The strength of Tasmania’s regional tourism experiences has been recognised at the 2017 Tasmanian Tourism Awards.
Tasmania’s natural beauty and wilderness areas are what make Tasmania a must-see destination. With eighteen out of twenty three gold awarded to tourism ventures in our regions it demonstrates we have the balance right between protecting what makes Tasmania special and sharing our favourite places with the rest of the world.
The wide dispersal of our tourism industry and the high standard of experiences and attractions in our regions sets Tasmania apart from other states and makes me incredibly optimistic about the future.
I want to see Tasmania’s regions gain a greater share of our tourism boom so we see more economic benefits flow to these areas including jobs. That’s why we have set a goal for 70 percent of visitors to stay overnight in our regional areas by 2022, we also want to increase the average visitor spend by 50 per cent.
Congratulations to the West Coast Wilderness Railway for being named Tasmania’s top tourist attraction, it is a great honour and sign of confidence in the West Coast.
Congratulations to all other winners including the Tourism Minister’s Young Achiever Award winner, Tom Wootton of Federal Tourism.
A special mention also for Josef Chromy OAM who was named the 2017 Tasmanian Tourism Champion, he is an inspirational figure who has led the way with his many tourism investments in northern Tasmania.
I wish all Tasmanian Tourism Award winners the best of luck at the Qantas Australia Tourism Awards which will be held in February next year.