Mayors push for Hobart to be added to discount airfare scheme

Published on 12 March 2021

As the Mayors of Greater Hobart, representing approximately 37 per cent of Tasmania’s population, we are deeply concerned that Hobart is not one of the targeted tourism locations as part of the Australian Government’s $1.2 billion Tourism Aviation Network Support (TANS) Program.

While we commend the Australian Government’s funding commitment, we have today written to the federal Tourism Minister asking that Hobart be added to the scheme. Hobart is Australia’s most tourism-dependent capital city, and deserves to be considered alongside Adelaide and Darwin for this scheme.

Tourism represents a significant proportion of the Tasmanian economy and Greater Hobart plays a core role as the gateway of visitation of Tasmania. However Greater Hobart and Southern Tasmania has struggled to recover from the job losses in the post-COVID tourism sector.

By flying into Hobart, tourists disperse easily to key attractions in Southern Tasmania and subsequently increase visitor expenditure and dispersal throughout the rest of the state.

As an island state largely dependent on aviation for tourism, the TANS program provides a wonderful opportunity to support Tasmania’s recovery. This has clearly been recognised by the inclusion of three destinations in northern Tasmania under the discounted airfare scheme.

However, the omission of the state’s primary entry point – and the broad tourism infrastructure and services it supports – prevents the scheme from achieving its full economic potential.

Therefore, we strongly advocate that Hobart should be added as a targeted tourism location under the TANS program.

 - Hobart Lord Mayor Cr Anna Reynolds; Mayor of Clarence Ald Doug Chipman; Mayor of Glenorchy Ald Kristie Johnston; and Mayor of Kingborough Cr Dean Winter

Photo courtesy Hobart Airport