23 May 2019

Will Hodgman MP

2019-20 Budget: Maintaining the momentum and investing for growth in our tourism sector

Tasmania’s tourism and hospitality industry is one of our great competitive strengths, supporting over 38,000 jobs in every corner of the State and is a major driver of our economy.

The 2019-20 State Budget is focused on maintaining the momentum in our visitor economy with investments that will drive growth in tourism in every region of the State.

To drive visitor growth in our regions, we are launching a $20 million Regional Tourism Attraction Loan Scheme to provide low interest loans of up to $1 million for businesses to undertake projects to grow their local visitor economy.

We will invest $1.2 million in a new Business Events Attraction Fund to bring major national and international business events to Tasmania. Business events are high yielding, and their participants usually spend more and are likely to become repeat visitors.

The Budget also continues to deliver the Government’s record $12.6 million investment in tourism marketing to give Tasmania a competitive edge, and attract visitors from new markets.

While we have seen continued steady visitor growth, my Government understands we must protect what is special about our State so our visitors and Tasmanians can continue to enjoy it for generations to come.

We will invest more into our treasured icons through better facilities and management at Cradle Mountain and along Freycinet Peninsula, and will continue to deliver our $72 million Visitor Economy roads improvement program.

The iconic Taste of Tasmania food festival will receive $500,000 over two years to support its ongoing operation. Events Tasmania will also support festival organisers to explore opportunities to secure the event’s long-term financial stability.

Our tourism industry stands alongside the best in the world, and this Budget affirms our commitment to ensuring we continue to attract more visitors who see more of our state, and spend more while they are here.