TICT Quarterly Edition - Summer 2023

QUARTERLY SUMMER | 2023 | ISSUE 11

TOURISM INDUSTRY COUNCIL TASMANIA

INFRASTRUCTURE FOR THE FUTURE

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CHAMPIONS: TASSIE TOURISM’S HONOUR ROLL OF LEGENDS

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SARAH CLARK: TOURISM TASMANIA’S NEW BOSS

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TRAVEL TRENDS 2023: GET AHEAD OF THE GAME

The Podcast Series for Tasmanian tourism operators and industry professionals.

More than 100 Bite Size Conversations with our best and brightest, the influential and the inspiring in Tasmanian tourism.

Listen in the car, at the desk, in the shower, walking the dog…

Wherever and whenever suits you.

Best of all, they’re 100% FREE Stream from www.tict.com.au Or search for ‘Talking Tourism’ wherever you get your Podcasts.

Talking Tourism is an initiative of

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INFRASTRUCTURE FOR THE FUTURE TALKING POINT BY LUKE MARTIN, CEO TICT

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TASMANIAN TOURISM CHAMPIONS: CELEBRATING 25 YEARS OF THE INDUSTRY’S HIGHEST INDIVIDUAL HONOUR

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TOURISM AWARDS: THE IMPORTANCE OF YOUR CONSUMER RATING SCORE

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TOURISM PROFILE: MEET SARAH CLARK, CEO, TOURISM TASMANIA

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VXT – TRAINING A HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM WORKFORCE TO DELIVER THE TASMANIAN EXPERIENCE

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YOUR BUSINESS BOOST: TASMANIAN TRAVEL TRENDS FOR 2023

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SUMMER | 2023 | ISSUE 11

WELCOME: FROM TICT

Cover – Dove Lake. Photo Credit: Anjie Blair.

To advertise in the next TICT Quarterly or for editorial enquiries contact info@tict.com.au 1

WELCOME: FROM TICT

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e’re super excited to share with you the Summer 2023 Edition of TICT Quarterly!

Look, I’m biased, but after spending time over the last few weeks in every region of the State, I do genuinely wonder if there is any better place to be on the planet than in Tasmania in January.

Whether it was coaxing my kids to walk down from the lookout into Wineglass Bay for the first time in their lives, sipping on a pale ale overlooking Bass Strait at the Penguin Brewery, kicking back at the Taste cheering in Sydney to Hobart yachts, buying a tub of honey from an honesty stand on the Lake Highway, or seeing a wombat nonchalantly enjoying its lunch at the entrance to Cradle Mountain, I had so many summer experiences that can only ever happen in Tasmania, and the kind of moments that stay with our visitors long after they leave these islands.

After the crappiest couple of years, it has also been incredibly reaffirming to see how busy so many of our regional destinations have been, and the vibrancy in our visitor economy that extends right through Tasmania’s many towns and communities.

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Luke, Bay of Fires Eco Cruise

This has also been a reality check in experiencing firsthand just how under pressure some of our businesses have been with high demand and stretched staffing levels. Our workforce challenges will continue to be the dominant issue we tackle over the next 12-months and beyond.

We also, clearly, need to look at year-round visitor demand and prioritising future growth outside this busy summer window. It is in this context I do encourage you to look at the piece I’ve prepared in this edition of TICT Quarterly on the infrastructure we need to take our winter events calendar to another level.

We also have a fantastic profile on the new CEO of Tourism Tasmania, Sarah Clark. Sarah is the first Tasmanian-born

appointed to this position and she is already injecting a fresh perspective and incisive leadership to the role.

You can also check-in with a couple of true Champions of Tasmanian Tourism, learn a little more about online reviews and why they matter, and gain some insights from tourism guru, David Inches, on the emerging travel trends through 2023.

We hope you find the time to sit down with a cuppa, or a tipple of your choice and enjoy this edition of TICT Quarterly.

Luke Martin CEO, Tourism Industry Council Tasmania

WHAT’S ON IN 2023 2023/24 Accreditation Renewal Invoices Issued

9-16 January, 2023

Via email

2023/24 Accreditation Renewal Payment Due

Friday 31 March

Bank transfer or instalments via direct debit

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Tourism Accreditation Program

Leadership Luncheon Series (more to be announced) 2023 Dialogue Luncheon

Thursday 27 February 12.30 – 3pm

Princes Wharf No 1

Northern Outlook Luncheon

Tuesday 28 March, 1.00 – 3.30pm

Tatler Lane, Launceston

TICT Board Nominations for appointments to the TICT Board

Throughout March

Online

TICT Board AGM

Tuesday 9 May

Hobart

Tasmanian Tourism Conference Monday 14 – Tuesday 15 August

Tasmanian Tourism Conference

Launceston

Awards Programs

Top Tourism Towns Awards

Tasmanian Tourism Awards

Nominations Open

Tuesday 14 February

Online

Info Session

Friday 3 March

Online

Nominations Close

Monday 27 March

Online

Submissions Close

Friday 12 May

Online

Winners Announcement

Friday 2 June

TBC

Launch Event

Friday 31 March

Hobart and Launceston

Nominations Open

Monday 3 April

Online

Nominations Close

Monday 8 May

Online

Mentoring Program

Early June – Mid August

Online

Submissions Close

Thursday 14 September Online

Finalists Announcements Awards Gala

Wednesday 11 October Launceston Thursday 12 October

Hobart

Friday 17 November

Wrest Point, Hobart 3

INFRASTRUCTURE FOR THE FUTURE TALKING POINT BY LUKE MARTIN, CEO TICT

Dove Lake. Photo Credit: Anjie Blair

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n coming months, TICT will join the Tasmanian Government in launching the new Tourism 21.

