Visitors fly south for the summer as Tasmania’s borders reopen to mainland states
Tourism operators are gearing up for a bumper season once the state’s borders reopen, with one accommodation venue already reporting a nearly 100 per cent occupancy rate over summer.
Tasmania
Don't miss out on the headlines from Tasmania. Followed categories will be added to My News.
CASHED-up travellers have stepped in to snap up bookings at Tasmania’s most famous luxury accommodation throughout summer and into early autumn.
The five-star Saffire Freycinet on the state’s East Coast is already approaching capacity, with more than 95 per cent occupancy from mid-December until the end of March.
Tasmania’s borders are set to fully reopen on December 15 to vaccinated travellers, including from the key domestic tourist markets of Victoria and NSW.
Saffire Freycinet general manager Ross Boobyer said the destination had been well supported by Tasmanians, with an occupancy rate between 55 and 60 per cent throughout winter.
“From the 15th December until the end of March, we’re at 96 per cent occupancy, so we are basically full,” Mr Boobyer said.
“The interest is there, we just simply don’t have enough rooms at the moment.”
Mr Boobyer said a proportion of the bookings were ones postponed from earlier in the year due to border closures, but there was now strong interest throughout autumn.
“We’re now starting to see a shift with us not having availability until the end of March, so people are trying to push into April and May,” he said.
“So we’re really confident for a really good year ahead.”
Saffire Freycinet has embarked on a recruitment drive as it prepares to reach full capacity, and Mr Boobyer said about 20 additional staff were needed.
“We are actually seeing some really good candidates come through,” he said.
“I know that a lot of the industry said that they had been struggling with recruitment, but we’ve been quite blessed and that’s across all of our venues.”
On Friday night, Saffire Freycinet was one of three Federal Group accommodation venues to be honoured at the Tasmanian Tourism Awards.
It won the five-star accommodation award for the ninth time in 11 years, while MACq 01 took the honours in the 4-4.5 star accommodation and Henry Jones Art Hotel won the cultural award. (SEE THE FULL LIST OF WINNERS BELOW)
Tourism Industry Council Tasmania CEO Luke Martin said in such an extraordinary year for the industry, it was exciting to see a mix of new category winners, alongside some of the state’s best known products and experiences.
“The results read like the who’s who of outstanding Tasmanian visitor experiences, with Saffire Freycinet, Pumphouse Point, the Tasmanian Walking Company, Coal River Farm and the Henry Jones Art Hotel all claiming gold medals,” Mr Martin said.
“But it’s also fantastic to see several first-time category winners, including iconic names like Mures Tasmania, who have won their first ever Tasmanian Tourism Award, alongside lesser-known small businesses such Hobart’s Sanctum Boutique Apartments and Turner’s Stillhouse.”
On Friday, Tasmania reached a 90 per cent Covid-19 first vaccination rate for people aged 16 and over, with 77 per cent fully vaccinated.
Premier Peter Gutwein said he was confident all Tasmanians aged 12 and over would have had the opportunity to be vaccinated before borders reopen.
“There is no turning back from our December 15 reopening date, so if you haven’t been vaccinated, get vaccinated,” he said.
Mr Gutwein also announced pre-departure testing for mainland travellers would not apply from the lower-risk jurisdictions of Western Australia, Queensland, Northern Territory and South Australia.
The requirement will remain in place for Victoria and NSW, which are considered high risk.
FULL LIST: Tasmania Tourism Award Winners
For the first time in a history spanning more than 200 years, the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens has been named the state’s best major tourist attraction.
At Wrest Point on Friday night, a who’s who of Tasmania’s tourism and hospitality industry gathered to honour their best and brightest amid a turbulent period marred by Covid-related border closures.
The iconic Botanical Gardens – established in 1818 – ended its long drought by taking out one of the awards ceremony’s top gongs.
For people like Hobart’s Simonei van Zyl and her children, Mia, 3, and Andre, 5, the appeal of the gardens is obvious.
“I just take them to look at the ducks and the flowers and it’s so nice to run around,” Ms van Zyl said. “It’s just a beautiful place to enjoy with the kids.”
“The kiosk is also a major draw. There’s hot chips and ice cream – what more could you ask for?”
Cradle Mountain – Lake St Clair National Park was awarded silver in the Major Tourist Attractions category.
The award for Best New Tourism Business went to Kittawa Lodge on King Island, an honour Tourism Industry Council Tasmania chief executive Luke Martin said cemented the business’ reputation as one of the nation’s finest luxury accommodation retreats.
“This result says much about (King Island’s) evolution as a visitor destination, along with the courage and vision of those investors and tourism operators creating exceptional experiences on the island,” he said.
