TICT Quarterly - Summer 2024

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TASMANIA:

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The Podcast Series for Tasmanian tourism operators and industry professionals.

More than 100 Bite Size Conversations with our best and brightest, the influential and the inspiring in Tasmanian tourism.

Listen in the car, at the desk, in the shower, walking the dog… Wherever and whenever suits you. Best of all, they’re 100% FREE

Stream from www.tict.com.au Or search for ‘Talking Tourism’ wherever you get your Podcasts.

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WELCOME: FROM TICT

It’s a pleasure to present you with our summer edition of the TICT quarterly. So much has happened since we last issued the Quarterly in Spring and this will land in your inboxes as you’re finishing up the busy summer season and Tasmania is in the middle of state election!

On the latter, my policy watch article found later in this edition is dedicated to our thoughts about the importance of this election and what our industry wants to see from our leaders. So, I’ll leave you to read that as you make your way through this edition.

Here at the TICT, it’s been a busy time as well. We held our 2023 Tasmanian Tourism Awards in November last year. We had an outstanding crop of finalists and winners, and it was heartening to see many first-time winners and new entrants involved as well. This will be a focus of ours going into the Awards program this year. There’s so much value to be gained from taking part in the process so if you’re interested in learning more, please contact us at info@tict.com.au.

We’re now getting ready to head to Darwin in mid-March for the national awards where we will be representing Tassie on the national stage and doing our home state proud. We will keep you up to date with all the developments.

At the same time, we have kicked off our Leadership Luncheon series this year with the Tourism Collective on the 6 of March to mark International Women’s Day and we’ve launched our very unique and informative Positive Impact Workshops for mid-March. This year’s Tassie Top Tourism Awards program is now also live – so feel free to urge your local council to nominate your town!

Amy Hills at the 2023 Tasmanian Tourism Conference

At the same time, there’s been issues we’ve been working with our stakeholders to resolve, including the marine pilot strike which impacted cruise visits, joining forces with the Government in outlining efforts underway to drive demand during winter this year across Tourism Tasmania, Events Tasmania and Business Events Tasmania, and signing a tourism and hospitality skills agreement with the Government and the Tasmanian Hospitality Association.

So much underway but so much more to do. I hope you’ve had a safe and productive summer and look forward to working with you in 2024.

Amy Hills, TICT CEO

Amy Hills with Grace Keath, CEO East Coast Tasmania Tourism, and Steve Old, CEO THA.

Amy Hills with Tory Ross, Tasmania Parks & Wildlife Service, and Gabriella Conti, CEO WxNW.

2024 TICT EVENTS CALENDAR

CELEBRATING THE 2023 TASMANIAN TOURISM AWARDS WINNERS

The 2023 Tasmanian Tourism Awards Gala at Wrest Point was a celebration of innovation, excellence, and quality in our great state’s tourism industry, and honoured all of the entrants, finalists and medalists.

The category winners, which included 7 first-time Tasmanian Tourism Award gold medalists, will go on to represent Tasmania on the national stage at the Qantas Australian Tourism Awards to be held in Darwin on the 15th of March. Our Tasmanian winners have been judged as meeting the very highest standards of excellence in Australian tourism through a rigorous and notoriously challenging submission process.

All categories included a 10,000-word written submission covering all aspects of the tourism operation, which was judged against key criteria by a panel of respected and experienced judges. Every entrant was also judged through an online review, which benchmarked the business or product’s presence and engagement in the digital environment. Lastly, each business included a visit from a site judge and consideration of consumer sentiment.

Also announced at the Awards Gala were the Tourism Minister’s Young Achiever and the Tasmanian Tourism

Champion for 2023. Minister for Events and Stadia, Nic Street, presented Anna Terry with the Award for Young Achiever, recognising her impact on our industry at only 29 years of age. Anna’s parents were pioneers of the Truffle Industry in Australia, having grown the nation’s first truffle in 1999 at the family’s farm. While Anna had traditionally managed all the company’s harvest, grading, and international exports, in 2020 Anna committed full time to developing The Truffle Farm in northern Tasmania into the super agri-tourism product that it is today. Anna has played a large role in leading and developing agritourism in Tasmania, while at the same time continuing to contribute to the export standard for her industry.