T21 is Tasmania’s long standing destination management strategy where industry and government come together and agree on shared priorities and aspirations for sustainably managing Tasmanian tourism.

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Our new T21 will set clear expectations for how we want Tasmanian tourism to evolve through the 2020s and beyond as a destination renowned for unique, immersive visitor experiences and a tourism industry aspiring to make a positive impact on our environment and in our local community.

Amid bold aspirations for Tasmania to establish itself as a market leader in the global transition to Net Zero Travel, and initiatives to address our long-term workforce challenges, the new T21 will also challenge us to think differently about how we fund visitor infrastructure across the State.

The opening in January of the new visitor shelter at Dove Lake has set a new standard for visitor infrastructure in Tasmania.

Its design does justice to the significance of its location.

The building replaces the ugliest bitumen carpark and

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toilet block, with a shelter constructed using materials that will soon be overtaken with natural vegetation to absorb into its natural surrounds.

The investment in Cradle Mountain over the past few years with the striking new Visitor Centre outside the Park boundaries, hybrid engine shuttle bus service, and now the new Dove Lake Shelter, is all part of a plan to elevate infrastructure at our iconic Park to sustainably manage visitor numbers into the future.

The scale of the investment at Cradle is running into the

tens of millions of dollars, and there is more to come.

The Tasmanian Parks & Wildlife Service are looking at a similar level of investment at Freycinet to manage visitor growth there, with works also required at Mt Field, Hastings, and the list goes on.

Beyond our National Parks, Councils managing some of our most popular visitor destinations are under immense pressure to provide even the most basic infrastructure our visitors expect. Camping facilities and dump stations, toilets, and waste management.

Tourism makes a substantial

contribution to local communities through the economic activity and employment it generates, but this does not always mean the funds are readily available to invest in the infrastructure and services that enable tourism to prosper.

If we are truly serious about sustainable tourism growth in Tasmania, we must find a way to better resource our Parks service, our local councils and other land management authorities to invest in new visitor infrastructure, and better maintain the infrastructure our industry relies upon. Finding a model to raise these funds that is 5

Macquarie Point Stadium

acceptable to both visitors and our tourism businesses is never going to be easy, but it is a conversation we must have.

EVENTS INFRASTRUCTURE Achieving genuine sustainable tourism growth in Tasmania also means prioritising yearround visitor activity.

We simply cannot expect to see perennial visitor growth over the summer months.

Many of our destinations and businesses are already under intense pressure through January, and Tasmanians expect to be able to enjoy their summer without too much impediment from a busy visitor economy.

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Our focus must continue to be on growing visitor demand during our shoulder and ‘off’ seasons, and the most effective way of doing this is through events. It is for this reason why TICT has taken such a strong position over recent months in championing investment in event infrastructure across the State.

Northern Tasmania through the winter months. Having an AFL team of our own will take this to a whole other level.

AFL Tourism is big business.

Hawthorn’s four games each year in Launceston generate $30 million of activity in

For this reason, we must invest in stadia infrastructure in both the North and South to ensure we’re able to maximise the

Not only will we have more games in the State each year, but we’ll host the big Melbourne clubs with their massive armies of supporters who do travel in following their team. A Tasmanian AFL team will also see hordes of passionate locals travel north to south, and south to north, for games at both ends of the State, much like the JackJumpers NBL side is experiencing now.

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GAME CHANGER. TOURISM INDUSTRY COUNCIL TASMANIA’S

11TH ANNUAL DIALOGUE TOURISM + BUSINESS LUNCHEON Special Guest, Gill McLachlan, CEO of the AFL With Premier Jeremy Rockliff MP Lunch. Beverages. Creating History.

Princes Wharf No. 1 Thursday 23 February 1230 - 1500

With thanks to our partners:

Book at www.tict.com.au or scan

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opportunity of AFL tourism to underpin our winter events strategy.

Investing in Launceston’s University of Stadium is about growing its capacity and maintaining its status as the finest AFL venue in Regional Australia.

The prospect of a stadium at Macquarie Point might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but from a tourism and events perspective, it is a game changer.

Bringing AFL and cricket from the suburbs into the heart of the capital city will transform the experience for locals and visitors alike. There is every reason to expect a 8

similar impact as what has occurred in other cities who have followed this path, such as Adelaide and Perth, with the beneficiaries being accommodation, tourism, and hospitality operators.

But it is what this all-weather roofed stadium will mean for Tasmania’s capacity to host other major events, such as touring concerts and other sports, where the real opportunity lies.

It gives us the stage to attract major acts to the State, who generate their own visitation, at times of the year when there are gaps in our home-grown events calendar. It means we can attract a Wallabies Rugby test, for example, or an Olympic qualifying football game, or even international cricket in

the middle of winter.

Our other priority for events infrastructure is a contemporary business events space in Launceston.

Right now, the north of the State is missing out on its fair share of the lucrative conference and convention market. With a modern facility and further investment in accommodation, there is no reason why the North couldn’t achieve similar levels of business events activity each year as we see in Hobart.

Our new T21 will establish a shared vision for Tasmanian tourism over the next decade and growing our events capacity to address our seasonal challenges will be at the heart of this vision.

