Hobart Airport has secured up to 50,000 extra seats on the Melbourne-Hobart route before Christmas as part of a deal to prop up Tasmania’s tourism industry during the winter months.
Jetstar will add around six more flights a week between the two capital cities from July, supported by a $250,000 investment from the state government’s aviation fund.
The deal comes as tourism typically slows in winter, but industry leaders are hoping to ride the wave of momentum sparked by the success of this year’s Dark Mofo.
This year’s festival has so far drawn an estimated 200,000 visitors to Hobart.
“They’re walking around our streets, they’re going into cafes, they’re going into restaurants and they’re sleeping in our hotels,” Tourism Industry Council Tasmania CEO Amy Hills said.
“And what we hope we see with this increased capacity, which is a significant amount of increased capacity into the south, is that we’ll continue that momentum through the end of winter and into the spring season.”
The extra flights also help fill the gap while Tasmania waits on the arrival of the new Spirit of Tasmania ferries. Hills said the industry is pulling “every lever” to attract more visitors.
Hobart Airport CEO Norris Carter said Melbourne remains the key gateway for travel to the state, with six out of ten visitors arriving via Hobart Airport and more than half of those from Melbourne.
“What this means is more seats to Tasmania’s most popular airport on the most popular route with Tasmania’s most popular airline,” he said.
The hospitality sector has welcomed the news, with winter typically being a tough season. Many venues reduce staff hours due to the downturn in trade.
Tasmanian Hospitality Association CEO Steve Old said the extra visitors could translate to millions in revenue and help venues keep staff employed through winter.
“When you can add 50,000 seats in what is a quieter period going through to the end of the year, it’s a great injection and great boost of confidence for us,” he said.
Old said both the new flights and the buzz around Dark Mofo have been a welcome lift for venues across the state and more investment is always needed.
“It’s one of the reasons the hospitality industry has been so forthright in relation to wanting a stadium in Tasmania, wanting a cable car up the mountain,” he said.
“We want to see injection into our industry that helps our hospitality industry in the quieter months.”
The extra capacity also comes as Hobart Airport continues its major upgrade program, including a nearly complete $130 million runway redevelopment and a $200 million terminal expansion now one-third finished.
Both projects remain on time and on budget and are designed to ease peak-time congestion, which has become an increasing challenge.
