Tasmania’s tourism boom is lifting visitor numbers to Port Arthur to new heights.
Daytime visitor numbers in 2014-15 hit 272, 653, a 7.7 per cent increase on 2014-15 numbers and a 27.4 per cent increase on 2013-14 numbers.
There has been a staggering increase in visitors from China, from just under 4,000 visitors in 2012-13, to just over 21,000 in 2014-15. That’s a 474 per cent increase, which includes the significant jump in Chinese visitors in the wake of the Chinese President’s visit in 2014.
The surge in visitor numbers looks set to increase. Already in the first four months of 2015-16, visitor numbers are up 13 per cent compared to the same time last year.
Visitor numbers are set to be enhanced by an increase in cruise ships set to stop by Port Arthur. Eight cruise ships visited in 2014-15 and that is expected to rise to 11 in 2015-16 and 19 in 2016-17, with each vessel bringing in on average over 2,000 visitors.
Visitor numbers are also through the roof at the Cascades Female Factory Historic Site, nearly tripling in recent years, with numbers increasing from 10,325 in 2012-13 to 28,663 in 2014-15.
Port Arthur and related convict heritage sites are a key part of the Hodgman Liberal Government’s plan to increase visitor numbers to Tasmania. We are well on the way to achieving 1.5 million visitors to the State by 2020 and we are determined to work with the Port Arthur Historic Site Management Authority to create the range and diversity of visitor experiences needed to grow visitor numbers and create more jobs in the tourism and hospitality sectors.
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