SUMMER | 2023 | ISSUE 11

OCEANS OF AIR 17 December 2022—24 July 2023

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TASMANIAN TOURISM CHAMPIONS: CELEBRATING 25 YEARS OF THE INDUSTRY’S HIGHEST INDIVIDUAL HONOUR

John Hamilton and guests. Photo Credit: Tourism Australia

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hile the 2022 Tasmanian Tourism Awards are a few months behind us now, the dust isn’t likely to settle on the excitement for any of our winners for some time yet.

Amongst them was Alison Stubbs, who was recognised for being a true tourism stalwart, with a pedigree that includes establishing an awardwinning adventure tourism business, sitting on the Tourism Tasmania and East Coast RTO boards, and managing premium accommodation on Hobart’s waterfront. In being named the 2022 Tourism Champion, Ali became the 35th Tasmanian to join a list 10

of local legends that goes back to the inaugural award in 1998. It’s the industry’s highest individual honour, conferred each year to acknowledge an outstanding contribution to the state’s tourism industry, through entrepreneurialism, investments, leadership, advocacy, and professional or voluntary service. As we celebrate 25 years of Tasmanian Tourism Champions, it feels an appropriate time to reflect on the honour roll, and highlight some of our past champions.

John Hamilton is known for being the pioneer of wildlife tourism in Tasmania, and was named Tasmanian Tourism Champion in 2012 for his contribution to nature-based

tourism, the growth of tourism on the Tasman peninsula, and in promoting Tasmania in international markets. He established the state’s first commercial wildlife experience with the Tasmanian Devil Park, now the Tasmanian Devil Unzoo, near Port Arthur in 1979, where he continues to champion the conservation of threatened species. John says that his passion for sharing our natural environment with the world stems back to his childhood growing up in the Derwent Valley.

“My whole family had a passion for Tasmania,” he says. “My father was a great bushwalker, and we spent lots of time in Mt Field National Park, where

I got to know a lot about the mountains, plants and native animals.”

After studying agricultural science, John went on to be a broadcaster journalist for three years, and it was an overseas trip as part of a national journalism award that piqued his interest in wildlife parks.

On a stopover in Brisbane, he saw a koala for the first time during a visit to the world’s first and largest koala sanctuary, Lone Park Sanctuary.

“As we left there, I thought about how nobody had done anything with Tasmanian devils. When I returned home, I started to make some calls and eventually purchased a property on the Tasman peninsula. I decided that I was going to do something with the devils.”

The property opened on a small budget as Tasmania’s first wildlife park experience.

While its feature animal was the Tasmanian devil, it also accommodated other wildlife, and had a distinct focus on visitor immersion into the Tasmanian experience.

“I wanted people to be able to go for a walk in the bush and see native animals in their natural environment. It was always about showcasing Tasmania to tourists and locals alike.”

While John’s original plan was to harness the potential of the 25 acres of pear and apple orchards on the property to commercialise his venture, it became quickly apparent that the wildlife tourism experience itself was to be the main breadwinner.

In 2007, John joined a thinktank of likeminded wildlife experts from around the world, including American zoo designer, John Coe, who had worked with 150 of the best zoos around the world. Coe was impressed with the Tasmanian

Devil Park and proposed the idea of the world’s first intentional ‘unzoo’ on the site, referencing his 2006 paper, “The Unzoo Alternative” in which he suggested how mutually beneficial and rewarding encounters for animals, keepers and visitors alike could be achieved.

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Tasmanian Devil Unzoo. Photo Credit: Tourism Australia

“He offered to do up a plan for the unzoo, and came to stay with us a second time,” John recalls. “I remember getting up early one morning and offering (Coe) breakfast, and he’d already been up for several hours and completed a masterplan.”

The plan removed all cages and boundary fences, allowing for wildlife to enjoy a more natural habitat, as well as to facilitate an even more authentic visitor experience. It came to life with the completion of the first stage of the transformation in 2010, and the eventual launch of the Tasmanian Devil Unzoo in 2014.

A range of native Tasmanian animals and nearly 100 bird species with whom visitors can engage now live on the property.

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Tasmanian Devil Unzoo. Photo Credit: Tourism Australia 12

SUMMER | 2023 | ISSUE 11 Sarah Lebski and Dianne Dredge. Photo Credit: Sammi Gowthorp

Since opening the Unzoo, John has also been heavily involved in projects to save the Tasmanian devil from extinction. After hearing about a possible disease threat to Tasmanian devils about 20 years ago, John was invited to join a group of scientists to establish the first formal plan to save the species. As a result of the plan to preserve this iconic animal from what is now known as devil facial tumour disease (DFTD), he set up a vital Devil Tracker project, focusing specifically on the Tasman peninsula devil population. Automatic night cameras have captured more than 250,000 photographs over the past decade, and the peninsula remains DFTD-free, with the conservation of that status a priority.

Of similar importance to John is his passion for taking Tasmania to the world. With more than 40 international and national tourism trade missions, and 25 Australian Tourism

Exchanges, under his belt, John more recently established the Tasmanian branch of the Australian Tourism Export Council (ATEC), and chaired the council through Covid. His leadership was recognised with the ATEC National Excellence Award in 2022. John says Tasmania’s brand proposition is unrivalled by any other in the world.

life through sustainable and regenerative tourism practices, Sarah is profoundly conscious of the pitfalls of over-tourism.

“I’ve done more than 50 trips overseas and seen many corners of the world, but I come back to this marvellous place where it’s all about quality,” he says. “We must not trash it with mass tourism, but instead tread lightly, continue to do things exceptionally well, and set the bar high.”

