats of Charles Street About mid-way along Charles Street in Launceston’s centre is a string of epicurean attractions to tempt the seasoned gastronome or casual foodie. Each eatery offers an individual spin on produce sourced fresh from around the region. Havilah wine bar is a place to stop for a glass of Tamar Valley vino and piece of cheese or settle in for an evening of tailored drops and dishes. Next door is Geronimo,
30 LAUNNIE FAVOURITES: A FEW ArchitectureITINERARIESalongthe ages
Launceston is a jewel-box of built styles and design – best explored on foot, camera inhand. Here is a list of some of the city’s most iconic buildings and storied streetscapes, for visitors to enjoy at their own pace. All locations are closely connected in and around the CBD by flat paths and offer curious stories of ingenuity and innovation that have helped build the real story of Launnie. Visit some in a couple of hours or all in a couple of days and don’t forget to stop and enjoy the eateries, boutiques, parks and galleries along the way.
Queen Victoria Museum where you’ll learn about the intricate and unique biodiversity of what lies beneath the surface of these internationally-significant waterways. Next stop is discovering more than a century of mechanical knowledge at the National Automobile Museum then onto Peppers Silos for a fresh-baked snack followed by bursts of energy at the adjacent Riverbend Park playground. This incredible facility offers space for all ages and abilities and connects to the stretch of restaurants including Mud Bar and Levee Food Co at
A few other must-samples while you’re in Launnie… Caffeine: Valley Coffee, Amelia’s, Sweet Brew, Off Centre Snacks: Turkish Tukka, Small Grain, Alberto’s, Earthy Eats, Veg Out, Bar Two Dinner: Pachinko, Curry Club, Black Cow Bistro, Kosaten, Stelo Drinks: Bar Two, Saint John Craft Beer, Royal Oak Picnic basket: Harvest Market, Alps and Amici, Trevallyn Grocer Waterway Wanderings Along the edge of kanamaluka/ Tamar River and the North Esk River are various, distinctive experiences for the whole family to discover and learn from – all accessible along flat paths and in one day. Begin at Seaport Precinct. The Seaport Boardwalk winds along the banks of kanamaluka, which you can enjoy from different perspectives on a Tamar River Cruise or by ascending the famed zig-zag track. Another playground, fish’n’chips or the acclaimed eatery Stillwater are further attractions to be savoured along the way to the Cataract Gorge, an unparalleled natural attraction and sacred meeting place for Tasmanian Aboriginal communities for tens of thousands of years. An exceptional day out in
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31 a luxurious space to indulge in family-style dishes and share plates. If you enjoy Asian fusion, try the big, hugely satisfying flavours of Monsoon or Buddhai Thai – both offer takeaway, too. Over the road from these restaurants is Prince’s Square, a locally-loved green space featuring a fountain with a most fortuitous story and beds of colour. Further south along Charles Street are brunch hot spots Mondello and Elaia cafes, as well as the Sporties pub for a parmi or Burger Got Soul for takeaways. Coffee is never far away, either – try Prince’s Square Café or Aroma’s. Bread and Butter is just around the corner: try their renowned morning buns. Charles Street Green Grocer and Landfall butcher offer backyard-fresh morsels and supermarkets and boutique shopping such as Ecoco aren’t far away, either. Eats in general
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