A record Taste of Summer has wrapped up on the Hobart waterfront, with 98,125 people passing through the gates over eight days.
The festival attracted 10,000 more visitors than last year, with about a third of attendees coming from interstate and overseas.
Minister Howlett said the Tasmanian Government was proud to support the event, which showcased local produce including wine, whisky and gin across over 75 stalls.
“We’ve had tourists, we’ve had locals, we’ve had people from all around the state come here, meet their loved ones … and of course taste our wonderful Tasmanian produce,” she said.
Event director Jarrod Nation said organisers had exceeded their target of 96,700 attendees.
“We’ve seen the biggest Taste of Summer ever,” he said. “Stallholder trade is bigger than ever before.”
Nation said data from last year showed 15,000 attendees travelled to Tasmania specifically for the Taste, with about 10,000 of those spreading into regional areas.
“The economic impact of this thing that we call the Taste of Summer is huge and long let it continue,” he said.
Stallholder revenue increased by more than 10 per cent on average this year, leaving vendors “very, very happy” despite the exhausting eight-day marathon effort.
Nation said the event had been reimagined over the past five years into different zones, allowing families to spread out and relax.
“I think the message is getting out that the Taste of Summer is a family friendly event,” he said.
“People can come here and relax and spread out and have free movement without clutter.”
He said first Sydney to Hobart yacht arriving on the waterfront in daylight hours this year added to the event’s success.
Planning for next year’s Taste of Summer has already begun, with organisers reviewing this year’s success and developing new ideas.
“We’ve got a big target and we’re going to have a crack at it,” Nation said.
He said there is a long waiting list of vendors hoping to participate in the event.