“We should constantly anticipate change within the industry, and we need to be proactive in ensuring that we ‘don’t kill the goose that laid the golden egg’ by allowing the growth trajectory to get out of control,” she says. “It’s never been more important to look at destinations in a holistic sense; community and the environment should be the most important considerations in thinking about their management and long term resilience. Tourism doesn’t operate in a silo, it is part of the entire ecosystem of place.”

It’s a sentiment with which 2013 Tasmanian Tourism Champion, Sarah Lebski, resonates deeply. Having spent the last 18 months undertaking a project that seeks to preserve the Flinders Island way of

A former librarian, research is in Sarah’s blood, and faced with a lack of formal employment in the COVID era of 2020, she dove deep into reading and thinking about what tourism might look like 13

World Expeditions – Flinders Island Walking Adventure. Photo Credit: Tourism Australia

in a post-pandemic world. She became convinced that a new mind-set was needed.

With her deep understanding of and appreciation for Tasmania’s nature-based brand, Sarah became especially interested in regenerative tourism and its potential to build deeper, lifeaffirming connections between visitors and locals, to give nature ‘a voice at the table’, and where tourism was able to give back, in a very tangible sense, to the communities whose resources it uses.

She acknowledges that the reality of embedding the concept of regenerative tourism will involve a long road ahead, but feels that the Tasmanian tourism community has started the journey, particularly through the acknowledgement of ‘positive impact’ tourism as the way forward.

“It’s a very slow burn to change a whole way of thinking, and we need to see systemic change,” she says. “But this is an extraordinary place with 14

extraordinary opportunities.

We have the potential to be a global leader in responsible and sustainable tourism, but that will require some different ways of doing things.”

While Sarah’s current dayto-day is largely focused on her work with the Flinders Island regenerative tourism project alongside Dr. Dianne Dredge, her recognition as a Tasmanian Tourism Champion ten years ago acknowledged her decades-long service to the Tasmanian tourism industry as an industry representative, consultant and mentor. At that time, Sarah had already worked with dozens of local tourism businesses, as well as regional and state tourism organisations, with particular expertise in strategic planning, destination management and experience development. Her leap from librarianship to tourism was largely precipitated by her family’s restoration of several historic terrace houses which became visitor accommodation.

“After running the accommodation for a short time, I realised that wasn’t enough for me, and I needed a more holistic understanding of the industry I was participating in. I started talking to mentors, going to forums, and networking, so that I was not just working in the industry but actually involved in it.”

Before long, Sarah began consulting to other tourism businesses and, by the mid1990s, had been appointed to Executive Officer of Cottages of the Colony, a network of more than 60 heritage properties around the state. She was also involved in the development of some significant strategies undertaken by Tourism Tasmania. Reflecting on one of them, The Tasmanian Experience Strategy (2002) Sarah says that work remains critical to how our industry thinks about and markets the state.

“That was when we really started to look at connection

TASMANIAN TOURISM CHAMPION HONOUR ROLL 1998 Jenny Cox 2001 Ken Latona 2002 Lloyd Clark 2003 Malcolm Wells John Luscombe 2004 Richard Dax Tony Park 2005 Christine Dwyer Brian Inder Snorkelling, Flinders Island. Photo Credit: Adam Gibson

2006 Richard Sattler

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2000 David Reed

Ian Rankine to place, and the power of transformative experiences through storytelling,” she says. “It was an interesting period where you could see that the industry was starting to shift, and it set us up for the approach to tourism that we still have today.”

Since receiving the Tasmanian Tourism Champion award, Sarah has also represented TICT on the Tasmanian Heritage Council and she has just completed two terms on the Visit Northern Tasmania Board. In 2017, she took on the role of tourism educator, developing and teaching the inaugural tourism curricula for an Associate Degree in Applied Business – a surprising professional challenge that turned out to be one of her most enjoyable to date.

“I really love mentoring young people in particular because they really inspire me,” she says. “I saw teaching as further professional development, and an opportunity to bring tourism

into the thinking of some who may never have previously considered it as a career.”

“Generational change is inevitably required in any industry, and it caused me to stop and think about the fact that so many of us have contributed to the Tasmanian tourism industry over such a long time, and now we get to see the next generation of leaders coming through.”

Do you know a Tasmanian Tourism Champion? Keep an eye out later in the year, when we call for nominations for the 2023 recipient.

2007 Peter Neilson Donald Wells 2008 Karen Rees Terry McDermott 2009 Kim Seagram AM John Dabner 2010 Ian Waller Ian Johnstone 2011 Robert Pennicott Greg Farrell 2012 Richard Davey John Hamilton 2013 Bill Lark Sarah Lebski 2014 Brett Torossi 2015 Julian & Tracey Jacobs 2016 Peter Mooney 2017 Josef Chromy OAM 2018 Simon Currant AM 2019 Vincent Barron 2020 Margaret Morgan 2021 Mark Wilsdon 2022 Alison Stubbs

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TOURISM AWARDS: THE IMPORTANCE OF YOUR CONSUMER RATING SCORE

Simon McDermott and Kim Woolley of McDermott’s Coaches, winners of the 2022 Major Tour & Transport Operators Award. Photo Credit: Alastair Bett

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s the excitement of the approaching Australian Tourism Awards builds and visitation to the state remains high, now is the ideal time to encourage increased consumer reviews of your tourism product/s.

Firstly, because it will benefit your business if you leverage the consumer engagement, marketing, and data collection opportunities that online reviews provide. Secondly, those reviews will help you out if you’re planning on entering the Tasmanian Tourism Awards this year.