Tourism Industry Council

Tasmania Chair, Daniel Leesong, recognised

Karen Phillips as this year’s Tasmanian Tourism Champion – our industry’s highest honour. Karen has spent more than 40 years in tourism, dedicating herself to the industry but also to mentoring others. Karen and her husband founded ‘Apartments on Fraser Bicheno’ in 2017 – a multiaward-winning self-contained accommodation business on Tasmania’s stunning east coast. On top of this, Karen has volunteered her time and expertise on numerous committees and boards, such as Bicheno Beams, Women In Tourism & Hospitality Tasmania, Bicheno Food and Wine Festival, and many others. Her hard work has resulted in her being recognised with several awards, including Visit Northern Tasmania’s ‘First Class Volunteer’ and ‘Personality of the Year’

Jimmy & Nath hosting the 2023 Tasmanian Tourism Awards Gala at Wrest Point. Photo credit: Alastair Bett Photography

awards in 2017, and East Coast Tourism’s ‘Certificate of Appreciation’.

We also inducted 5 operators into the Hall of Fame which recognises businesses who have won the same category for three consecutive years.

1. Coal River Farm – Tourism Retail and Hire Services

2. Junction Arts Festival –Festivals and Events

3. Peppers Silo Hotel –Business Event Venues

4. Tasmanian Walking Company – Ecotourism

5. wukalina Walk – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Tourism Experience

Now in its second year, the Chair of Judges’ Award for Positive Impact

Tourism recognises a Tourism Award entrant for its unwavering commitment to being environmentally, socially and ethically responsible, which was awarded to Pennicott Wilderness Journeys.

From all of us at TICT, a huge congratulations to all the winners in the 2023 Tasmanian Tourism Awards!

Hugo Bladel, Tasmanian artist and DJ, performing at the 2023 Tasmanian Tourism Awards Gala. Photo credit: Alastair Bett Photography

2023 Tasmanian Tourism Awards Gala at Wrest Point. Photo credit: Alastair Bett Photography

Major Tourist Attractions Award

GOLD: Gorge Scenic Chairlift

Tourist Attractions Award

GOLD: Seahorse World

Major Festivals & Events Award

GOLD: Tasmania’s Taste of Summer

Festivals & Events Award

GOLD: Junction Arts Festival

SILVER: Festival of Voices

BRONZE: Bicheno Beams

Ecotourism Award

GOLD: Tasmanian Walking Company

SILVER: Bicheno Penguin Tours

BRONZE: Tarkine Trails

Cultural Tourism Award

GOLD: Cascades Female Factory Historic Site

SILVER: Hadley’s Orient Hotel

BRONZE: The Dragonfly Inn

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Tourism Experience Award

GOLD: wukalina Walk

Tourism Retail, Hire and Services Award

GOLD: Coal River Farm

Visitor Information Services Award

GOLD: Tasmanian Travel & Information Centre

SILVER: Launceston Visitor Information Centre

BRONZE: Sheffield Visitor Information Centre

Business Event Venues Award

GOLD: Peppers Silo Hotel

Major Tour & Transport Operators Award

GOLD: Pennicott Wilderness Journeys

SILVER: Launceston Airport

Tour & Transport Operators Award

GOLD: Air Adventure Golf

SILVER: Experiential Tasmania

BRONZE: Tours around Tasmania

Adventure Tourism Award

GOLD: Blue Derby Pods Ride

SILVER:Tasmanian Mountain Bike Adventures

BRONZE: Tasmanian Wild Seafood Adventures

Tourism Marketing & Campaigns Award

GOLD: Business Events Tasmania ‘See Clear Here’

Tourism Restaurants & Catering Services Award

GOLD: Grain of the Silos

SILVER: Mures Tasmania

Tourism Wineries, Distilleries & Breweries Award

GOLD: Bangor Vineyard Shed

SILVER: Western Tiers Distillery

BRONZE: Holm Oak Vineyards

Caravan & Holiday Parks Award

GOLD: BIG4 St Helens Holiday Park

SILVER: BIG4 Launceston Holiday Park

Hosted Accommodation Award

GOLD: The Dragonfly Inn

SILVER: Oceana B&B

BRONZE: Triabunna Barracks

Unique Accommodation Award

GOLD: The Cove Tasmania

SILVER: Eagles Nest Retreat

Self Contained Accommodation Award

GOLD: The Granary | Richmond Hill

SILVER: Avalon Coastal Retreats

BRONZE: Piermont Retreat

4-4.5 Star Deluxe Accommodation Award

GOLD: Ship Inn Stanley

SILVER: Peppers Silo Hotel

BRONZE: Alice’s Cottages

The Gustav Weindorfer Award for Best New Tourism Business

GOLD: On Board

SILVER: Glamping 148 Tasmania

BRONZE: Aquila Glamping

Excellence in Food Tourism Award

GOLD: The Truffle Farm

SILVER: Tasman Sea Salt

BRONZE: Freycinet Marine Farm

All photos taken by Alastair Bett

All photos taken by Alastair Bett

All

TASMANIAN TOURISM AWARDS: THE IMPORTANCE OF YOUR CONSUMER RATING SCORE

As the excitement of the approaching Australian Tourism Awards builds, and visitation to the state remains high, it’s the ideal time to encourage increased consumer reviews of your tourism product/s. First and foremost, leveraging the consumer engagement, marketing, and data collection opportunities that online reviews provide can greatly benefit your business operations, reputation, and bottom line.

