The 2024-25 State Budget released today delivers on the election commitments made to the tourism industry by the Tasmanian Government, however the TICT has warned against complacency when it comes to the strength of the state’s visitor economy.

The CEO of the Tourism Industry Council Tasmania, Amy Hills, welcomed the commitment to an additional $12 million over three years to implement the visitor economy strategy.

“Importantly, the first year of this funding must be rolled out urgently to help move along critical parks infrastructure upgrades required to prepare for increased visitation through the new Spirit of Tasmania ferries.

“The other commitments delivered include $5 million for an aviation fund, increased funding for the attraction of business events to Tasmania and $5 million towards an events attraction fund.

“It’s particularly important to see $62.5 million in funding Events Tasmania. We hope this will give our existing events more certainty and Events Tasmania more flexibility in making longer term decisions.

“And while the additional $4 million over two years in marketing funding is welcomed for Tourism Tasmania, the impact of the efficiency dividend and drop in funding in the out years are a concern for our industry, especially given the signal it sends to investors.

“Coming out of a difficult winter, and with other states and territories investing heavily and competing fiercely into nation leading events, we cannot allow Tasmania to be left behind.

“Investment in the visitor economy and demand driving marketing activity will in turn drive economic prosperity for our state.

“The fact is that 1 in 8 Tasmanians are employed in the visitor economy, with 83 cents invested in the broader Tasmanian economy for every dollar spent in the visitor economy.

“In addition, our parks infrastructure will play a critical role in the future, and the commitments to the Parks online booking system, the Nut State Reserve and Mount Field National Park are welcomed.

“The challenge for the Government will be delivering these projects. We’ve seen too many projects stalled and not progressing as quickly as they should be. The Tasmanian Government needs to deliver on the inter-generational infrastructure required to move our economy forward,” Ms Hills said.

Amy Hills - CEO, Tourism Industry Council Tasmania