Introduced in 2021 in response to industry feedback, the Tourism Awards program now includes a Consumer Rating Score, applicable at both state and national level. This change was established to achieve a final score which delved beyond the written submission, site visit, and online review aspects of the program (all of which focus on how the business presents itself), to encompass the consumer perspective also. Including this element provides a more robust result that considers visitor sentiment across numerous

channels throughout the entire qualifying period, garnered from each business’ Global Review Index score (GRI).

The GRI is generated by ReviewPro, one of the world’s leading review aggregator platforms, which collates reviews from 140+ possible channels globally, in more than 45 different languages.

All accredited operators are entitled to a free ReviewPro account to help you monitor, manage, and benchmark your online reviews. To activate yours, login to the accreditation portal, locate the ReviewPro section at 17

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Kerry and Alastair Houston of Ship Inn Stanley, winners of the 2022 4-4.5 Star Deluxe Accommodation Award. Photo Credit - Alastair Bett

the bottom right of your dashboard, and click ‘verify’.

Depending on the category you have entered, your Consumer Rating score could be worth up to a total of 20 marks (most are), so it’s quite a significant contribution to your final score. There are of course some exceptions to this, but entrants can find a breakdown of scoring for their particular category on the final page of their Questions and Criteria document once the program is launched – or contact me in the interim.

ReviewPro uses an algorithm to calculate a business’ online reputation on any given day, based on the reviews it has received. The GRI score for

a particular timeframe is calculated by averaging daily scores across the period – so in the case of the awards program we are looking at the qualifying period from 1st of July to the 30th of June.

To generate a GRI for the awards, a business needs to have received a minimum of 25 online reviews during the qualifying period, which can be from any of the available channels. It’s worth noting that, unfortunately, ReviewPro doesn’t incorporate Airbnb as it is one of the few channels that doesn’t allow access. This has been a slight stumbling block for some entrants previously and has also inspired some last-minute hustling from past entrants!

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If your business is considering entering this year’s awards but your reviews are all coming in through Airbnb, or your review volume is low, you may want to consider what you can do to start encouraging visitors to review their experience with you on either Google or TripAdvisor.

This can be as simple as a QR code strategically placed within your business or on a brochure/card that takes them directly to your Google or TripAdvisor listing, a timely verbal reminder, or a followup email thanking guests for their patronage and asking for their feedback (remember to include the direct link/s so it’s easy for them).

With plenty of locals and visitors touring the state, and a little gentle encouragement, you should be well on your way to achieving enough reviews to generate a GRI score over the coming months – and avoiding any lastminute panic in May/ June!

Kelly Woolley Tasmanian Tourism Awards Entrant Support Program Manager 19

TOURISM PROFILE: MEET SARAH CLARK, CEO, TOURISM TASMANIA

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y the time we go to print, you’re sure to have heard the phrase, “new year, new me” bandied about more times than you’ve broken your own New Year’s resolutions. For the state’s destination marketing body, Tourism Tasmania, it’s a case of new year, new CEO, and the transition is much more meaningful than a halfhearted attempt to kick the thrice-a-day chocolate habit.

We sat down with new TTas CEO Sarah Clark to get her take on what’s so important about her new position, as well as to unpack a life

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well-travelled. Having spent the latter part of 2022 getting around the state to meet with tourism operators from as many corners as possible, Sarah officially stepped into the role in January this year and says it’s been an inspiring start.

“It’s obviously very exciting for me and I feel very privileged as a proud Tasmanian,” she says. “My first week in the job has confirmed that it’s the perfect role for me.”

While the role itself is new, Sarah’s involvement with Tourism Tasmania goes back some time, having sat on its board for over a year. Moving into an internal position with the organisation has given her a more granular understanding, as well as the capacity to have a more practical impact. With a career history covering largely commercial roles, Sarah brings a unique perspective to the government body.

“My background is in the private sector, so I understand that everyone is running a business and needs it to be successful,” she says.

SUMMER | 2023 | ISSUE 11 Arthur River Cruises. Photo Credit: Tourism Australia

Sarah’s toes were dipped in the industry from a young age. Growing up in a family that was involved in tourism and hospitality, she started working in restaurants while at school, and later took a gap year to travel.

“I always loved travelling, but that year inspired me to start a career in it, and to undertake a tourism degree when I returned.”

While studying tourism at university, Sarah began tour guiding on the east coast of Australia and New Zealand.

She credits this experience with deepening her insight into the tourism ecosystem,

and understanding both what customers wanted from their tourism interactions as well as how to deliver that on the ground.

Not one to resist the everpersistent travel bug, Sarah spent six months backpacking around South America after graduating, before relocating to Europe to work as a guide and then reservations agent with Topdeck Travel, an international tour operator offering trips all over the world for 18-39 year-olds. She was eventually lured back to Tassie to work in Sales & Marketing with Inkeepers Tasmania. Sarah says that this role was her first real taste of the inbound tourism market, and gave her a new appreciation for Australia’s unique brand proposition.

“The way we market Australia

is different to anywhere else in the world, and that’s largely because of the strength of Tourism Australia and the state marketing bodies, and the support that’s provided to tourism businesses,” she says.

“It’s such an advantage for us here in Tassie, and will be so important as we move back to focusing on international tourism.”