Secondly, those reviews will help you out if you’re planning on entering the Tasmanian Tourism Awards this year.

Introduced in 2021 in response to industry feedback, the Tourism Awards program includes a Consumer Rating score - applicable at both state and national level. This was established to achieve a final score which delves beyond the written submission, site visit, and online review aspects of the program (all of which focus on how the business presents itself), to encompass the consumer perspective also. Including this element provides a more robust result that considers visitor sentiment across numerous channels throughout the entire qualifying period. The Consumer Rating score is garnered from each business’ Global Review Index , or GRI.

The GRI is generated by ReviewPro, one of the world’s leading review aggregator platforms, which collates reviews from 140+ possible channels globally, in more than 45 languages. All accredited operators are entitled to a free ReviewPro account to help you monitor, manage, and benchmark your online reviews. To activate yours, login to the Quality Tourism Framework (QTF) portal (where you complete your accreditation), locate the ReviewPro tile towards the bottom of your dashboard, click ‘VERIFY’, then follow the prompts to register. If you already have an existing account, your GRI will appear under the ReviewPro heading.

Depending on the category you have entered, your Consumer Rating score could be worth up to a total of 20 marks (most are), so it’s a significant contribution to your final score. There are of course some exceptions to this, but entrants can find a breakdown of scoring for their particular category on the final page of their Questions

and Criteria document once the program is launched - or contact me in the interim.

ReviewPro uses an algorithm to calculate a business’ online reputation on any given day, based on the reviews it has received. The GRI score for a particular timeframe is calculated by averaging daily scores across the period - so in the case of the awards program we are looking at the qualifying period from 1st of July to the 30th of June.

To generate a GRI for the awards, a business generally needs to have received a minimum of 25 online reviews during the qualifying period, which can be from any of the available channels. It’s worth noting that, unfortunately, ReviewPro doesn’t incorporate Airbnb as it is one of the few channels that doesn’t allow access. This has been a slight stumbling block for some entrants previously and has also inspired some last-minute hustling from past entrants!

If your business is considering entering this year’s awards but your reviews are all through Airbnb, or your review volume is low, you may want to consider what you can do to start encouraging visitors to review their experience with you on either

google or tripadvisor. This can be as simple as a QR code strategically placed within your business or on a brochure/card that takes them directly to your google or tripadvisor listing, a timely verbal reminder, or a follow up email thanking them for their patronage and asking for their feedback (remember to include the direct link/s so it’s easy for them).

With plenty of locals and visitors touring the state, and a little gentle encouragement, you should be well on your way to achieving enough reviews to generate a GRI score over the coming months – and avoiding any last-minute panic in May/June!

Kelly Luck Tasmanian Tourism Awards Program Manager

TOURISM TRIBE: HOW TO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Before dedicating your valuable time and resources to social media for your tourism business in 2024, it’s critical to harness the most effective strategies and tactics to ensure your efforts yield maximum engagement with your ideal audience.

Aligning Social Media with Business Goals: The synergy between social media activities and business goals is imperative. Whether you aim to increase direct bookings, elevate brand visibility, or foster customer relationships, your social media initiatives should be a direct reflection of your business’s aspirations. Establish concrete objectives such as amplifying website traffic, bolstering engagement rates, or strengthening your online reputation, and consistently monitor these to assess progress.

Prioritise your social media platforms by focusing on where your ideal customers are most active. Given that most tourism businesses operate with finite marketing resources, it’s crucial to strategically allocate your efforts, choosing the frequency and content of your posts on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and other platforms based on audience preferences.

Implement website tracking with Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to precisely gauge the impact of social media on site

traffic. Utilise GA4’s event and conversion tracking features to understand your audience’s behaviour and their likelihood to engage with your offerings.

Engaging Audience Through Strategic Content: Effective social media is about designing a narrative that propels your audience toward engagement with your brand. Craft a content strategy that guides potential customers from discovering your services (‘Swipe Up to Learn More’) to final actions, like visiting your website for more details.

Developing a strategic content calendar that aligns with your destination’s unique seasonal trends, special events, and current news can drastically enhance audience engagement. Map your content to support the various stages of the consumer purchase cycle—Dream, Plan, Book, Experience, Advocate— providing relevant and timely content at each phase.

Embrace various content formats such as videos, blogs, and interactive posts to captivate your audience.

