Local tourism operators and stakeholders gained first-hand insights from Spirit of Tasmania’s CEO, Bernard Dwyer, ahead of the first ship’s arrival to Geelong in October.
Today’s sell-out luncheon event at Novotel Geelong was hosted by Tourism Greater Geelong and The Bellarine (TGGB), with 180 members and stakeholders attending in-person and an additional 50 online.
The first Spirit of Tasmania ship will arrive at GeelongPort on Sunday 23 October 2022.
Mr Dwyer said the company was looking forward to moving to Geelong from Station Pier.
“The move provides Spirit of Tasmania with a unique opportunity to enhance the passenger experience and provide room to expand its freight business in line with demand for many years to come.
“When you consider this alongside the investment we are making in two new larger vessels, we are not only securing the future of the company but Tasmania’s visitor economy and the broader economy,” he said.
“The new port is expected to lead to increased passenger growth from markets in South Australia, NSW and Queensland, as well as increased passenger growth from regional Victoria.”
Mr Dwyer said the company would maintain its “last to leave, first to arrive” freight service.
Greater Geelong Mayor Peter Murrihy shared his excitement for the Spirit of Tasmania’s move to the region while acknowledging the importance of hosting such an event for the industry.
“There’s a lot of exciting projects in the pipeline for Greater Geelong, with the Spirit of Tasmania one of the key highlights,” said Mayor Peter Murrihy.
“It was great to join our local tourism industry and stakeholders to learn a little bit more about the Spirit of Tasmania and what it will mean for our region.”
Global boutique strategic insights agency, Hall & Partners, joined the event, with its CEO Imogen Randell presenting the findings from its qualitative report Understanding the Spirit of Tasmania Traveller.
“The Spirit of Tasmania move to GeelongPort is welcomed by travellers and they see it as an opportunity to incorporate exploring the Geelong and Bellarine Peninsula region as part of their trip,” said Imogen Randell.
“We are pleased to be able to share the findings of our research highlighting opportunities for tourism and services in the region.”
Following in-depth interviews and focus groups with travellers from Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania, the report uncovered a range of opportunities and passenger behaviours, including:
• Experienced and potential travellers have positively received the Spirit of Tasmania’s transition to a regional location;
• Both metro and regional Victorians are open to spending several hours in Geelong before boarding; and
• Many Tasmanians would use Geelong as a base to explore the region before travelling on to the Great Ocean Road.
A panel following the two presentations allowed attendees to ask questions from Bernard, Imogen and Anne-Marie Gut, Hall & Partners Associate Partner.
“The popularity of this event shows the excitement among the industry for the Spirit of Tasmania’s arrival into Geelong,” said Tourism Greater Geelong and The Bellarine Executive Director, Brett Ince.
“This luncheon allowed the industry to hear what this significant addition to Geelong’s tourism offering will bring for the region and what opportunities were available for local operators.”
TGGB’s industry event was followed by a briefing hosted by the City of Greater Geelong. This event was attended by councillors, the City’s vision partners and TGGB’s partners.
