If they don’t already say there’s never a dull moment in tourism - then they should! The past few months have not only been busy for our operators, but also for the TICT.

• In late February, we touched base with more than 400 operators from around Tasmania through our combined regional visitor economy gatherings with Tourism Tasmania and the Tasmanian Hospitality Association, as well as our Northern Focus event in which the Premier and industry leaders shared their thoughts about the future of the northern region.
• We held our annual Tourism Collective Luncheon in Hobart to mark International Women's Day, where we recognised the role of women in our visitor economy and raised more than $5,200 for Dress for Success Tasmania.
• We headed over to Flinders Island to meet with our operators and the community; and
• Finished off this month in Adelaide meeting with Tourism Industry Councils and Ministers from across the country and celebrating our incredible success at the Qantas Australian Tourism Awards.

I particularly wanted to bring to your attention a new three-year partnership that our national body announced with Tourism Australia to encourage business participation in our Sustainable Tourism Accreditation, Accessible Tourism, Tourism Emissions Reduction (piloted right here in Tassie!) and Australian Tourism Awards. This is an important step for our program which continues to grow across the country.

At the same time, I've been travelling around the state speaking about the TICT's federal election priorities focusing on major visitor economy infrastructure, the importance of a national solution to business insurance challenges and postcode anomalies, as well as the sustainability of events and festivals. Last night's Federal Budget contained no new funding or taxes directly impacting international tourism. However, there were budget measures that impact on tourism businesses, consumers, specific destinations and industry sectors. For a full analysis, click here.

At the state level, we've been working closely with the Government and our stakeholders to ensure a timely roll-out of initiatives funded under the Spirit of Tasmania Tourism and Hospitality Support package. New funding for events during the off-season has been rolling out and we expect the guidelines for the new Spirit Preparedness Fund to be released soon.

And finally, there's two important initiatives I wanted to share with you. The first is that we're launching tickets to our Dialogue Luncheon today - you won't want to miss this one given the calibre of the speaker and the discussion we'll be having. And for the first time ever, a group of young and emerging tourism leaders from right across the state will be heading to Victoria to learn from their counterparts and bring lessons back to Tassie as part of our Young Tourism Network - made possible by Pennicott Wilderness Journeys. Investing in our future leaders is something very close to the TICT's heart.

Amy Hills - CEO, Tourism Industry Council Tasmania