10 July 2015
A three-year formal memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed between Spirit of Tasmania and Tourism Tasmania will assist TT-Line to further grow passenger numbers for the benefit of the tourism industry.
TT-Line Company Pty Ltd chief executive officer Bernard Dwyer said passenger numbers had increased by more than seven per cent in 2014/15 compared to the previous financial year.
“This is obviously a good result and one that we are looking to build on, not only through the outcomes of the MOU, but also following the refurbishment of our vessels,” he said.
“Through direct feedback we receive, we know when the vessels are performing well in terms of passengers and passenger vehicles, properties in regional Tasmania in particular also benefit.”
Tourism Tasmania acting chief executive officer Guy Taylor said the domestic travel market was important to Tourism Tasmania and Spirit of Tasmania, and those who arrived on the ships tended to spend longer here and explore further afield.
“This benefits our regions, which is really important,” he said.
“The MOU represents a commitment by both parties to work together to attract more visitors.”
Mr Dwyer said while Spirit of Tasmania had always enjoyed a close working relationship with Tourism Tasmania, formalising this through the MOU was a sensible step.
“Both organisations clearly have a key role to play to assist the Tasmanian Government to increase visitor numbers to 1.5 million people by the year 2020,” he said.
Mr Taylor said 1.5 million people was a challenging target.
“The two organisations need to work together closely to market and create demand for travel to the state,” he said.
“Over the coming months we will be working to identify specific opportunities for collaboration, especially in the areas of joint marketing activities and research.”
The MOU specifically references co-developing joint marketing opportunities, sharing relevant market research, collaboration on key events, joint trade and media familiarization programs and social media.
Contact: Soniya Fernandez
Communications Manager
saf@spiritoftasmania.com.au / 03 9206 6220 / 0438 393 898
