Tourism Tasmania is encouraging cruise operators to stay in port for longer, which may mean overnights for passengers to explore the region.
The aim is the disperse cruise ships around Tasmania and encourage them to stay for longer – and tempt their passengers to return to the land of fine wine and whisky, cheese and amazing landscapes.
A new report says that passengers spent $30.5 million in Tasmania during the 2018-19 wave season. The tourism body aims to increase passenger spending to $50 million by 2022.
Other goals outlined in the report include encouraging passengers to take more organised shore excursions from 40 to 50 per cent of cruise passengers by 2022 and getting cruise visitors to return to Tasmania from 10,960 to 15,000 by 2022.
In Burnie, the report recommended sequence visits to minimise days when multiple cruise ships are in the port.
Tourism Tasmania has also suggested that the cruise ships work with the locals to bring onboard local providores and artisans. They will tell stories of the regions to engage with passengers and encourage them to explore more of Tasmania.
The report also suggests that cruise lines should include Burnie in more itineraries and increase the length of time in port. This will give guests the chance to see regional centres like Stanley, Wynyard, Penguin and Devonport.
The department will look at developing a Region Anchorages Working Group which will look into new areas like Promise Bay, Bicheno, Swansea and Maria Island as alternative East Coast anchorage points to the remote, but beautiful Wineglass Bay.
“There is strong interest from expedition liners, 100 to 350 passengers,” said the report.
Currently, vessels which carry over 100 passengers are excluded from Wineglass Bay – a voluntary commitment from all the cruise lines.
Tourism Tasmania chief executive John Fitzgerald said that the report was a “road map to success” for the next three years.
“This is our action plan as to how we get the right ships to the right ports,” Mr Fitzgerald said.