These diverse formats can convert passive viewers into active participants in the story of your brand.

Maximising Effort through Content Repurposing: In the swift current of social media, repurposing content can be an efficient way to sustain a presence across platforms without overextending your resources. For instance, a blog post can be reimagined into a series of Instagram infographics, or a webinar can be edited into a series of short, informative YouTube videos. Such strategies not only save time but also ensure that your message resonates with a broader audience.

Embrace generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Canva’s Magic Studio to streamline content repurposing. Transform an Instagram caption into a draft for a blog post in moments, and refine any AI-generated content to ensure it meets your brand’s standards for quality, accuracy, and tone.

Building a Consistent Brand Personality: A consistent brand personality on social media is a powerful tool. It should be a true representation of your business’s ethos and resonate with your product’s appeal. Achieve this through thoughtful content themes, consistent imagery, and a defined tone of voice. This consistency builds a dependable and recognisable brand identity. Integrate your local destination’s branding into your social media presence. This supports your industry’s communication efforts and amplifies the allure of your towns and regions. Look to successful tourism

brands for inspiration—many have cultivated a unique and consistent voice that deeply connects with their audience. By reflecting these practices, you can foster a similar level of engagement and loyalty.

Identifying and Implementing Content Themes:

Choosing the right content themes is pivotal to your social media success. A handful of welldefined themes can form the foundation of your content strategy, bringing consistency and direction to your posting schedule. These themes could range from showcasing the vibrancy of local culture to providing insightful travel tips, sharing compelling customer stories, or emphasizing sustainability in travel.

The essence lies in selecting themes that resonate with your brand identity and captivate your target audience. Use your passion and expertise as a compass for content creation—this not only simplifies the process but also ensures the authenticity of your message, fostering trust and connection with your audience.

Collaborative Efforts for Destination Promotion: Collaboration can amplify your social media impact

exponentially. Forge alliances with local businesses, tourism boards, influencers, and even your customers to expand your promotional reach. These partnerships can create a collective voice, making your destination’s marketing efforts more powerful and farreaching.

Encourage user-generated content and join forces for marketing campaigns to provide a multifaceted portrayal of your destination. When appropriate, share imagery and videos of guests relishing their experiences, and integrate glowing reviews and testimonials into your content calendar. Engage with collaborators through @ mentions, co-created Reels, and by sharing content across your networks. Consistently use relevant hashtags to each platform, especially when your posts are location-based, to ensure greater visibility and discoverability.

Tourism Tribe is a proud partner of the TICT. Visit their website: www.tourismtribe. com for more information and assistance on how to simplify your tourism marketing systems.

ELECTION WATCH 2024

Written by TICT CEO, Amy Hills

With the Tasmanian election juggernaut now well underway, it comes at a time when our visitor economy is still enjoying the benefits of everything a Tassie summer has to offer. Visitors from interstate arrive keen to get away from the rat-race, festivals and events punctuate our calendars and Tasmanians continue to take short beach breaks, enjoying the sun. It’s also an important time to pause and reflect on where our industry has come from and our future.

Just last month, the New York Times included Tasmania as one of only two Australian destinations in its must visit list for 2024. No small feat for our island at the bottom of the globe. The strength of our destination’s brand and subsequent record visitor numbers have been driven by well thought-out strategy and hard work. It has not happened by chance. Through the unique partnership between the industry and Government, Tasmania has strategically planned for its future. Tourism Tasmania, as the state’s destination marketer, works hard to position our state in just the right way and our tourism operators and entrepreneurs have innovated and delivered new products

and experiences which visitors not only want to travel for, but also leave lasting memories.

The visitor economy accounts for 12 per cent of all Tasmanian jobs. More than 37,000 people are directly or indirectly employed in the visitor economy, many in our regional communities. But as a visitor economy we cannot afford to stand still. Now is the time to re-double our efforts and investment in supporting our visitor economy through to 2030. In a competitive marketplace, up against bigger states with bigger budgets, we can’t afford to be left behind.

Our investment in destination marketing must continue to keep pace. Tourism Tasmania finds unique and different ways to market our state to visitors who will travel regionally, stay longer and invest in our communities. We need to maintain and increase these efforts in the coming years.

Freycinet Walking Tour. Photo credit: Tourism Australia

We must also support our tourism operators and private investors to continue to innovate – to create the products that Tasmanians and visitors want to visit. New products and experiences are critical – not only for the visitor economy but also for the Tasmanian way of life. It’s exactly why investing in areas like our national parks is vital. It’s also why we need to work together as a community to create new attractions like the next iconic walk slated for Tasmania’s west coast. We have shown that we can achieve the right balance between protecting what is dear to us and supporting continual innovation. We have led the way and there’s no reason why we can’t continue to do this.

