Tassie lowers the drawbridge and urges mainlanders to ‘come on down’

Tasmania has flicked the switch from island fortress to tourist honey-pot, allowing quarantine-free entry from most Australian jurisdictions and New Zealand.

Kate and Dan de Boer and daughters Lola, left, and Isla, right, with Renee Harris get the Freycinet oyster experience.

Tasmania has flicked the switch from island fortress to tourist honey-pot, allowing quarantine-free entry from most Australian jurisdictions and New Zealand, and is planning a major tourism marketing push.

Aside from NSW and Victoria, arrivals from all other Australian jurisdictions and New Zealand will have quarantine-free access to Tasmania from Monday, with hope of opening to NSW from November 2 and Victoria from December 1.

The island drew up its drawbridge more than seven months ago, bringing parts of its $3bn tourism trade to its knees.

“We are starting to get some frankly alarming numbers come through of exactly how much business has been down for most of our operators over the past six months, so really Monday can’t come soon enough,” said Luke Martin, Tourism Industry Council Tasmania’s chief executive.

A rapid return of mainland visitors is particularly important for tourism businesses at the higher end of the market, such as Saffire Freycinet, a luxury lodge overlooking the Hazards mountains in Tasmania’s east.

“Typically, mainland visitors account for 57 per cent of Saffire’s guests and international visitors account for another 30 per cent,” said Matt Casey, tourism general manager for Saffire’s owner, Federal Group.

“There’s no doubt the border reopening is great news for Tasmania and we’re slowly seeing interstate bookings return across all our hotels and resorts.”

As a result, Saffire was extending from three-days-a-week operation to seven. However, Mr Casey said Tasmania’s key visitor markets were NSW and Victoria, underlying the importance of further border easing.

Saffire General Manager Ross Boobyer in the East Coast Tasmania resort, overlooking the Freycinet Peninsula and the Hazards.

The industry, which pre-COVID contributed 10 per cent of Tasmania’s gross state product, also needed a strong marketing push “to quickly convert their ­intention to travel into action”.

Tourism Tasmania told The Australian that was exactly its plan, with an extensive brand campaign in key domestic markets launched on 11 October and more to come, including in New Zealand.

“The first phase will see ‘Come Down for Air’ advertisements on television and digital channels in metro and regional areas, with new advertising creative introduced from mid-November, with more channels,” TT chief executive John Fitzgerald said.

“A further burst of activity is planned from January to support visitation in 2021, followed by winter-focused messaging.”

Marketing would also be conducted in NZ in early 2021 to capitalise on the travel bubble and promised resumption of direct flights from Aotearoa to Tasmania. TT would be also be launching a self-drive touring program “to showcase our walking, fly fishing, golf and mountain biking experiences”.

However, the Australian Medical Association said the border reopening meant Tasman­ians needed to shed any complacency born from not having a COVID case since August.

“There’s some complacency that’s settled in and we all need to reinforce the important of social distancing, hand hygiene and getting tested if you have symptoms,” said AMA state president Helen McArdle.

Visitors to the state must register via a ‘Tas e-Travel’ app, and are permitted to use the TT-Line ferries from Melbourne as long as they have stopped for fuel only while driving through Victoria.