Tourism recovering for some in regional Tasmania however others nonetheless battle publish coronavirus

The sun has just risen in a paddock outside of Cressy, northern Tasmania, and tourists are pouring excitedly from a minibus ready for an adventure.

Important points:

• Tasmania’s COVID recovery is expected to be one of the major election problems, especially for industries like tourism, hospitality and the arts
• Some tourism companies report an increase in domestic and domestic tourism but are looking for funding for events as winter approaches
• Travel agencies and local artists are disappointed with the lack of support. Some lose their jobs when JobKeeper was recently closed

John and Clare Allen’s hot air balloon company is back in business after a bumpy 12 months serving the state’s tourism industry.

“Oh, it was a disaster. We closed for three months and walked the walls for three months wondering what we were going to do,” Allen said.

But in the last six months, bookings have increased sharply and they rarely have an empty space in their shopping cart.

“Absolutely booming, yes it was a great result for us,” he said.

“When the state government encouraged the Tasmanians to go outside and experience Tasmania, they hopped online and found us.”

Most of their guests are Tasmanians, but since the borders opened in December, many interstate travelers have had a bird’s eye view of the state.

“I think the most important thing is just to keep the borders open and have a good plan to actually deal with COVID outbreaks. Once you close things, confidence is gone and people will not come back,” said he.

A boom in domestic and local travelers has kept the hot air balloon tour business of John and Clare Allen up in the air. (

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Domestic visitor numbers for the December 2020 quarter are yet to be released, but Tom Wootton of West by Northwest regional tourism board said discount flights and Spirit of Tasmania subsidies were a welcome shot in the arm.

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He represents approximately 800 tourism and hospitality businesses, including Wendy Page of Table House Farm in Wynyard.

“I think it’s really amazing how the Tasmanians decided to travel to Tassie and we’ve never been this busy,” said Ms. Page.

Mr Wootton said while some companies were adjusting to the new normal there was cautious optimism about the state’s COVID recovery.

“We’re not out of the woods, I don’t think anyone would suggest this, but we’ve been getting really cheap reports lately from fewer visitors but people who are spending more,” he said.

“That is a utopia from a tourist point of view.”

A buoy in trade for some local businesses

Wynyard business woman Penny Cornwall says the game of chance slated to open during COVID has paid off.

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In the small seaside town of Wynyard, Penny Cornwall had the confidence to start a new business.

She and her husband breathed new life into the 1925 Bank of Australasia building and turned it into a café that opened in mid-December.

“It was the end of COVID and a little nerve-wracking for us because we weren’t from the hospitality industry. With all the strangers, it was pretty scary,” she said.

But the gambling has paid off and she is now planning boutique accommodation on the second floor of the building.

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Travelers come from the interstate and Tasmania and keep the couple “pretty busy”.

“I’m not sure what it will be like without the pandemic, but we’ve been busy,” Ms. Cornwall said.

However, she said she has not yet experienced the winter tourism season and is nervous about what lies ahead.

More funding for regional events would boost tourism, says Cyndia Hilliger, pictured with Abbey Morris. (

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So did Cyndia Hilliger from the Waterfront Motel, who had to adjust to the new normal.

“I’ve seen changes in the way tourists and visitors book. Everything is last minute,” she said.

“So if you try to plan ahead it’s quite difficult because when you look ahead the bookings don’t look fabulous, but a lot of bookings fall into the system at the last minute.”

She hopes that the state elections will provide more funds to fund events in regional areas such as the far northwest.

“Helping to set up festivals will be a big and important feature of our tourism landscape. There has to be a compelling reason for people to come here.”

The travel consultant Denise Poder has been working as a seasonal fruit picker since the end of the federal government grant for job seekers. (

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Not everyone in the industry was looked after.

Travel consultant Denise Poder lost her job a few weeks ago when the federal government grant, JobKeeper, ended.

“It was terrible, it was very difficult,” said Ms. Poder.

The family business Launceston Travel and Cruise Center had to lay off three employees to stay afloat.

Ms. Poder said the industry didn’t get the same level of government support as others.

“Travel agencies didn’t have the support we wanted, and it wasn’t that good for our families and everyone in the office.”

It inevitably evolved from sitting behind a desk to picking grapes by hand.

“I live locally in Pipers River, so I did casual work there,” she said.

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The 46-year-old said it was a great change, something she never expected she would do.

“I never did, but they don’t have backpackers so we’ll have to pick grapes to get through.”

She hopes to return to the travel industry one day, but said it would require more support from whoever wins the government in the upcoming state elections.

“Funding for travel agents to keep their business alive and the impact on everyone in the industry … right now it’s not about getting the right support for the right people,” she said.

“It almost feels like we’re the last.”

Artists struggle to get back on stage

Nicole Simms-Farrow lost all of her singing, theater and acting work when COVID-19 hit.

“Our industry was the first to be hit by COVID because all appearances were canceled immediately. I had a show on the mirror table, it was six months of work and it was canceled a week later,” she said.

Music teacher Nicole Simms-Farrow says the performance industry has been hard hit by COVID. (

ABC News: Maren Preuss

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While there were grants and financial incentives to help some people in the industry, she struggled to qualify for JobKeeper and hired three accountants to help secure support.

“It was really pretty upsetting to try to prove that a lot of my work was valid and to prove that the work at hand was gone. It was almost not worth it, to be honest, the stress of it caused, “she said.

She said it was a real struggle to be heard as an industry.

“It always feels like a scrap fight to artists. It always feels like we have to prove our worth,” said Ms. Simms-Farrow.

“The fact is, yes, our job is different from many other people’s, but it’s still the job we do [and] Yes this is important. We base our livelihood on it and it is a contribution to society that we consider absolutely necessary. “

While Ms. Simms-Farrow was able to continue the vocal coaching, two shows have been canceled and she has yet to return to the stage.

“If you don’t get the amount of audience you need to get the money, it’s just not worth the risk, so we’re all unemployed,” she said.

In making this choice, she will look for more targeted support for artists.

“”[We need] a constant conversation with the actual people doing the work to see if we can get this industry back on its feet financially, “said Ms. Simms-Farrow.

She said that more encouragement to get people to watch the shows when they happen would have a significant impact on the industry.

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