Tasmania is fast gaining a reputation as the cycling tourism capital of Australia.
Accordingly, the Hodgman Liberal Government’s Cycle Tourism Strategy is growing the sector and creating jobs, and I am pleased to announce 10 new projects have now been approved for funding under the Strategy.
This includes $800,000 for Stage 2 of the Maydena Bike Park that will establish Maydena as a leading mountain bike destination, resulting in an estimated tripling in total visitation and an additional 20 new FTE positions directly employed by the park.
The Government is a strong supporter of our booming visitor economy because it supports local economies and creates jobs right across the State, and this will entice tourists to stay longer and help achieve our goal to increase visitor overnight stays in regional areas by 70 per cent by 2022.
It’s also a great example of how the Hodgman Liberal Government’s Expression of Interest process for developing new tourism opportunities in National Parks, Reserves and Crown Land has created jobs and opened up our stunning natural areas for tourism developments, especially in regional and rural areas of the State.
We have targeted cycle tourism as one of the State’s strongest competitive advantages, with already around 38,000 visitors jumping on a bike to enjoy what Tasmania has to offer.
We expect these numbers to continue to grow, and the Cycle Tourism Strategy is backed by a $6 million fund to achieve this.
Already we have invested $1 million in the St Helens Mountain Bike Trail Network, $800,000 in the Blue Derby Mountain Bike Trails and $600,000 in the Wild Mersey Mountain Bike Development.
Today’s announcement will boost jobs and tourism around the State and further enhance Tasmania as Australia’s most exciting cycle tourism destination.
The full list of approved projects is below: