Hobart’s proposed Macquarie Point stadium could help position Tasmania as a world-class destination for international events and drive return tourism, according to a top figure in the industry.
Australian Tourism and Transport Forum chief executive Margy Osmond told a Hobart business lunch on Tuesday that the planned 23,000-seat stadium would deliver economic benefits far beyond sport.
“If you build it, they will come,” Osmond said. “You’re talking about a … state-of-the-art boutique [stadium] with a precinct around it.”
“The precinct around it I think is an incredibly important part of the puzzle because it becomes a place for locals and visitors want to go where locals go.”
Drawing on data from Sydney’s Allianz Stadium, Osmond highlighted the economic ripple effect of similar venues.
Each concert there injects around $7 million into the New South Wales economy and supports about 11,000 direct and indirect jobs.
She said Macquarie Point’s design, scale and technology could attract top-tier international performers looking for a unique backdrop.
“The uniqueness of the Tasmanian environment as a visitor destination, combined with the capacity to attend something like an event like this – I absolutely think, from a global point of view, there would be huge interest,” she said.
“Once it’s built it will be, at least for a period, the most high-tech stadium in the world.”
Osmond also said the stadium’s “boutique” scale would play to Tasmania’s strengths, calling the state a “groovier and gothic version of New Zealand”.
She also predicted airlines would ramp up flight capacity to meet demand from a packed events calendar.
Beyond concerts and sport, the venue could lure global events like the World Masters Games and business conferences needing space for around 1,500 attendees.
Based on similar venues, Osmond believes the stadium would need to host around 44 events a year to break even on construction and maintenance – a goal she says is achievable within three years.
“This is without a doubt the best time for any government at any level to look at investing in both events and marketing for their visitor economy,” she said.
“It’s equally the worst possible time to be thinking about taking any of that money away.”
The state government yesterday tabled special legislation to fast-track the project.
The stadium has bipartisan backing in the lower house and will need support from independents to pass the upper house.
