A new year brings renewed focus by the TICT team, and we can’t wait to be back on the road again supporting our industry.

Over the past few days, I've had the pleasure of welcoming some positive news in aviation with Hobart Airport partnering with Jetstar to deliver an additional 20,000 seats between Hobart and Melbourne from February to June, as well as the opening of the Tasmanian Government's $5 million Aviation Attraction Fund designed to attract new routes as well as extend existing seasonal services.

While our immediate focus will be to continue to ensure all components of the Government’s Spirit Support Package and State Budget commitments are delivered, there are also some important new opportunities in 2025 that I want to share with you.

• You've told us that it's important to hear about the big picture when it comes to our visitor economy and that's why I encourage you get along to one of the 'Regional Visitor Economy Gatherings' that we are partnering on with Tourism Tasmania, the THA, State Growth and the RTOs in February. You can read more on those below.
• Watch out northern Tassie and surrounds! We are kicking off our 'Leadership Events Series' with a bang, and hosting our 'Northern Focus' in February in the north (more below). You will hear from Tasmania's Premier, an expert industry panel, and I intend to provide an exclusive insight into the TICT's federal election platform.
• And this year, the TICT's accredited operators and members will also have exclusive access to a new webinar series we're calling the CEO Connect. In these quarterly webinars, I will brief you on the results of our quarterly industry sentiment surveys and provide updates on our ongoing advocacy. It will be a unique insight into the Tasmanian and national economic and political landscape - and even better, you can tune in from your workplace! Watch this space for more info.

I hope you continue to enjoy a busy and productive summer, and I'll see you out and about soon.

Amy Hills - CEO, Tourism Industry Council Tasmania