Published on : Thursday, January 10, 2019
The figures from the federal body Tourism Research Australia show 307,000 international visitors came to Tasmania in the 12 months to September last year.
That was up from 267,000 in the previous 12 months — a 15 per cent increase.
Tourist spending also went up 13 per cent from $484 million in the year to September 2017, to $547 million in the year to September 2018.
Federal Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham said Tasmania’s growth had largely been driven by China.
“Part of the lift in Tasmanian tourism can be attributed to [having a] high profile in China, associated with President [Xi Jinping’s] visit to Tasmania over the last couple of years,” he said.
The figures showed outdoor activities were also increasingly popular, with bushwalking and guided excursions both increasing 7 per cent to 1.9 million and 1.4 million respectively.
“Whether it be kayaking near Cradle Mountain in Tassie, cycling in the Blue Mountains in NSW or bush walking in the Bungle Bungle Range in WA.”
Tasmania’s reputation for high-quality food and wine no doubt also helped its popularity — the survey found dining out was the most popular activity undertaken by international visitors, with 7.8 million of them partaking nationally.
Visits to farm gates were the fastest growing activity — with 413,000 tourists looking for the experience nationally in 2018, up 13 per cent.
Luke Martin from the Tourism Industry Council Tasmania said while all visitors were welcome, the boom was putting pressure on the environment.
Margy Osmond from the Tourism and Transport Forum said finding ways to avoid issues like overcrowding and litter would be a major issue for the industry in the coming years.
Tags: Tasmanian tourism