There's been a huge amount of news in the tourism space and much that the TICT has been advocating and championing - so I wanted to bring everything together for you in the one update today. There's certainly momentum when it comes to our visitor economy at the moment. But this also comes at a time of great international disruption.

Firstly, I want to thank all our operators who made the trip to WA last weekend for the Qantas Australian Tourism Awards. I know just how big this effort was - but it's all about putting Tassie on the map on the national stage and we certainly did that. A big shout out to local Tasmanian media which also reported our successes as well. We also held a constructive meeting with the Federal Assistant Minister for Tourism, Senator Nita Green, where I was able to raise the critical issue of insurance and the impact on our Tassie operators in particular.

Earlier in the week, the Premier delivered his State of the State address to Parliament. This is an address which sets the Government's strategic agenda for the year. You can read the full speech here. The Premier's focus on the Visitor Economy as the engine room of our broader economy is welcomed, and his recognition of our industry's support of one in six Tasmanian jobs. Some major departmental structural changes were also announced and the TICT is looking to work with Government to ensure our key partners like Tourism Tasmania remain as agile as possible and able to respond to the market, while also realising the opportunity that will be gained by more closely aligning tourism, events and creative industries.

At the same time, our second new Spirit of Tasmania vessel is now on its way to Australia, with an October start date still on track. And late last month, we welcomed the announcement of new direct flights between Launceston and Canberra as well as the Premier's commitment to progressing new business events infrastructure for the north. What we must ensure now is that the focus on infrastructure is matched by a focus on investment in demand - especially in light of the challenging situation facing the State Budget.

Of course, this all comes at the same time of significant upheaval in the Middle East.  Tourism Australia is undertaking a short survey to understand the impact on operators more and you can take part here: Short pulse survey: Impact of Middle East disruptions on Australian tourism

A huge thank you to the more than 260 people who attended our Tourism Collective Luncheon this week in honour of International Women’s Day. This was a record crowd, and we raised a record amount for our charity partner, Dress for Success Tasmania, a grand sum of $8,000.

As you’ll see below, the TICT is launching two important opportunities via Expression of Interest. The first is for content and presenters for our 2026 Tasmanian Tourism Conference and the second is a call for nominations for Directors on our Board. Please scroll down for more information.

And finally, I wanted to let you all know that our valued team member, Bella Alcorso, is leaving us at the end of this week to take up an exciting opportunity interstate. I think you all know how much we have valued Bella's work, as I know many of you have too. We can't wait to see her kick more goals. For those of you who work closely with Bella, I will let you know who your new contact will be shortly. But for now, if you have any questions please email [email protected].

Thanks for sticking with me through this mega update!

Amy Hills, CEO, and the TICT Team