Newsletter Item – Tourism Industry Council of Tasmania, 19 April 2022

Tasmanian Tourism Industry Business Sentiment Survey

Thank you to the 250+ tourism operators who took the time last week to complete our latest Tasmanian Tourism Industry Business Sentiment Survey. We know there is always a lot of interest in these survey results, and we want to share them with you first.

The survey respondents were highly representative of the make-up of the Tasmanian tourism industry, and consistent with past Industry Sentiment Surveys.

  • 47% of survey respondents operate in the Southern Tasmania tourism region. (53% operate across the other three tourism regions).
  • 82% of survey respondents are small businesses employing less than 5-FTEs, or are owner-operator businesses. Only 7% of the respondents were larger businesses employing more than 21 FTEs.
Since Borders Re-Opened: 
  • 39% of respondents said business has been similar or better than pre-Covid levels since Tasmania’s borders re-opened to Victoria and NSW on 15 December.
  • A further 30% of respondents said business had been better than they expected, but was still lower than a pre-Covid summer/autumn season.
Expectations for Winter: 
  • Based on current bookings and enquiries, 32% of respondents expect business this autumn and winter seasons to be similar or better than pre-Covid levels.
  • A further 37% of respondents expect business to be better than 2021.
  • However, 24% of respondents are forecasting business to still be well-down on a pre-Covid year.
Industry Priorities: 
From a list of challenges provided, three clear issues were prioritised by respondents;
  1. Not enough customer demand coming through the doors
  2. Rising cost of doing business – fuel, insurance, Covid compliance etc.
  3. Attracting and retaining skilled staff.
Your Outlook for the Industry: 

Despite these challenges and the mixed results for businesses across the visitor economy, the general industry outlook remains extremely buoyant:

  • 36% of respondents said they have a Very Positive outlook, and a further 42% of respondents said they have a Positive outlook for the industry over the next 12-months.
  • Only 8% of respondents said they have a Negative outlook for the industry over the next 12-months.
  • Looking beyond 2022, a remarkable 47% of respondents said they had a Very Positive outlook for the Tasmanian tourism industry over the next five-years. Just 5% said they have a negative outlook for the industry over the next 5-years.
  • Given the challenges and uncertainty of the past two-years, that is an extraordinary sign of resilience and optimism in our recovery out of Covid.
The survey results and comments will be considered carefully by the TICT board at our May meeting, and will be shared with other tourism bodies, Tourism Tasmania, and the Tasmanian Government.

Thank you to the many operators who took the time to leave detailed comments and positive suggestions. The issues and suggestions will be considered and, if necessary, relayed to relevant government and industry authorities.