Elise Archer,Minister for Arts
Dark Mofo has been a cultural beacon in Tasmania since its inception in 2013, bringing locals out of hibernation and attracting visitors and artists to the State in the traditionally quiet winter months.
With the festival now underway, we are once again seeing a fantastic boost for our economy particularly in my electorate of Clark, with people getting out and about and seeing what this festival brings to the region.
The Tasmanian Liberal Government is proud to support our thriving arts and events sectors, which is why we cemented the festival’s future with a new three year agreement last year as part of our $21.5 million fund to secure Tasmania’s iconic events.
The Tasmanian Government invests in events and festivals because they are an important part of our way of life, as well as supporting local artists and businesses, which in turn supports our economy and local jobs.
Importantly, they also support our tourism industry, which is an important source of employment and economic value for the State – with every dollar spent in the tourism industry in Tasmania resulting in an additional 84 cents being spent elsewhere in the wider economy.
Pleasingly, the latest visitation data from the Tasmania Visitor Survey has confirmed that our visitor economy is rebounding strongly, and that demand has not diminished during the pandemic period.
In the year ending March 2022, total visitor spend was $2.187 billion, up 169 per cent from the year ending March 2021 period. Total visitor spend was around 88 per cent of the pre-COVID-19 year ending March 2019, despite limited international visitation.
The March 2022 quarter includes visitor numbers after border restrictions were lifted for all states and territories. The survey data shows that for the March 2022 quarter, domestic (interstate) visitor spend was $971 million or 125 per cent of the same period in pre-COVID-19 March 2019, and the highest spend on record for a March quarter.
The average domestic holiday spend was $4,186 per person in the March quarter 2022, up from $2,893 in the March quarter 2019.
Overall, the data is showing positive signs of recovery, with visitors staying longer and spending more in the State, despite visitation growth lagging compared to pre-COVID-19 levels.
This is more proof that Tasmania has bounced back from the pandemic, and with the extra activity we are seeing from Dark Mofo, the future is bright for our local businesses.
