BBC on Tasmainain Tourism Boom

From BBC News
Tasmania engulfed by tourism boom

By Christian Mahne
In Tasmania

Tasmania - Australia's self-styled holiday isle - is facing an
unexpected
economic challenge. Tourist numbers have soared almost overnight
thanks to
new ferry services, lifting visitor spending by 30% last year alone.

But despite the promise of riches for those who rise to the challenge,
sectors of the holiday industry have been caught napping.

To help local businesses catch up, Tasmania's Chamber of Commerce is
offering a "Business Check," a crash course in service sector
excellence.

Helen Kotcharian, proprietor of a hairdressing salon at the Hobart
Casino,
is one local entrepreneur who's signed up.

Come again

Alan Firth from the Chamber of Commerce takes her through a checklist
of
essential steps for success in the modern tourism industry.

"So, we go through these questions.. The first one is - To what extent
is
every customer treated with a view to establishing repeat business?

"This is the concept of the lifetime value of a customer," he
explains.

Aside from giving local firms a helping hand, the programme also aims
to
ensure that millions of dollars spent marketing Tasmania aren't
squandered
through poor service standards as soon as the visitors arrive. Ms
Kotcharian
is in no doubt that it was a useful exercise.

"Well, I got a reality check," she told the BBC's World Business
Report.

"I think everyone in business should take a look from the perspective
of
somebody coming in from the outside. It was good solid criticism, I
liked
it!"

Overloaded

Tasmania has been caught a little bit by surprise Damon Thomas,
Tasmanian
Chamber of Commerce It's a sign of how the tourist boom is changing
the
hitherto sedate island. Tasmania's problem is that you can have too
much of
a good thing.

Visitor numbers are rising by 20% a year, putting a strain on
infrastructure, and turning tourism from a seasonal to a year-round
occupation.

It's all thanks to the now three Spirit of Tasmania ferries plying the
route
between Tassie - as the island is affectionately known - and the
mainland.

Between them they're expected to bring 570,000 passengers this year -
considerably more than the entire permanent population of the state.

And they're not just coming during the traditional holiday period any
more.

Tasmania's pubs and tourist businesses are expected to be open all
year
round now.

High expectations

That's an idea that takes some adjusting to, according to Damon Thomas
from
the Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce.

"In terms of our infrastructure, Tasmania has been caught a little bit
by
surprise by the extreme interest in the state," he says.

"Having said that, there's been a major effort to encourage people to
meet
that demand, so a lot of businesses from caravan parks to the major
hotels
and tourist chains are off their backsides, and are working on
progress."
And when the infrastructure's not ready, you get problems.

Hobart's showground has now become Hobart's overspill caravan park.
Bottlenecks in accommodation and transport are something the fickle
holiday
industry can't tolerate.

If service standards fall, the visitors thronging Hobart's streets
won't be
back and, worse, they'll tell their friends.

Getting prepared now to cope with the influx has become a high speed,
high
stakes challenge.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/h...ss/3694295.stm

Published: 2004/05/10 07:48:46 GMT


--
Tony Bailey
Mercury Travel Books
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