Image Credit:  Boags Brewery | Nick H Visuals

Words from our CEO

It’s been a tumultuous month with the announcements of Hawthorn Football Club’s departure after 2027, and then the closure of Boag’s Brewery in November 2026. But we’re a resilient lot here in Northern Tasmania and collaboratively, we are already turning our minds to what opportunities exist for the future and how to capitalise on the Tassie Devils AFL content.

As we watch the skyline in Launceston change almost daily with the construction of the Fragrance Group’s hotel, we know the future is optimistic. The latest visitation figures continue to show growth in visitor numbers and spend in our region, although we know it has been a quiet winter in some parts of the region.

Planning ahead, the first of the new Spirits of Tasmania sails on 31 October and this will open up much better access for self drive vehicles and RV’s into our region. Gone will be the complaints that the wait time for booking a caravan onto the Spirit is too long so we should start to see more of them, staying longer and spending more. But are we all ready for them?  Is your business RV friendly? Come along to our Spirit Readiness session on 2^nd July to find out more.

We are very much looking forward to our Champions of Tourism celebratory event at the brand new Small Wonder cellar door and restaurant on 27 August. The nominations are starting to flow in and you have another week or so to get them in. So if you have a team member, a peer or even a fellow operator who you think is doing something amazing, please nominate them here.

Tracey Mallett

CEO | Visit Northern Tasmania | tracey@visitnorthtas.org.au

Spirit Readiness Workshop

The arrival of the two new Spirit of Tasmania vessels this October signifies a step-change for the Tasmanian tourism industry, heralding a new era of sea travel for this state.

As operators delivering the products, services and experiences to the visitors these new vessels will deliver, it's important you are as updated and informed about the opportunity on our doorstep and how you might be able to make the most of it.

The Tourism Industry Council Tasmania in partnership with the Spirit of Tasmania and Visit Northern Tasmania are inviting you to join  a series of interactive workshops where we will learn together and prepare.

What can you expect?

• An interactive two-hour workshop hosted and facilitated by Visit Northern Tasmania.

• An in-depth update from Spirit of Tasmania on the new ships, the visitor experience, and the go-to market strategy

• An overview from Tourism Tasmania on the types of visitors who will travel on the new vessels including their travel and spending patterns

• A strategic update from the TICT about the planning underway to ensure the new vessels are maximised across the entire visitor economy, as well as key take-outs from operators already having success in the self-drive/caravan/motorhome market

• An interactive session where operators can ask questions of Spirit of Tasmania and ideas can be shared about how industry can work alongside the company to ensure the benefits are maximised across the entire visitor economy.

• Tips and tricks presented by VNT on what it means to be RV ready and how industry can benefit from this growing market.

Why attend?  

• You'll be more updated and informed about this important infrastructure contribution to the visitor economy

• You'll have an opportunity to ask questions about how it might impact your region and business

• You will leave feeling inspired about how you can leverage from the opportunity on our doorstep.

Light Refreshments will be served.

Nominate your Champion of Tourism

Every day there is someone working hard to deliver an outstanding visitor experience in Northern Tasmania - maybe you know one or several people who are deserving of recognition.

Don't dilly dally, nominate your chosen Champion of Tourism before 26 June. You can nominate more than one person and more than one category.  

Tickets go on sale soon for Champions of Tourism, so get your nominations in and save the date to join us on 27 August at Small Wonder Wines in the Tamar Valley.

Industry Events, Workshops & Resources

Keep up to date with industry and market insights, connect with local businesses, and keep across visitor  trends.

Industry Grants and Support

Visit Northern Tasmania's Industry Hub is a great resource when searching for grants or funding, but it is always helpful to have access to additional tools when searching for the right support for your business. Business Tasmania has come to the rescue with The Grants and Funding Finder – making it easier than ever to discover funding opportunities.

You will find a link to this useful tool at the VNT Industry Hub: Industry Support, Training and Grant Opportunities page - or simply click on the button below to be taken straight to our page!

What's On - Major Events & New Events 

The May events cluster proved a successful driver of visitation for Northern Tasmania - both Supercars and Australian Musical Theatre Festival have shared feedback with VNT to say they saw strong attendance from locals and interstate visitors.

Event highlights for June and July include; Devils Cardigan UCI Gravel Championship; Island Escape Winter Festival; Hawks vs Melbourne; and Festival of Voices.

Beyond the Off Season, VNT continues to work with organisers to encourage event attendees to stay longer. Coming up on our radar is the Masters National Cricket in November and December 2026 and early 2027 (Jan/Feb) - it is anticipated that these events will bring over 1000 people to the region injecting approximately $1.7million into the regional economy.

Is your ATDW profile costing you bookings?

An outdated ATDW profile is like leaving an expired brochure on display - it costs you customers. Your profile appears across Google Business, australia.com, Discover Tasmania, and Visit Northern Tasmania, making it one of your most powerful marketing tools.

Don't let your profile expire: Every ATDW profile has an expiry date, and when it expires, your business becomes invisible across all these platforms. The good news? You can change your expiry date to align with your quieter season, ensuring you never miss renewal when you're busy.

Take 15 minutes this week to refresh your profile and protect your online visibility.

Quick Tips for refreshing your ATDW profile.

• Update your hero image regularly to align with the seasons eg: something wintery for the cooler months.
• Check that opening hours are still correct. Update seasonally if required.
• Keep all images fresh. Update all or most of them at least once a year if you can.
• Book a free 'profile optimisation' session with ATDW.
• Add new deals, offers or events that are available at your business.
• Use good quality images.
• Write your business description so it is optimised for AI Gen Search.
• Review the tags you have selected (or add tags if you haven't done so). These are used by GTOs to group products in a generic way for the purpose of digital marketing campaigns.
• Brag a little - if your business has received any awards, add these in the applicable section. 

Remember that updates to your ATDW profile will auto refresh your Google Business Profile, saving you time. And updates automatically flow through to tourism sites such as: Discover Tasmania | australia.com | Visit Northern Tasmania.