Tourism Talk – Industry Newsletter

Issue 277 - 22 September 2009

Tasmania's Visitor Boom Continues

Tasmania continues to lead the nation as a domestic travel destination, with the State recording its fourth consecutive period of visitor growth.

The Tasmanian Visitor Survey (TVS) results for the year to June 2009 showed overall visitation had increased by 7 per cent compared to the same period last year, with 907 200 visitors arriving on scheduled air and sea services.

Visitors to Tasmania are also staying longer and spending more, with the total number of visitor nights up 10 per cent to 7.86 million nights, the average length of stay up to 8.7 nights, and total spending up 4 per cent to $1.45 billion.

In contrast, the June 2009 results of the National Visitor Survey (NVS) reveal that across Australia, there has been a decline in interstate overnight visitors, visitor nights and visitor spend by 6 percent, 9 percent and 8 per cent respectively.

Tasmania also continues to grow its appeal as a holiday and leisure destination, with holiday visitors accounting for 48 per cent (436,000) of all visitors to the State, an increase of 10 per cent on the previous year.

The TVS is a destination survey providing a detailed picture of visitors to Tasmania and is conducted through interviews and a self-completion questionnaire of targeted passengers as they depart Tasmanian ports. It has a sample size of around 9,000 interstate visitors per year and is seen as the most robust and reliable data source for interstate visitation to Tasmania.

Detailed information on the Tasmanian Visitor Survey for the quarter-ending and year-ending June 2009 can be found at www.tourismtasmania.com.au

Great Short Walks Republished

Tourism Tasmania has republished its 60 Great Short Walks brochure, a popular collection of walks located around Tasmania.

The brochure was republished after significant input from Parks and Wildlife Service, Sport and Recreation Tasmania, Forestry Tasmania and Tourism Tasmania.

For visitors attracted to the outdoors, particularly bushwalkers, Tasmania is the ultimate destination.

Providing high quality information on the walking opportunities available here and ensuring that the walks themselves are well maintained helps secure our reputation in this sector.

The new brochure is more comprehensive than older versions. It presents one walk per page and includes maps to help visitors access walks, more images, tips for safe walking and an improved classification system for the grade of the walks.

All the walks in the brochure have a high level of visitation and most can be accessed by major roads.

The revised edition also includes four new walks that will help raise the profile of north-western and north-eastern Tasmania. The new walks are Leven Canyon Lookout in the Leven Canyon Regional Reserve, Huon Pine Walk in the Pieman River State Reserve at Corinna, Goblin Forest Walk in the Blue Tier and Springlawn Nature Walk in Narawntapu National Park.

To obtain a copy, operators and TVINS should email Lee.Postma@tourism.tas.gov.au

Visitors can obtain copies from TVIN’s as well as download a copy from www.discovertasmania.com.au

Sales and Business Management Workshop

A Sales, Marketing and Business Management workshop, previously scheduled for Wednesday, 16 September in Launceston, will now be held on Wednesday, 30 September 2009.

The one day workshop is for operators interested in improving their business management skills.

In the morning session, Craig Seymour from Focussed Strategy, will present a sales planning and skills presentation and interactive workshop.

In the afternoon David Reed from Reed Consulting will cover marketing skills and planning, and managing your business for profit. David will use a model he developed for a hotel, cabins/units/cottages and a 4WD tour to illustrate a profit and product development perspective for business. David's model incorporates an assessment of ROI.

We are looking for a volunteer on the day so participants can assess a real world example. Any operator interested would need to supply information on accommodation (up to two types of rooms), average length of stay, average commissions, rack rate, occupancy rates, variable and fixed costs.

And for tours an operator should provide rack rate, maximum numbers, average occupancy/seat sales, fixed costs, lease costs, trip costs (wages if any, fuel and R&M) variable costs (food, beverage, entry fees, gifts).

The cost of the workshop is $85.00 with lunch, morning and afternoon tea provided.

The workshop will commence at 10.30am with registration and morning tea at 10.15am.

The workshop will be held at Tourism Tasmania, Level 1, 12-16 St John Street, Launceston.

Please confirm attendance by Friday 25 September 09 to Teamtas@tourism.tas.gov.au as well as let us know if you are willing to provide your business details to use in David’s model.

Attendees will be invoiced after the event. Please note that no shows will be charged.

This workshop will be repeated in Hobart on the 4 May 2010.

New 3-day Wilderness on Water Experience

Roaring 40s Ocean Kayaking is offering a new three-day Wilderness on Water experience, a unique journey to Tasmania’s remote south-western tip, at the centre of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.

Departing Cambridge Airport near Hobart in Tasmania’s south, visitors fly past the quartzite crags of Federation Peak or along the wild and rugged southern Tasmanian coast into Australia’s southernmost airstrip at Melaleuca. From here they paddle the rarely-explored waters of the Melaleuca Inlet to a purpose-built 'standing' base camp at Forest Lagoon.

The 'standing camp’ provides guests with a more luxury experience than they would expect and is fully dismantled in the off-season to decrease any possible environmental impact in the area.

Roaring 40s is the only operator in the area and uses kayaks as a means of transport rather than the more traditional walking tours visitors expect to find in remote regions.

For further information call 1800 653 712

Garden Photography Course

Blooming Tasmania is offering a Botanical Photography Course at Kaydale Lodge Gardens at Nietta, near Ulverstone on the weekend of 26 and 27 September 2009. The course will run from 10 am to 4 pm each day.

The course aims to give operators the opportunity to learn how to improve the quality and content of their garden images.

Participants are asked to allow plenty of time for travelling on country roads as the time on the course is limited.

The tutor for the weekend is Peter Tonelli, Latrobe-based nature photographer and amateur botanist. Peter has a long history of botanical photography and regularly teaches photography courses through Adult Education and is a nationally accredited judge of the Australian Photographic Society and a published author.

All bookings should be made through Adult Education, Burnie office on 6434 6282 or by email on AdultEd.Burnie@education.tas.gov.au

Cost of the two-day course is $123.20. Some concessions may apply.

Registration closes Wednesday 23 September.

TigerTOUR Update

There are no new additions to the TigerTOUR database.

Tourism Tasmania’s Product Consultants can help you update your business details. For more information email TigerTOUR@tourism.tas.gov.au or phone: (03) 6230 8229.

Coming Events

Australian Association of Men Barbershop Singers (AAMBS) - 10th National Convention
Competition between Australia's best men barbershop quartets, Hobart.
24 - 27 September 2009
Competition between Australia's best mens barbershop quartets, Hobart.

See all events

Go to top