Interstate visitation to Tasmania is stronger than ever thanks to new direct air routes to and from Hobart

Tasmania’s interstate visitor numbers outstrip the local population nearly 2:1. Those out and about over the weekend for Dark Mofo may have noticed the influx of visitors. Find out how the numbers stack up.

INTERSTATE visitation to Tasmania is stronger than ever thanks to new direct air routes to and from Hobart, says the state’s tourism industry chief.

Hobart Airport’s 2017 introduction of direct routes to Adelaide, Perth and the Gold Coast means the state is drawing from a much larger base than long-established Melbourne and Sydney markets.

The Government’s latest Domestic Aviation Activity report shows passenger numbers on Brisbane to Hobart flights grew 8.5 per cent over the year to March 2019.

It comes as thousands of interstate Australians touch down in Hobart for the annual Dark Mofo festival.

The State Government’s recent economic impact study showed 22,000 Dark Mofo visitors last year were from interstate.

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Tourism Industry Council Tasmania chief Luke Martin said Tasmania’s visitor numbers were no longer heavily weighted by passengers from Victoria and New South Wales.

“This shift ensured we were not overly dependent on any one or two markets,” he said.

“We’ve seen really strong and consistent growth out of Southeast Queensland for a few years since direct flights started, and we’ll hopefully now see similar sustained growth out of the WA and SA markets with the new direct services into Adelaide and Perth,” he said.

Tourism Tasmania’s latest Tourism Snapshot shows the state’s biggest visitation increase from Western Australian, up 15 per cent to 59,700 over the year to December 2018.

The report also showed Victorian visitor numbers grew by 11 per cent.

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Overall Tasmania welcomed 1.11 million interstate visitors for the year ending December 2018, up 5 cent from 1.06 million the previous year.

Interstate air travel was up by 5 per cent while visitation by sea was steady.

Hobart International Airport chief operating officer Matt Cocker said recent figures confirmed the terminal was the fastest growing airport in the country. And with a $200 million revamp under way, the airport was set to double the number of passengers processed over the next decade.

“The ongoing investment in the airport and Tasmania’s popularity as a destination will see continued growth in passenger numbers through Hobart, with four million passengers forecast to pass through the airport annually by 2030,” Mr Cocker said.

The report, released this month, also showed Hobart passenger numbers to Melbourne and Sydney were down 3.7 and 2.9 per cent respectively.

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