This election we will be expecting our leaders from all sides of politics to present their vision for Tasmania’s tourism future. What plans and strategies will be put in place to make doing business in Tasmania easier, so we can continue to employ more Tasmanians and support the economy? How will our industry continue to be supported to make a positive impact? And how will we stay competitive and ahead of the nation when it comes to our demand generation and products and experiences?

The TICT will be advocating for increased investment in;

• Demand generation activities including through Tourism Tasmania, Events Tasmania and Business Events Tasmania;

• Implementing the future actions of our 2030 Strategy, with an immediate focus on ensuring infrastructure improvements in preparation for visitors on the new Spirit of Tasmania ferries;

• Encouraging product innovation aligned to regional dispersal and positive impact goals;

• Delivering critical parks infrastructure across the state, with clear timeframes;

While our State continues to enjoy everything the summer has to offer, the TICT is urging our leaders to look to the future – one that will see our visitor economy continue to play the critical role that is does in Tasmania’s economic and social fabric.

Dark Mofo Winter Feast. Photo credit: Adam Gibson

WINTER 2024

Off the back of booming domestic travel following COVID-19, last year saw more Australians travelling overseas again. At the same time, we know many Australians are dealing with cost of living pressures, therefore the focus of our demand generators has been on ensuring as much effort as possible is going into driving demand during the winter and shoulder seasons.

Importantly, this must be done in a coordinated way across Tourism Tasmania, Events Tasmania and Business Events Tasmania and at the end of January, an events calendar for industry was released, which continues to evolve and be updated.

Further, it was announced;

• In addition to the 70 events locked in across the State during the winter months, additional national sporting events have been secured in hockey, water polo, athletics and tennis.

• Additional funding for existing winter events in the south being Festival of Voices and Beaker Street Festival to enable them to attract more interstate visitors in the absence of the broader DarkMofo festival;

• A second round of the Event Marketing Tasmania grants providing funding

to support interstate marketing for events being held in winter 2024;

• Tourism Tasmania will undertake its largest OffSeason marketing spend on media channels, new creative elements and a television commercial; and

• There will be increased investment in trade and airline partnerships and its industry support program which will aid around 137 businesses.

The TICT is committed to working across industry to ensure we are collaborating as much as we can to ensure our state’s tourism experiences and products are connected with the Off-Season campaign and we have offerings available for our visitors.

The TICT will continue to monitor the situation and take feedback from our operators over the coming weeks. We would especially like to thank those of you who completed our December 2023 quarter business activity survey – this feedback is important to our conversations.

Mt Wellington. Photo credit: Jason Charles Hill

PLENTY OF UPSIDE FOR MULTI-MILLION-DOLLAR INDUSTRY

Business events such as conferences, trade exhibitions, industry summits and product launches are good for Tasmania. They create jobs, foster regional growth and fortify our position as a premier destination.

POSITIVE DATA FOR BUSINESS EVENTS

Recent research undertaken by PwC on behalf of Business Events Tasmania (BET) has revealed delegates attending business events and conferences in Tasmania directly spend $199 million a year in the state.

What we also know is nationally, 43.7 million people attend a business event each year, injecting $17.2 billion in direct value to the national economy.

With more targeted marketing and industry engagement, Tasmania can capture much more of this market.

The Tasmanian numbers are strong numbers by any standard, and the story is even better when you drill down further.

Our delegate expenditure research in 2023 found that the contribution of business events includes $31.6 million on food and beverages, $64.4 million on accommodation, $8.2 million on activities and $10.3 million on transport.

Tasmania hosted 114 business events last year (2023), supporting more than 1000 jobs.

28 per cent of business event delegates bring at least one other person with them staying on average 4.7 nights.

Twenty per cent of delegate visitors visit regions outside of Hobart and 89 per cent intend to return within three years, contributing even more to the visitor economy into the future.

Delegates spend (or have spent on them) between $821 and $1,347 a day.

Taking all of these numbers into account, it is easy to see why business events, meetings and conferences play such a significant role in the tourism sector, particularly outside the peak visitor season which is so critical to tourism operators.

LONG TERM PLANNING WELCOME

The Tasmanian Government through Tourism Tasmania has a long-term plan for the state’s visitor economy, including harnessing what is special about Tasmania. So does BET.

Tourism Tasmania’s 2030 Visitor Economy Strategy identifies the importance of having a prosperous, innovative and resilient year-round industry.

BET is excited about being included in this strategy, knowing we are working together to invest in a sustainable and successful events and business sector which enhances Tasmania’s brand.

BET is working with Tasmanian-based industry experts to help secure new business events for the

Photo credit: First National

state through joining our new Visionary Program that the organisation is using to reposition its brand in the highly competitive national business events space.

