Visitors to the West Coast are in for some spectacular views on the new Horsetail Falls walk.
Located near Queenstown, the $550,000 project was a direct response of the Hodgman Liberal Government to the difficulties facing the West Coast community when Copper Mines of Tasmania announced that the Mt Lyell Mine would enter care and maintenance in 2014.
The West Coast Economic Working Group, which I chaired, coordinated a whole of Government response to provide support to the West Coast, and this project was selected as one that would help the region to diversify its economy through tourism.
Tourism is booming under the Hodgman Government and we are committed to strategic investment to ensure the State can reach its full tourism potential.
Projects such as this will help us achieve our target for 70 per cent of visitors to stay overnight in regional areas and to increase the average visitor spend by 50 per cent.
More tourists on the West Coast helps to boost local hospitality and related industry employment, and meet our target of 50,000 tourism related jobs around the State by 2022.
What we have now is another memorable tourism experience for the West Coast and a walk that is of a standard suitable for the majority of visitors travelling the Lyell Highway.
We have already had positive feedback from visitors and I’m sure the reputation of this experience will only grow to make it a valuable contribution supporting the developing profile of the West Coast for nature-based tourism experiences.
The walk was constructed by Tasmanian company, Tas Span and future further works will improve the entry and exit off the Lyell Highway.