Sydney - Tasmania Ferry Service a Win for Tourism

The new ferry service between Sydney and Devonport will help Tasmania build its share of international travellers, Australian Tourist Commission Managing Director, Ken Boundy said today.

"While Tasmania attracts only around two per cent of all international visitors to Australia, this new service will provide an added link between Sydney and the southern state," he said. 

"Interest in Tasmania has continued to climb amongst key tourism markets in recent years and the Spirit of Tasmania III will provide greater incentive for international travellers to visit Tasmania. 

"The ferry will appeal to international travellers who are holidaying in Australia for a longer period of time, including the growing number of travellers choosing to explore the country by car on self-drive holidays.

"The tourism industry in Tasmania is currently bucking the national trend, with visitor arrivals to the state continuing to grow despite difficult conditions.

"In the past year international holiday visitors to Tasmania increased by 6.9 per cent, outperforming the national average.

"In Tasmania there is currently a considerable amount of investment to further develop the state's tourism infrastructure including the construction of new hotels. The new ferry service is an additional boost to the Tasmanian  tourism industry, providing greater access for both Australian and international visitors."

The introduction of the two Bass Strait ferry services Spirit I and Spirit II delivered an additional 76,000 visitors to the state in the first seven months of operation.

Tasmania has seen strong growth in international holiday visitors with a number of key travel markets increasing significantly in 2002 such as the United Kingdom (up 15.9 per cent), Europe (up 22.7 per cent), and New Zealand (up 72.9 per cent).