Many regions across Australia spruiked the same advantages, to disrupt this, we have sought out candidates who have built their own success within their industry right here in Tasmania.

Being a part of the Visionary Program provides wellcredentialled Tasmanians with the opportunity to show other members of their industry what spending time in Tasmania can do for them and their organisation.

FUNDING IS WORKING

The Business Events Attraction Fund (BEAF), which was established in 2019 and which BET took over the management of in September 2021, has also been an important factor in attracting meetings and events to the state.

The BEAF allows BET to offer financial support to help secure new business at the critical bidding stage.

The funding was particularly important to convert business event opportunities into actual events post the Covid-19 pandemic.

Bid funds exist in all jurisdictions, and since COVID there has been significant funding increases by other state governments to fund the business event sector.

A key criteria for the bid fund is seasonality. We work closely with members who are aware of the significant contribution

we make to the tourism sector particularly in the low season.

In August this year (2023)

the BEAF was granted $1.8 million by the Tasmanian Government as part of its $12 million commitment for the 2030 Visitor Economy Strategy mentioned previously.

BET’s most recent priority has been to identify and secure business for Winter 2024. This significant piece of work has secured 8,000 delegates to the state during the quieter winter months.

Increased operational funding key

The work we do is also done efficiently, with the ROI being $78 for every $1 spent attracting business events.

Like most organisations, we are not immune from rising costs. For BET to remain competitive we also need to see an increase to operational funding, something that we have not had for ten years.

I urge TICT members to consider the transformative impact of increased operational funding for visitation and business events in Tasmania.

Your vital support not only strengthens our capacity to secure more events but also amplifies Tasmania’s global presence, attracting invaluable economic and cultural benefits.

Marnie Craig – CEO, Business Events Tasmania (BET)

POLICY WATCH: EMISSIONS REDUCTION

As we embark on a new year, let’s take a moment to acknowledge & congratulate those tourism businesses that have taken significant leaps in their sustainability journey in recent months.

The TICT’s Emissions Reduction Initiative has so far attracted more than 100 applications and onboarded more than 88 Tasmanian tourism businesses to the program. And we’re not done yet.

For those who haven’t yet taken the plunge – read here to see how simple & straightforward the process is for small business owners.

We will continue to accept applications to the program on a rolling basis until all spots are filled, while working with Tassie tourism and hospitality businesses to complement these measurement programs with practical information, advice, and toolkits to help you to reduce emissions.

Q&A | MIC GIULIANI OF SIROCCO SOUTH

Offering gourmet foraging tours to visitors in Tasmania’s south, accredited tourism operator Sirocco South has a modest carbon footprint of around 5.9 tonnes CO2/ year. But owner Mic Giuliani’s climate ambitions go much further; and as an active participant in the TICT’s Net Zero Activation program, he is taking action to reduce his business’s emissions even further.

We sat down for a Q&A with Mic, to learn more about why he thinks this work is important.

Q1 | Why were you motivated to take climate action & reduce the emissions associated with your tours, Mic?

I think we all have a responsibility to look at what we do and how it impacts our world. It’s imperative that we take action wherever we can to reduce our footprint. The nature of my tours attracts guests that want to know more and are actively aware of what’s happening to the world. If I can show that we are making a positive contribution every time we conduct a tour, then we are more likely to satisfy that need in them.

Q2 | How did you find the ERC program process? Was it easier or harder than you’d initially thought?

The process is pretty straight forward - web site is well set out and easy to follow, the support offered by the team is excellent too so if you are having any problems don’t hesitate to ask!

Q3 | Did it take you long? I managed to get it done in a couple of hours.

Q4 | Would you recommend the Net Zero Program to other Tasmanian tourism businesses?

Most definitely. We are all responsible for leaving this place in a better condition than we found it - the Net Zero program is an excellent way to see where you are right

now, and it gives you some ideas around how to get some quick wins on the board!

Q5 | What kind of actions have you committed to via the ERC program?

Since committing to net zero I have installed a large solar array and I am currently working towards setting up the mobile kitchen as “off grid” with a battery bank (to be recharged via the grid when at home) to replace the silent petrol-driven generator currently used.

Photo by Harrison Candlin - Vagary

I’D LIKE MY BUSINESS TO JOIN THE INITIATIVE

Simply visit the TICT website and read up on the work we’re doing on Emissions Reduction. The program is free for eligible accredited Tasmanian tourism businesses.