At 25 years old, Sarah succumbed to the travel itch again, this time moving to Canada to work with Topdeck running their sales and marketing for North and South Americas. Following on from her experience domestically, she spent more than three years learning still more about international markets, selling tours in the United States and South America to Canada. It was in this role that she caught the 21

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“It was probably the hardest learning curve of my career – I went from leading a team of about five people (at Topdeck) to leading a team of about 50. I had the responsibility of about 100 million online transactions across the United States, and felt totally unqualified for the role.

“But the CEO believed in me and supported me. He had a really good financial understanding so I learnt a lot about how to run a business based on a commercial mindset there, and I probably wouldn’t be where I am now if I hadn’t taken that big step.”

After two years in the role, Sarah returned to Australia as Topdeck’s General Manager for Australia and New Zealand. Based in Brisbane, she says that the opportunity to work in the Australian travel industry again was a significant drawcard.

When Flight Centre bought Topdeck in 2014, Sarah was involved in the acquisition and integration process, and became part of the brand’s global leadership team based in London.

With over 150 brands under the Flight Centre umbrella, she says it was a standout experience in identifying and establishing best practice for the many different areas of

the business. While change management was not what she studied or signed up for, Sarah says it came naturally to her, and has stood her in good stead for many of the professional and personal milestones in her life.

“Change is an interesting thing, because people often look at it on a project basis, but it’s actually a day-to-day consideration if you want to be constantly moving forward,” she says. “With change comes influence, and – as a leader – you’ve got to subconsciously manage change to influence people in a positive way.

“A lot of it comes down to emotional intelligence, and understanding what’s going on around you and how people are perceiving things.

I think it’s really important to understand different ways of thinking about things, to listen, and to step back and reflect.”

With another two years in the UK under her belt, Sarah undertook a trek to Mount Everest Base Camp, and says that experience was the stimulus for the next steps in her career.

“I remember feeling so small amongst those massive mountains and realising how many more opportunities

were out there for me,” she says. “I wanted to feel totally disconnected so I took a year off and travelled the world, including finally getting to Africa.”

Also amongst that year-long adventure was a cycling trip around Sri Lanka, Spanish classes in Madrid, surfing lessons in Portugal, and diving the Blue Hole in Belize.

And, like something out of a coffee table book for ultimate bucket lists, Sarah spent 19 days at sea sailing across the Pacific Ocean from the Galapagos Islands to French Polynesia, with not another boat in sight for the duration of the voyage. Eventually, she returned to Australia with a renewed sense of purpose and aspiration.

With a conviction to work for a company with a global view and connection, Sarah landed on Intrepid Travel, the world’s largest small group adventure travel company.

In her role as General Manager of Marketing and, later, Managing Director for Australia and New Zealand, Sarah discovered a new passion for purpose-driven business.

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interest of one of the travel agency accounts that she serviced, STA Travel. While her plan was to travel to Africa after finishing up with Topdeck, Sarah was offered a role as STA’s Vice President for Product, Marketing and Online, based in Dallas, Texas.

She says it was the biggest career leap she had taken to date.

“Everything that we did came with a lens of positive impact,” she says. “Integrating and engraining that into everything the business does means that it’s in every decision that you make, at all levels of the organisation.

“Purpose-driven businesses are actually more successful than their counterparts, because the idea of positive impact goes through the whole enterprise. From attracting the right talent to team culture, it’s a 23

Tarkine Trails. Photo Credit: Tourism Australia

different way of thinking, and customers actually want to purchase from those businesses.”

While the first half of her five-year tenure with Intrepid was based out of Melbourne, Sarah worked remotely from Tasmania for just over two years during Covid lockdowns.

It was this time in her home state that gave her a gentle nudge into finding a role closer to her roots.

“Being based here and working for a global company, I struggled with the limited connection to tourism locally.

It was great to join the board, and when the CEO 24

role came up, I saw it as the dream opportunity to bring the experience of working in tourism all around the world to Tasmania.”

With a full agenda ahead of her, Sarah’s priorities as head of Tourism Tasmania include working with and supporting local tourism operators, and taking their product to the world. She is also motivated to inspire people to join the tourism industry and, ultimately, undertaking strategic plans to ensure the positive impact of Tasmanian tourism into the future, for visitors and the local community alike.

“The question needs to be around how we can ensure tourism is positively impacting the lives of Tasmanians as well as tourists,” she says. “You can put a marketing campaign out tomorrow, but the positive influence that we can have for the next 10-20 years is where we have a critical opportunity right now.”

SUMMER | 2023 | ISSUE 11

Training a hospitality and tourism workforce to deliver the Tasmanian experience

www.vxt.org.au

NEED IN-HOUSE TRAINING?

ABOUT US VXT is a Tasmanian training organisation created with one purpose – to train a hospitality and tourism workforce to deliver the Tasmanian experience.

WHY WE'RE DIFFERENT VXT is industry-led and outcome-focused. The Tasmanian Hospitality Association (THA) and the Tourism Industry Council Tasmania (TICT) are our shareholders and we’ve got the workforce development and training needs of our hospitality and tourism industries at the core of our program development.

WHY WE'RE HERE We know how important skilled people are to hospitality and tourism success and how their warmth, passion and creativity shape our Tasmanian experience.

We want to create a pipeline of skilled, talented, industry-ready people.

WHAT WE CAN DO FOR YOUR BUSINESS Looking to upskill your workforce or need a specific program for your team?

Talk to us today about tailored training programs targeted to your business requirements and needs.

The training was fantastic. My team learnt a lot from this experience and they have gained confidence in coffee making!

The VXT trainer was wonderful and kept the team engaged which isn't always easy.

I highly recommend this training to anyone!

