The Tasmanian Liberal Government has a plan to sustainably grow tourism by building the infrastructure our growing state needs.
Recent international visitor survey figures show our plan for tourists to stay longer, spend more and travel further around regional Tasmania is working.
With such strong growth in visitor numbers we must ensure that our infrastructure, particularly our roads, meet the needs and expectations of visitors and locals alike.
The Government’s $72 million Roads to Support Tasmania’s Visitor Economy program is the first ever tourism roads-specific investment program that ensures Tasmania’s reputation as a premium destination is protected.
The investment will improve a number of roads used by visitors as they travel to experience fast-emerging icons such as the Three Capes Walk, Bruny Island, the Tarkine and the Great Eastern Drive.
This summer’s road construction season will see a down payment on this investment with the contract awarded to build a new $2 million overtaking lane on the Great Eastern Drive at Cranbrook, north of Swansea.
The project will provide a safe passing opportunity for northbound traffic near Glen Gala Road and is the first of a series of upgrades planned for the Great Eastern Drive to enhance driver experience, improve safety and travel time reliability.
Other improvements planned along the Great Eastern Drive touring route include junction upgrades at Beaumaris Beach, Dark Hollow Creek, Freshwater Street and Skyline Drive.
Improvements to the car park area at Four Mile Creek will also allow for safer entry and exit at this popular lookout.
Work will also start soon on a $3 million upgrade of Stormlea Road which is a popular access route for the Three Capes Walk and the world-famous surf spot Shipstern Bluff.
The sealing of Hastings Cave Road in Tasmania’s far South will also get underway this summer.
These projects will not only ensure tourism roads can meet future demand, they also represent a strong investment in local jobs.
In developing our Visitor Economy Roads Policy, the Government listened to strong feedback from local communities as well as tourism and infrastructure advocates like the Tourism Industry Council of Tasmania, and RACT.
Our targets for tourism and infrastructure include:
- Grow our tourism industry to 1.5 million visitors per year by 2020
- 50,000 tourism-related jobs by 2022
- A 50% increase in the average per visitor spend by 2022
- 70% of all visitors to stay overnight in regional areas during their trip to Tasmania by 2022
- Bring all Tasmania’s primary freight and passenger roads up to a minimum three-star AusRAP safety rating by 2040
See all our targets at: https://www.tas.liberal.org.au/sites/default/files/BuildingYourFuture.pdf