The THA’s September Occupancy Report underscores the urgent need for extra Spirit of Tasmania sailings to support Tasmanian accommodation providers.
September 2024’s rate of 67.94 per cent was the first September not to reach 70 per cent occupancy since 2017 (outside pandemic affected years) and the lowest figure in a decade.
Accommodation providers in the North West are the ones suffering the most, the region’s occupancy rate was down 3.29 per cent, with only 48.6 per cent of available rooms booked.
The figures highlight the Liberal minority government’s failure to deliver the new Spirits and the direct impact to Tasmanian businesses.
Accommodation providers in the North West need a boost, now. That’s why Labor has called for doubling the number of day sailings on the Spirits this summer for months now, and why the Liberals’ plan to add just two extra day sailings between now and next September simply don’t cut it.
If Jeremy Rockliff is serious about making amends for the biggest stuff up in Tasmania’s history, he needs to make as many additional sailings as possible available immediately.
Dean Winter MP
Labor Leader
Shadow Minister for Tourism & Hospitality