River Mouth Café, Scamander INTRODUCTION TO BARISTA SKILLS COURSE

Live chat during business hours www.vxt.org.au | Course enrolments, requirements and enquiries info@vxt.org.au

25 03 6387 7244 or 0497 473 848

VXT – TRAINING A HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM WORKFORCE TO DELIVER THE TASMANIAN EXPERIENCE UPSKILLING A WORKFORCE AND TRAINING ACROSS TASMANIA

V

isitor Experience Training (VXT) works hand in hand with the hospitality and tourism sectors in Tasmania to offer a range of practical courses designed to equip participants with the required knowledge and skills for their chosen career, with a core focus on how to deliver a truly unique Tasmanian experience in their field.

Regional Locations

Regional Course Locations for 2021/2022

715 Participants

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Burnie Campbell Town Deloraine Derwent Park Devonport Freycinet George Town Glenorchy Hobart King Island Launceston Mount Field New Norfolk North Hobart Orford Port Arthur Port Sorell Queenstown Ravenswood Sassafras Scamander Scottsdale Smithton Sorell St. Helens Stanley Strahan Swansea Wynyard Zeehan

Course participants for 2021/2022 VXT programs saw in excess of 700 participants take part in industry-led training courses across the State. Let’s break down the statistics on that: 82 courses held across Tasmania in regional areas along with Launceston and Hobart 713 participants – both individuals and in-house tailored course participants 13 courses, including knife handling, barista, front of house, food and beverage, and leadership 30 regional venues, including Queenstown, Smithton, Port Arthur, Freycinet and King Island For a brand-new training organisation, this is an excellent outcome for the Tasmanian hospitality and tourism sectors, but where to from here...

THE FUTURE OF HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM TRAINING VXT, as an organisation, knows the importance of skilled people to the success of hospitality and sector and how their warmth, passion and creativity collectively shape our Tasmanian experience.

VXT is looking to continue the growth of skilled, talented, industry-ready people for the future of the sector in our State.

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While continuing to collaborate on designing tailored courses to meet workforce demand and upskilling, VXT will work in conjunction with businesses and industry collectively to deliver further training programs across priority areas in regional and remote areas across Tasmania.

VXT is not only about running scheduled courses across the State; it’s also about providing personalised and onsite training programs that are industry-specific with a focus on your business needs and requirements.

“With the staff shortages and peak season well underway, we understand the challenges of training entry-level staff.

The courses that VXT facilitate are designed to provide participants with the skills, knowledge, and confidence to start work immediately, with little on-the-job training required”, says Emilie Donovan, VXT CEO.

“As an example, a participant on a VXT Food and Beverage course in Launceston has been offered the potential to gain employment with the venue onsite at the training course. This is an excellent outcome for not only the participant, but the venue has

Alicia Perry, VXT’s newly-appointed Industry and Business Growth Business Manager, and Emilie Donovan, CEO, VXT; Photo Credit: Rebecca Beecroft Photography

the opportunity to source a suitably trained employee for the business – it’s a win, win for everyone!”

NEW FACES IN THE VXT TEAM AND A PERSONALISED APPROACH VXT has seen significant growth in the past three months with the addition of four new members to the team. Not only does this mean that participants have more support and contact points, but VXT can also be more active in designing tailored programs for operators across Tasmania.

Working with industry for industry is one of VXT’s priorities to ensure the growth and stability of training and employment in the sector.

To sustain this growth and the need for in-house training, VXT has appointed Alicia Perry as Industry & Growth Manager to work with businesses and organisations to assess their needs and develop training that is on point with their workforce.

Does your organisation have a need for in-house, tailored and specific training requirements? VXT can help design a training program 27

Training a hospitality and tourism workforce to deliver the Tasmanian experience

2023 COURSE SCHEDULE NOW LIVE

vxt.org.au

VXT’s 2023 Course Schedule is now live on the website

to upskill your team and enable growth within your organisation.

Feel free to reach out to Alicia on 0482 093 925 or email alicia@vxt.org.au to finetune your training needs and requirements.

MENTORING A NEW COURSE OPTION FOR MANAGEMENT STAFF 2023 will see a new course delivery of the VXT Mentoring in Tourism and Hospitality Training program in conjunction with Registered Training Organisation, 28

National Food Institute (RTO ID 3821) delivering a training program specifically for the Tasmanian hospitality and tourism industries.

Mentoring in Tourism and Hospitality Training program is geared towards those in the sector who manage apprentices, trainees and new entrants into the industry, and will be delivered over a three-month period in a blended format of online self-paced study, online instructor-led sessions and face-to-face workshops held in St Helens at the Panorama

Hotel, April 17-18 and May 22.

If you seek a mentoring and management-style course, visit our website at www.vxt. org.au/mith for more details and enrolment information.

VXT is industry-led and outcome-focused. The Tasmanian Hospitality Association (THA) and the Tourism Industry Council Tasmania (TICT) are our shareholders and we’ve got the workforce development and training needs of our hospitality and tourism industries at the core of our program development.

SUMMER | 2023 | ISSUE 11

50 TRAVEL TRENDS 2023 Download the full report including 10 most relevant to Tasmania. evolvetourism.com/tourism-insights

29

YOUR BUSINESS BOOST: TASMANIAN TRAVEL TRENDS FOR 2023 Every new year opens our eyes to emerging travel trends and opportunities for both destinations and tourism businesses. This year I have searched the internet to find what I believe to be the top 50 global trends in tourism, and the top 10 most relevant to Tasmania. You can view the top 50 including sourced articles at https://www. evolvetourism.com/tourisminsights. Below are my top 10 for Tasmania. Enjoy.

