All tourists coming to Tasmania should be vaccinated before they can enter and move about the state, according to Tasmania's leading tourism industry body.
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On the final day of its yearly conference, the Tourism Industry Council Tasmania staked their landmark policy position, saying vaccinations were key to getting the industry back to a point remotely similar to where it was before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking at the conference, TICT chair Daniel Leesong said the 23 member board had unanimously agreed the best way for the industry to have a resurgence was if all travellers into the state had received their jabs.
Everyone that comes to Tasmania, once we hit those 70 and 80 per cent mandated targets federally, should be vaccinated.
- TICT chair Daniel Leesong
"Those that aren't vaccinated should go through the usual process of quarantining, just to keep Tasmania open, keep Tasmanians safe and to keep our responsible industry functioning."
Mr Leesong said the vaccinations would provide certainty for operators on the proviso some surety was provided about borders remaining open as a result.
"Once we do hit those targets, we [need surety] we will see free travel amongst the states and amongst Tasmanians as well," he said.
"As an industry we're committed to being responsible, we're committed to ensuring that we remain open and providing the services we all love, but we have to do it with the backup of the knowledge that people that are coming to visit are doing it in a way that can keep us safe."
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Alongside vaccinations for potential tourists, Mr Leesong said the TICT was advocating for all tourism staff to also be vaccinated.
While Tasmanians have carried the slack of tourism brought about by impinged interstate travel, the state remained reliant on a steady influx of income from tourists crossing the Strait from the mainland.
In the year prior to the pandemic hitting, interstate tourists spent $2.08 of the $2.52 billion spent by visitors to Tasmania. In the past year the amount spent by interstate tourists had fallen to $799 million.
For tourism operators like Clint Walker, who runs the Stanley Seaview Inn, Horizon Deluxe Apartments in Stanley and Burnie City Apartments, interstate visitors carry the torch.
He said about 70 per cent of visitors to his businesses in Stanley were from mainland Australia, with the vast majority of them from Victoria, New South Wales and south-east Queensland.
One thing to emerge from the TICT conference was a pent-up demand for tourists to flock to Tasmania, and Mr Walker said he hoped vaccinations of travellers and tourism workers would allow that thirst to be quenched.
"As soon as our source markets are able to travel again, the experts are telling us that Tassie is on the top of their list and we're optimistic they'll be coming here in droves as soon as they're able to," he said.
"I think there's absolute merit in [the vaccination policy]. We saw how close we came when we dodged the bullet last week and to me it seems logical to require people who are going to travel from outside of Tasmania to be vaccinated."