The wukalina Walk in the state’s northeast triumphed in the Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Tourism category, becoming the first palawa/pakana-owned tourism experience to win the award. It was one of seven northern Tasmanian tourism businesses to win gold on the night.
“Winning these awards is testament to the fact these operators have not stood still over these difficult months, but, rather, innovated, adapted, tried new things, entered new markets, and are all now coming through the other side of Covid with even more resilient tourism businesses,” Mr Martin said.
“That’s why these awards matter so much this year, and why, as an industry, we celebrate all our finalists for their resilience in the face of the most challenging business conditions any of us could imagine.”
Entrants into the Tasmanian Tourism Hall of Fame this year included Pennicott Wilderness Journeys, Gordon River Cruises, Ashdowns of Dover, and MACq 01 Hotel.
Mr Martin said he anticipated a strong showing from Tasmanian operators at the 2021 Australian Tourism Awards, to be announced in March on the Sunshine Coast.
THE WINNERS
Major Tourist Attractions:
Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens (Gold)
Cradle Mountain – Lake St Clair National Park (Silver)
Tourist Attractions:
Gorge Scenic Chairlift (Gold)
Festivals and Events:
Junction Arts Festival (Gold)
Party in the Paddock (Silver)
Ecotourism:
Tasmanian Walking Company (Gold)
Tarkine Trails (Silver)
Cultural Tourism:
The Henry Jones Art Hotel (Gold)
Tourism Retail & Hire Services:
Coal River Farm (Gold)
Simon Martin Whips & Leathercraft (Silver)
Visitor Information Services:
Wonders of Wynyard Exhibition and Visitor Information Centre (Gold)
City of Launceston Visitor Centre (Silver)
Business Event Venue:
Peppers Silo Hotel (Gold)
Major Tour and Transport Operators:
Pennicott Wilderness Journeys (Gold), and entrant into the Tasmanian Tourism Hall of Fame
McDermott’s Coaches (Silver)
Tour & Transport Operators:
Gordon River Cruises (Gold), and entrant into the Tasmanian Tourism Hall of Fame
Heritage Horse Drawn Carriages (Silver)
Air Adventure Golf (Bronze)
Adventure Tourism:
Blue Derby Pods Ride (Gold)
Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Tourism:
wukalina Walk (Gold)
Tourism Marketing and Campaigns:
Lap of Tasmania (Gold)
Business Events Tasmania (Silver)
Group Travel Australia (Bronze)
5 Star Accommodation:
Saffire Freycinet (Gold)
Tourism Restaurants & Catering Services:
Mures Tasmania (Gold)
Grain of the Silos (Silver)
Bark Mill Tavern & Bakery (Bronze)
Tourism Wineries, Distilleries & Breweries:
Turners Stillhouse (Gold)
Bay of Fires Wines (Silver)
Caravan and Holiday Parks:
NRMA Port Arthur Holiday Park (Gold)
Big 4 Launceston Holiday Park (Silver)
Hosted Accommodation:
Ashdowns of Dover (Gold), and entrant into the Tasmanian Tourism Hall of Fame
Oceana B&B (Silver)
Rathmore (Bronze)
Unique Accommodation:
Pumphouse Point (Gold)
Picnic Island (Silver)
Self-Contained Accommodation:
Sanctum Boutique Apartments (Gold)
Sandpiper Ocean Cottages (Silver)
The Granary Richmond Hill (Bronze)
4 – 4.5 Star Accommodation:
MACq 01 Hotel (Gold), and entrant into the Tasmanian Tourism Hall of Fame
Peppers Silos Hotel (Silver)
Stillwater Seven (Bronze)
Excellence in Food Tourism:
Coal River Farm (Gold)
Tasmanian Wild Seafood Adventures (Silver)
Bruny Island Cheese & Beer Co. (Bronze)
The Gustav Weindorfer Award for Best New Tourism Business:
Kittawa Lodge (Gold)
Hotel Verge Launceston (Silver)
The Keep (Bronze)
2021 Tasmanian Tourism Champion for Outstanding Contribution by an Individual to the Tasmanian Tourism Industry:
Mark Wilsdon
Tourism Minister’s Young Achiever Award:
Kylie Bell
WE’RE ON: Tasmanians to head back to the polls July 19
Tasmania will return to the polls July 19 after two days of talks were unable to resolve the state’s political deadlock. GET THE LATEST
Bodies finally laid to rest after largest exhumation project in Aus
90 per cent of the bodies uncovered during the development of a new Hutchins building were identified before being laid to rest at an interment ceremony on Wednesday