HOBART City Council Alderman and Independent Denison candidate Marti Zucco today launched a project that will generate much-needed economic growth and employment in Tasmania.
Alderman Zucco also said the project would not only deliver economic growth across the whole of Tasmania but will also go a long way in further promoting Tasmania nationally, and internationally.
The proposal is for a Government-backed partnership with privately owned franchise operations around Australia and the world. The intent is to sell Tasmania in a way that people least expect it exposing the State, its produce and places to visit in major hubs around the world.
“My proposal is to open Taste Tasmania cafés, delis and shopfronts throughout the country with hopefully the opportunity to expand the concept worldwide through franchising. “
The areas Taste Tasmania would focus on are:
• Tourism
• Niche products
• Environment
• Industry
• Manufacturing
• Agriculture
• Real Estate
• Information technology
• Aquaculture
• Image
• Population growth
• Other
“The Government would work with Tasmanian business to improve the State’s market share further enhancing our image as a place to visit live and enjoy.
“The proposal is for the government to work with the private sector to increase Tasmania’s exposure in the national and international marketplace. Trade missions are nothing new whereby government, business and community take what Tasmania has to offer to the world and pursue new markets for the State.
“Tasmania can make its presence felt by reopening information centres around Australia and internationally without having to pay all of the setting up or operational expenses.
“The Tasmanian Government could facilitate a pilot project estimated between $500-600,000. This would provide enormous benefits to the state across many industries.
“This concept provides the mechanism to not only market the destination but importantly also to provide opportunities Taste Tasmania,”Ald Zucco said.
Brief Background snippet
What is Taste Tasmania?
Basically the concept uses Tasmania’s sought after foods and wines and combines this with ‘Taste Tasmania’ positioning as its main marketing tool. Taste Tasmania would also on-sell Tasmania as a place to live, work and play.
Taste Tasmania would be franchised. Similar franchise operations operate elswhere in the world. In my own travels in particular two trips to Dubai I have seen how it has embraced the very best businesses from the world and some from Australia and transformed itself as one of the world’s best tourist destinations. These businesses alone have not been the sole reason but when you are in Dubai and walk into a shopping centre and have an opportunity to have coffee and cake at a Brunetti it sends a strong message.
Brunetti is a Melbourne institution known for its amazing cakes and coffee. Makes you understand how Tasmania can use its foods and wines with destination opportunities, to on-sell the State.
Franchising is a proven business model that works. We have seen the explosion of the cafe market couple this with the best Tasmanian foods and wines to enjoy on premises while one sits and utilises Ipads that are used as marketing tools to provide information about Tasmania from the food or wine they are enjoying to information about Tasmania from tourism to manufacturing, real estate, what to do where to go.
In store a Tasmanian cafe/deli/information experience branded Taste Tasmania would attract people to to enter and see what Tasmania has to offer. Not only would they find out about Tasmania but also discover Tasmanian produce available for purchase.
This idea has been on my file since 1994 and now with the huge interest in Tasmania, it is time to maximise on this interest by giving the world the opportunity to Taste Tasmania in their own backyards.
A similar Italian project has been in operation for a number of years. It now has 26 stores with 10 in Italy and 16 worldwide promoting Italian produce.
The proposed business model would be to incorporate the Tasmanian government working with business and industry and the Government profits reinvested in developing existing and new businesses to expand within the State with the potential increase demand of Tasmanian produce.
This is a well researched and documented proposal. The project has the potential to put ‘Tassie on top’.