OFF-THE-BEATEN-TRACK TRIPS TRAVELLER INSIGHT: “The Intrepid Travel Index found 35% of their travellers are seeking off-the-beatentrack holidays.”

OPPORTUNITY: For many, Tasmania is already off the beaten track… but even for those travellers who are more familiar with our island, your local knowledge and experiences can connect travellers with some of those lesser-known destinations.

Prepare a plan that embraces blogs, emails, website, social media and face-to-face interactions to share your ‘off-the-beaten-track’ destinations and experiences.

SOLO TRAVEL TRAVELLER INSIGHT: “According to Skyscanner, 45% of Australian travellers are considering a solo escape this year.”

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Camping on the foreshore, Bay of Fires. Photo Credit: Tourism Tasmania & Andrew McIntosh, Ocean Photography

OPPORTUNITY: Solo travellers have very specific needs and your business should be catering to these needs at every turn. I believe that every website should present pages for various traveller types such as solo travellers. These website pages should share content specifically tailored to the needs of the type of traveller.

This personalised approach will make the solo traveller feel at home with your experience, and grow your share of this high-yield travel segment.

TRANSFORMATION RETREATS TRAVELLER INSIGHT: “These organised retreats

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allow participants to connect with the world around them by disconnecting from technology. Choices vary from dance retreats, art workshops, and female empowerment events, to fitness and adventure getaways, plant medicine therapies, and emotional detox.”

OPPORTUNITY: Not every accommodation experience can deliver on the promise of a transformative retreat, but those looking to reposition or expand their footprint should consider targeting this highyield traveller.

ARTIST HOTELS TRAVELLER INSIGHT: “Catering to travellers looking beyond cookie-cutter hotels for more personal, immersive experiences that touch on their creative spirits. Artists are anyone with artistic and creative pursuits.”

OPPORTUNITY: Tasmania is bursting with artisan creatives who can either shape their own travel offer or partner with others to fuse their creative skills and work within a visitor experience. This can not only differentiate the accommodation offer but increase brand profile and sales for the artist.

LUXURY TRAVEL IS HERE TO STAY TRAVELLER INSIGHT: “A survey by Booking.com found that 49% of its respondents selected that they are likely to spend more on their next trip to make up for lost time.”

OPPORTUNITY: While the cost of living is rising, recent Tasmanian travel data shows that spend in

The Retreat, Pumphouse Point. Photo Credit: Emilie Ristevski

Tasmania from the domestic traveller is on the rise. You may seek to position your brand exclusively to the luxury traveller or create more luxurious offers within your broader product range.

RESPONSIBLE TRAVEL IS NO LONGER NICHE TRAVELLER INSIGHT: “Hand in hand with a desire to see a destination as locals do, travellers are putting more emphasis on travelling responsibly.”

OPPORTUNITY: Tasmania is committed from every angle to responsible travel with political and organisation support for Tasmania to take a leadership position in this space. Consider not only what actions you can take to evolve your business as a responsible travel offer, but also how you can share the story with travellers both as they consider your offer and

in-person while on holiday.

OFF SEASON TRAVEL TRAVELLER INSIGHT: “Offseason travel is all about avoiding big crowds during peak travel times for tourist destinations, like holidays and summertime, according to Forbes Advisor.”

OPPORTUNITY: We have all witnessed the off-season growth during 2022 led by iconic events and the Tourism Tasmania OFFSEASON campaign. Make sure you embrace the Off Season messages and tone within your communications, and explore how you can shape your experience to differentiate from competitors and support off season initiatives within your region.

VAN LIFE, GLAMPING & STAYCATION TRAVELLER INSIGHT: “Travel Daily Media report 31

Saffire Freycinet – Private Pavilions. Photo Credit: Saffire Freycinet

that demand for “SUV camping ideas” increased by 76%, and searches for the term “van life” have risen by 216% since 2018.

The term “glamping” has increased 777% over the past 10 years.”

OPPORTUNITY: Glamping is still in its early stages of development across Tasmania with pods and experiential tents popping up across our island. While glamping may not suit every region of Tasmania, I see growth potential on our northeast, east and south-east coastlines.

CULTURE SHOCK TRAVELLER INSIGHT: “Travellers want to embrace the unfamiliar in 2023 – through extreme immersion and radical itineraries.

There’s a growing appetite for new locations and wacky experiences, like hunting UFOs or seeking out the hottest chilli pepper. Booking. com reports that 50% of travellers want to experience a culture shock in 2023.”

32

MONA Pavilions, Esmond Pavilion.Photo Credit: Mona and Remi Chauvin

OPPORTUNITY: Tasmania, largely led by MONA, events and festivals, has embraced this desire for culture shock experiences within its DNA. Consider if your brand DNA is open to culture shock experiences or at a minimum, make sure your website and social media connect the priority traveller with shock culture moments and opportunities.

“WORK FROM ROAM- THE NEW WORK FROM HOME TRAVELLER INSIGHT: “Flexible working environments and technology are fuelling this trend.

The traditional thinking was work, potentially paired with a holiday; now, it’s an intentional holiday-first mindset with work in and around it.”

OPPORTUNITY: Consider how your accommodation or experience offer can cater for this growing, often long-stay traveller. Add a specific page to your website for the working traveller, speaking directly to their needs and your offer.

Get in touch with David at Evolve Tourism: david@evolvetourism.com

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