Pulp Mill

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Pulp Mill Tourism Tasmanias four-point
plan Felicia Mariani Tourism Tasmania Chief
Executive Officer
Department of Economic Development and Tourism
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Four-point plan

• Monitor brand integrity and health through
  surveys.
• Monitor brand integrity and health through media.
• Monitor accommodation stresses in the Tamar
  Valley and Launceston region.
• Manage targeted mitigation strategies if
  required.

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Our approach

• The four-point plan establishes a research
  approach which will involve
• assessment of impact
• subsequent mitigation activity where and when
  that might be needed

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Importantly

• Its impossible to draw direct cause and effect
  between preference, intention or conversion, and
  the Pulp Mill.
• These can be impacted by other external
  influences including
• Global and national economies
• Affordability of overseas travel
• Interest rate rises affecting the amount of
  disposable income
• Climate change awareness
• Strength of the Australian dollar
• A range of local issues

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The Plan
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1. Monitor brand through surveys

• The health and integrity of the Tasmanian brand
  is being monitored two ways
• Visitor travel preferences and intentions through
  Roy Morgan Holiday Tracking Survey.
• Visitation and main reason for trip (including
  feedback) through the Tasmanian Visitor Survey.

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Roy Morgan Holiday Tracking Survey

• Preference
• 16.5 per cent of Australian population aged 14
  plus said Tasmania.
• Intention
• 3.2 per cent of the Australian population aged 14
  plus said Tasmania.
• Behaviour/Conversion
• In the year to December 2007, Tasmanian
  behaviour/conversion was 3.6 per cent.

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Roy Morgan Holiday Tracking Survey
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Tasmanian Visitor Survey

• First conducted in 1978.
• The TVS is acknowledged as the most reliable
  source of statistical data to Tasmania.
• Being an island State means visitors can be
  counted as they depart by air and sea.
• Based on a sample of more than 9,000 adult
  visitors to Tasmania each year.

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Tasmanian Visitor Survey
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2. Monitor brand through media

• Monitoring brand health in core target markets
  nationally and overseas.
• Tourism Tasmania is capturing information from
  July 2007.
• Filter
• Mentions of Tasmania
• Mentions of Pulp Mill
• Assess negative, neutral, positive tone of
  coverage

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National media

• A broad Australian overview, in addition to New
  South Wales and Victoria as specific key
  markets.
• National media monitoring service.
• Six mainstream newspapers and magazines
• The Australian
• The Weekend Australian
• The Age
• The Financial Review
• The Sydney Morning Herald
• The Melbourne Herald Sun

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International media

• Markets include United Kingdom, North America
  (USA and Canada), Germany, New Zealand and Japan.
• Tourism Tasmanias international public relations
  and marketing representatives use their own media
  monitoring services.
• Thousands of media outlets are monitored
• New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Chicago
  Tribune, Washington Post, National
  Geographic
• Broadcast media such as National Public Radio,
  CNN, and Fox News

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3. Monitor accommodation impact

• Tourism Tasmania is establishing a benchmark for
  accommodation as it stands now.
• Into the future we will track occupancy rates
  (particularly during construction).
• We are relying on data from ITS Global, and
  Australian Bureau of Statistics occupancy reports.

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Monitor accommodation impact

• ITS Global estimates that construction activities
  will require an average of 2,900 workers per
  month, over a 26-month period.
• 800 of these workers will be housed at the
  proponents own purpose-built facility at George
  Town.
• ITS Global estimates 40 per cent (or 1,060
  workers) will already reside locally.
• Demand for worker accommodation is estimated to
  be 1,000 people per month, over a 26-month
  period.

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4. If needed, mitigation strategies

• In the event that Tourism Tasmanias tracking
  mechanisms identify problems, it will implement
  targeted mitigation strategies aimed at relieving
  strains on particular areas.

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In summary

• We dont ignore that we have issues in some
  markets.
• These issues are isolated at this stage.
• Theres no indication of shifting intentions
  directly related to the Pulp Mill.
• Tourism Tasmania is concerned with, and very
  committed to, the integrity of our brand.
• We see it as our responsibility to assess and
  manage brand health and integrity.

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Questions?
Department of Economic Development and Tourism