Business events are delivering a record year for Tasmania’s tourism industry, with 25,000 delegates visiting the state in 2025 – a 20% jump from the previous year.
The surge is injecting nearly $200 million into Tasmania’s economy while supporting around 1000 jobs across hotels, venues, restaurants and transport operators, according to tourism leaders.
“More than 90% of business event delegates travel from interstate or overseas,” Tourism Tasmania CEO Sarah Kingston Clark said.
She said business events were particularly valuable during winter and quieter periods.
“That activity underpins hotels, venues, restaurants, transport operators and local suppliers right across Tasmania, especially over winter and in quieter times of the year,” Kingston Clark said.
The events also help maintain year-round flight routes by securing bookings well ahead of cooler months.
Business Events Tasmania secured 106 events in 2025, bringing delegate numbers up from 21,000 the year before.
CEO Marnie Craig said 2026 is shaping up to be even stronger, with more than 25,000 delegates already booked and another 7,000 pending.
“At the same time last year we had 19,000 delegates booked, so we are currently around 30 per cent ahead this year,” she said.
“There’s every chance that we could see more than 30,000 people visit Tasmania through business events, which will raise the bar again.”
Regional areas are seeing particularly strong growth, with confirmed delegates jumping from 2,600 in 2025 to 3,800 already secured for this year.
Craig said business events were opening Tasmania to global networks across innovation, manufacturing, health and renewable energy sectors.
The organisation is now targeting massive growth through its Visionary Program, which connects influential Tasmanians to attract high-value conferences.
“We are hoping to boost the value of business events from $200 million per year to around $600 million per year,” Craig said.
The program gives industry leaders tools to identify opportunities and advocate for Tasmania as a conference destination.
