Securing our tourism industry now and into the future

26 August 2021

Peter Gutwein MP

Premier and Minister for Tourism

A thriving tourism industry is key to securing Tasmania’s future, and we are delivering our plan to support our world-class tourism operators during what has been, and continues to be, a challenging time in the visitor economy.

The 2021-22 Tasmanian Budget increases Tourism Tasmania’s allocation by an additional $18 million over the Forward Estimates to enable it to effectively compete for travellers in what will be a highly competitive market once travel becomes more freely available again.

Our popular and successful $7.5 million tourism voucher scheme has been incredibly well received, with close to 150,000 registrations received for our third round.

Pleasingly, many of the 25,000 successful recipients are already booking and travelling around our beautiful State, supporting local tourism operators and small businesses.

Our last round of vouchers generated an estimated $27.5 million in additional spending as Tasmanians travelled across the State and into our regions, supporting countless local businesses and spreading the benefits across both our tourism and hospitality industries and we look forward to this round having the same outcome.

This week, we also released the guidelines and opened applications for our $50 million loan scheme to assist the tourism industry. The interest-free loan amount has been increased to up to $2 million for three years, from our initial election commitment of a capped $1 million.

This initiative will assist Tassie tourism operators to enhance and improve their product offerings, which in turn will increase Tasmania’s already enviable reputation as one of the world’s must-see destinations.

Initiatives that are supported under the scheme will contribute to achieving the identified priorities of our T21 Visitor Economy Action Plan 2020-22. This includes, for example, championing entrepreneurialism and innovation in new products and experiences that reinforce and enhance our Tassie brand and competitive strengths.

Information on the loan scheme is available by contacting Business Tasmania on 1800 440 026, and on the website www.business.tas.gov.au

The Tasmanian Government is delivering our plan to support our world-class tourism industry to rebuild even stronger from COVID-19. This will play an important role in reinvigorating our visitor economy and helping our tourism operators thrive and innovate to secure Tasmania’s future.