I’D LIKE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HOW I CAN REDUCE EMISSIONS

If you aren’t quite ready to commit to our free Emissions Reduction program, but want to learn more about what action you can take as a business to reduce emissions and achieve:

• Cost savings

• Increased efficiencies

• Competitive business edge

• Better staff retention

• Enhanced business reputation

Get in touch with Lauren (lauren.cameron@tict.com. au or 0482 944299) to arrange a meeting, onsite visit or conversation.

2024 WORKSHOP PROGRAM: SUSTAINABLE & POSITIVE IMPACT TOURISM

This 18 – 20 March, the TICT will be holding a free statewide workshop series focused on sustainable & positive impact tourism, with a focus on how to reduce your business emissions.

With inspiration and tools to help you across all facets of running a tourism business –from operational management to visitor experiences and communications – the workshop will help tourism

business owners and employees to practically apply sustainability knowledge to the business.

The workshops will be facilitated by regenerative tourism specialist Nic Cooper (of The Tourism Collective) in partnership with the TICT’s very own Lauren Cameron.

If you’d like to learn achievable, incremental, practical ideas that can be applied to your business in a way that is environmentally, socially and economically beneficial without putting pressure on your time or budget, be sure to grab yourself a ticket to attend.

Check out our website www.tict.com.au and head to our events page for more info and to secure your ticket.

Photo by Harrison Candlin - Vagary

NOMINATIONS ARE OPEN FOR TASSIE’S TOP TOURISM TOWNS OF 2024

The TICT is proud to have just launched nominations for the annual Tassie’s Top Tourism Town Awards program which aims to showcase regional areas and why they are such incredible visitor destinations.

Tasmania’s towns and villages are where visitors experience the real Tasmania – the community characters, history, landscapes, and stories that make exploring our beautiful state so rewarding.

Our towns are where our visitors invest their hard earned dollars to support local economies and jobs, and this awards program recognises those parts of the state where tourism operators, Councils, businesses, and the local community come together to make their town the best destination it can be.

The TICT is therefore strongly encouraging all Tasmanian councils to consider entering one or more of the exceptional towns within their municipalities into this awards program and help us shine a spotlight on our regional towns and success stories.

A key benefit of the awards program is the creation of up-to-date destination marketing resources - the content and information you bring together in preparing your entry (including the video, itinerary, and article) can be refined and used again

in the promotion of your town, its attractions and tourism operators. An Entrant Support Program will again be offered this year, by the TICT, to help guide entrants through the process.

There are three categories to enter:

• The Top Tourism Town Award for towns with populations of more than 5,000.

• The Small Tourism Town Award for populations under 5,000 but greater than 1,500.

• The Tiny Tourism Town Award for populations under 1,500.

Each of our Tasmanian category winners automatically become national finalists in the search for Australia’s Top Tourism Towns, where they will be judged against finalists from all other states and territories. These national awards are announced at a major event at Parliament House in Canberra.

We were extremely

proud to

see Queenstown take out Gold as Australia’s Small Tourism Town Award last year, not to mention the number of other Tassie towns who have won national medals previously.

Key dates and entry details are available via our website and an Online Information Session will be held at 11am on Thursday the 22nd February, register to attend here.

MEET THE TICT TEAM: LAUREN CAMERON

This edition, we would like to introduce you to Lauren Cameron, TICT’s Carbon Action Advisor.

In a national first for a tourism industry council, Lauren was last year appointed the Tasmanian tourism industry’s first Carbon Action Adviser. Originally a journalist and travel writer, Lauren pursued her passion for environmental reporting and sustainability, returning to University to complete a degree in Sustainable Development before working as a consultant in Asia on environmental resource management and sustainable development.

Having settled in Tasmania with her young family after 8 years in Asia, Lauren brings a unique blend of tourism, media and sustainability experience to this important role, having previously worked for the United Nations Economic and Social Commission (UNESCAP) in Thailand, Australian Traveler Magazine, Ecovision Hong Kong, The Advocate Newspaper and Environmental Resource Management (ERM).

FUN FACTS ABOUT LAUREN

• Favourite travel destination: Grindelwald, Switzerland (or anywhere in Switzerland)

• Most unique work memory: Too many to choose from! Pitching adventure travel docuseries ideas to the National Geographic channel; Organising charity auctions in Hong Kong; Working barefoot in a café in Santorini in my late teens; or selling sangria tours in Barcelona.

• Most satisfying work memory: Delivering educational infrastructure programs in rural parts of Vietnam; working for the UN in Bangkok on sustainable urban development.

• Favourite place in Tasmania: Southport. The pure white sands, crystal clear waters and seeing many of the shacks preserved in their original form never fails to make me happy!

LAUREN’S ROLE AT TICT

Funded by the Tasmanian Government and working out of TICT, Lauren is connecting tourism operators across the State to resources, programs and tools that will help them to act on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction.

