The Liberal Government firmly rejects calls by Hobart Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds and the Greens for a visitor tax which would unfairly impact many businesses and risk stunting our economic growth.
Tourism creates jobs in every corner of our State, and is a major reason why our economy is the fastest growing in the nation.
With visitor numbers and importantly visitor spending continuing to grow, now is not the time to put on the brakes and send a message that we don’t want visitors in our State.
Tourism is one of the State’s great success stories, contributing over $3 billion to gross state product and supporting around 38,000 jobs, or 15.6 per cent of total employment across Tasmania.
The last thing that the Government and the many thousands of Tasmanians who work in the tourism industry want is to discourage visitors from coming to our beautiful State.
The Government is investing record amounts into tourism infrastructure to support the growth in visitor numbers, which is possible because we have managed our finances well, and have supported the growth in our economy. I’d suggest the Hobart City Council do the same thing.
More Media Releases from Will Hodgman
More Media Releases from the Minister for Tourism, Hospitality and Events