The Tasmanian Greens today announced their Adventure Lies in the West $12 million policy commitment to market Tasmania’s North West to interstate and international tourists.
Greens Leader Nick McKim MP and Greens Member for Braddon MP Paul O’Halloran MP launched the policy today in Devonport, saying it presents a plan to encourage visitors to ‘go west’ when they arrive by ferry or other means.
“Our target is to create 1100 jobs and generate over $58 million per annum in the region’s economy within a decade,” said Mr O’Halloran.
“The Greens’ Plan would build on aspects of independent reports which identified the North West Coast as Tasmania’s next nature-based tourism icon.”
“The best way to secure the economic future of communities in regional Tasmania is by diversifying their economies and leveraging our existing brand.”
“The Tarkine has the potential to be the Kakadu of the north-west, generating long-term and sustainable economic activity, and local jobs,” Mr. O’Halloran said.
“We also want to grab the opportunity of marketing the Tarkine as the gateway to the new burgeoning tourism sector of adventure tourism and extreme sports.”
“The Greens will invest $1 million into developing an Adventure Tourism in the Wild West strategy, and an additional $1 million into a competitive grants fund to assist the development of new nature-based tourism businesses including those based on extreme sports.”
“A Tarkine National Park underpins and complements our plan to boost local economic diversification, local business and jobs for the west and north-west coasts,” Mr McKim said.
“We’ve seen how successful National Parks have been at attracting tourism and investment nationally and in other parts of the state, let’s do that here.”
The Adventure Lies in the West Policy Initiative includes:
• Introducing legislation to establish the Tarkine National Park.
• Investing $5 million to establish a Tarkine Sustainable Development Authority at Burnie modelled on the Port Arthur Management Authority.
• $2 million for Tourism Tasmania to specifically market the North West Coast and the Tarkine region to interstate and international tourists.
• $500,000 allocated to make the North West an ‘RV friendly’ destination, including upgrading visitor information, facilities and development of touring route.
• $1million for the establishment of a tourism management and hospitality training hub at Devonport to improve tourism training and job skills to service the tourism industry.
• $500,000 for improved bushwalking tracks, allowing existing world-class attractions to be available to increased tourism numbers without being damaged.
• $1 million to develop an Adventure Tourism Strategy for the North West and West Coasts.
• $1million to help establish new nature-based tourism businesses, including guided and non guided tours, and active sports such as rock-climbing, canyoning and other extreme sports.
• $1million for new mountain bike tracks, including a North West Coast and West coast linked mountain bike touring route.
A copy of the Policy Initiative is available to download or view here:
http://tasmps.greens.org.au/content/tasmanian-greens-policy-initiative-39
Greens Leader Nick McKim MP and Greens Member for Braddon MP Paul O’Halloran
