Restaurant owner issues plea to TT-Line and calls double day sailings to boost tourism numbers

A popular Launceston restaurant has laid bare the extent of Tasmania’s “struggling” hospitality industry, penning a desperate call for TT-Line to double day sailings to boost tourism numbers.

A popular Launceston restaurant has laid bare the extent of Tasmania’s “struggling” hospitality industry, penning a desperate call for TT-Line to double day sailings of the Spirit of Tasmania vessels to boost tourism numbers.

Mudbar Restaurant and Blue Inc. Cafe owner Don Cameron described the past 12 months as the operation’s worst year in his “40 years in the industry”, saying that Tasmania “cannot forget its main economic engine is tourism”.

“We rely on our tourists. If you take that away, a lot of us won’t survive this year,” Mr Cameron said.

“We’ve had a tough year. This is a really, really quiet time for us, probably the worst I’ve seen in probably 40 years.

“If we can get extra day sailings all through the summer, it’s going to be such a great help.”

Mudbar Restaurant and Blue Inc. Cafe owner Don Cameron and Labor leader Dean Winter renew calls for TT-Line to double day sailings of the Spirit of Tasmania vessels. Picture: Stephanie Dalton

Labor leader Dean Winter said he was calling on the government to add up to 150 extra day sailings to recover lost capacity, increase tourism revenue, and bring tens of thousands more self-driving visitors to the state this summer.

“The new Spirits project, when fully delivered, is going to be a great thing for the Tasmanian tourism industry. But the Liberals’ failure to deliver is costing our tourism operators dearly, and they need our support now, not in 2026,” Mr Winter said.

“We need to get as many tourists as we can into the state to make up for the loss of capacity from the spirits not being online.”

Mr Winter also called for a dedicated seat on the company’s board for a tourism sector representative.

“We’re proposing mandating a dedicated tourism industry seat on the TT-Line board to make sure the industry is properly represented on the board of the company that should be focused on them,” he said.

Transport Minister Eric Abetz called Mr Winter’s double sailings idea “uninspired”, saying TT-Line has run double sailings during peak passenger and freight periods to cater to increased demand.

“It appears Tasmanian Labor are all out of ideas and are taking the opportunity to claim credit for the ideas of others,” Mr Abetz said.

“Additional day sailings when required has always been the policy of the Liberal government. A cursory glance at the TT-Line sailing schedule or annual reports over the years would have given this away.

“The extra day sailings are provided on the basis of customer demand. They will continue to be provided on this basis and not on Labor’s uninformed headline seeking.”