Lauren is doing this by helping businesses to firstly measure and understand their carbon footprint, develop a plan to reduce that footprint, and then – for more advanced businesses – begin carbon accounting.

This work forms part of the state government’s broader commitment to becoming a leading destination in carbon conscious travel; a commitment arising from Tasmania’s 2030 Visitor Economy Strategy.

If you are a Tasmanian tourism business and would like to benefit from the TICT’s FREE program to support eligible operators to reduce GHG emissions, please contact Lauren at lauren.cameron@tict. com.au or on 0482 944 299.

To participate, businesses need to be accredited as Sustainable under the Quality Tourism Accredited Business (QTAB) program. This means that you have met minimum environmental standards for activities in protected areas.

The QTAB program is a nationally recognised tourism certification which provides many benefits:

• You can apply for road signage through the Department of State Growth.

• You become eligible to enter the Tasmanian Tourism Awards.

• Complimentary access to ReviewPro – a one-stopshop for online reviews.

• Discounted tickets to TICT events and the ability to attend workshops for free or low cost.

• And many more benefits, which can be found here.

Don’t Risk It is your business prepared?

Don’t Risk It Manual Case Studies Personalised Risk Assessment Tool

Each resource outlines strategies for readiness, response, recovery and prevention, all contributing to the development of business sustainability

The initiative includes: FOR EVERY DOLLAR SPENT ON PREPAREDNESS $3-8 ARE SAVED IN RECOVERY EFFORTS

Risk Assessment Tool

Developing a comprehensive Risk Management Plan can be daunting for many businesses

The Risk Assessment Tool, accessed online via the Quality Tourism Framework, is a user-friendly program that identifies and assesses the likelihood and consequence of risks specific to each business type

After completion, a customised Risk Assessment is generated It first prioritises risks and outlines their impact. The assessment then proceeds to identify preventive and control measures to minimise the occurrence, followed by the steps to take should the risk occur

For more information, visit qualitytourismaustralia.com or contact your program manager to get started.

T h e R i s k A s s e s s me n t T o o l s t r e a ml i n e s t h e p r o c e s s o f c r e a t i n g a c o mp r e h e n s i v e R i s k Ma n a g e me n t P l a n .

Wi t h a u s e r - f r i e n dl y i n t e r f ac e , a c u s t o mi s e d R i s k Man age me n t P l an f o r y o u r t o u r i s m bu s i n e s s c an be pr e par e d i n u n d e r a n h o u r .

T ai l o r e d t o s u i t t h e t o u r i s m i n du s t r y , t h i s t o o l h as be e n bu i l t t o me e t t h e u n i qu e c h al l e n ge s t h at t o u r i s m bu s i n e s s o pe r at o r s f ac e .

T o c o mpl e t e y o u r R i s k A s s e s s me n t P l an , s i mpl y de t e r mi n e t h e c o n s e qu e n c e an d l i k e l i h o o d o f e ac h r i s k pr e s e n t e d

U n s u r e a b o u t h o w a p a r t i c u l a r r i s k m a y a f f e c t y o u r b u s i n e s s ?

C l i c k t h e b l u e q u e s t i o n m a r k n e x t t o t h e r i s k s f o r m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n

Wh a t a r e t h e b e n e f i t s o f c o mp l e t i n g a c o mp r e h e n s i v e r i s k a s s e s s me n t p l a n u s i n g t h e t o o l ?

A w a r e n e s s o f p o t e n t i a l r i s k s h e l p s k e e p s y o u s a f e , p r e p a r e d a n d r e a d y .

Y o u r pe r s o n al i s e d R i s k A s s e s s me n t P l an wi l l c l e ar l y o u t l i n e an d pr i o r i t i s e t h e i de n t i f i e d r i s k s t h at y o u r bu s i n e s s may f ac e .

A s t h e t o u r i s m l a n d s c a p e e v o l v e s , s o d o e s t h e p o s s i b l e r i s k s t o b u s i n e s s e s .

T h e R i s k A s s e s s me n t T o o l al l o ws f o r r e gu l ar r e v i e w an d u pdat e s t o y o u r r i s k man age me n t pl an t o h e l p y o u s t ay ah e ad o f po s s i bl e c h al l e n ge s .

H a v i n g a R i s k A s s e s s m e n t P l a n c a n h e l p y o u r b u s i n e s s s a v e m o n e y . R e du c i n g t h e po s s i bi l i t y o f i n c i de n t s an d s u bs e qu e n t l e gal l i abi l i t y c an h e l p pr o t e c t y o u r bu s i n e s s bu t al s o mai n t ai n t h e s af e t y o f y o u r v i s i t o r s , s t af f an d mo r e .