THE Tourism Industry Council of Tasmania this week issued a formal policy position as feedback for the Tasmanian Government’s current review of the cruise sector. Key elements include a five year moratorium on visits by large (5000-passenger) ships, a proposed daily cap on cruise ship visitor numbers in key destinations, and a levy on vessels visiting protected and highly sensitive areas.

The policy was detailed in a speech by TICT Chair Daniel Leesong to the Tasmanian Tourism Conference, and the organisation subsequently issued the statement below to formally detail its policy position.

A GLOBAL LEADER ON RESPONSIBLE CRUISE MANAGEMENT –
TICT POLICY POSITION

Many tourism operators will be following with interest the details of TICTs policy position on cruise, that was announced to stakeholders yesterday at the Tasmanian Tourism Conference.

The Tasmanian Government, through the T21 – Tasmanian Visitor Economy Action Plan, is undertaking a thorough look at the future of Cruise Ship Tourism in Tasmania.

As a signatory to the T21 Strategy, and as the industry’s peak body, TICT has played an active role in this review over the past couple of years, in trying to bring together the many and varied perspectives on cruise across the Tasmanian tourism industry.

This is a challenging issue, with many tourism businesses and stakeholders having very different experiences with cruise, and different levels of reliance on the sector.

In March, the TICT Board adopted the following position in response to the KPMG Report on the Value Proposition of the Cruise Market for Tasmania:

  • TICT expects from this Review into Cruise Tourism a far more strategically managed approach to Cruise Ship visits to Tasmania.
  • TICT supports Tasmania prioritising and partnering with ‘brand-aligned’ cruise companies.
  • TICT endorses the recommendation to establish a centrally coordinated and destination-based approach to the scheduling of visits and alignment with preferred cruise partners, most likely sitting with the State Government’s Access Coordinator and/or a new cruise reference group, and not through TasPorts commercial scheduling.
  • TICT supports a highly regulated, minimal risk and yield-driven approach to expedition ships visiting protected and highly sensitive destinations, including setting a clear price signal from Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service on visiting sites under their management.
  • TICT will advocate for the Tasmanian Government to investigate the concept of TasPorts transitioning to a full or partial per-passenger moorage charge, and for some of this revenue to be allocated directly into destination management purposes, including community and visitor infrastructure.
  • TICT prioritises a better managed onshore touring sector as an outcome of this project

Yesterday, the Chair of TICT, Daniel Leesong, announced in his address to the Tasmanian Tourism Conference a further board position on TICTs priority outcomes from this review of Cruise Tourism in Tasmania.

Our priority is to offer constructive and pragmatic options to the Tasmanian Government that represent the interests of tourism businesses dependent on the cruise market, but also positions Tasmania as a global leader in responsible cruise management.

We’ve identified three priority outcomes:

  1. A five-year moratorium on ‘Mega Cruise Ships’ (those ships with around 5,000 passengers and more) visiting Tasmanian ports.
  2. Agreement on a daily cap on the maximum number of cruise ship passengers visiting Tasmanian ports.
  3. That a contemporary environmental regulatory framework, including a new fee structure, for all shipping visiting Tasmania’s protected areas and small communities, be developed within the next 12-months.

Tasmania has an opportunity to further position itself as an exceptional cruise destination for small to medium size ships, and as a global benchmark in responsible cruise management.

We will continue to work constructively with the Tasmanian Government and our industry partners as this cruise review is finalised over coming months.