We’re excited to share an update on the East Coast Tasmania Tourism Positive Impact Plan — and it’s all thanks to the incredible support and insights from our local community.
Over the past few months, we’ve been out listening, learning, and connecting. Our team has held 1:1 conversations with residents, tourism operators, and community leaders — and we’ve had the chance to meet many of you in person at community conversations in St Helens, St Marys, Scamander, Bicheno, Coles Bay, Swansea, Triabunna and Buckland, as well as during drop-ins at local cafés.
So far, we’ve heard from over 400 people, and collected nearly 1,000 data points through community surveys and tourism operator feedback. Your voices are loud and clear: the beach, coast, and wild natural beauty of the East Coast are deeply valued — and preserving these special places for both locals and visitors is a shared priority.
We heard that good tourism:
- Strengthens community wellbeing
- Benefits the local economy fairly
- Protects and enhances the natural environment
- Supports and celebrates local culture & heritage
- Creates quality employment & career pathways
- Encourages local involvement & decision-making
- Improves shared infrastructure & services
- Builds climate and economic resilience
- Provides memorable and authentic visitor experiences
We heard that bad tourism creates:
- Overtourism & overcrowding
- Environmental damage & degradation
- Poor infrastructure & planning
- Housing & workforce pressures
- Disrespect for community & culture
- Economic extraction (not contribution)
- Low-quality, inauthentic experiences
- Safety, accessibility & communication failures
- A lack of governance & community involvement
Together, we’re building a plan that will help ensure tourism on the East Coast is sustainable, community-driven, and delivers positive impact for generations to come, building out the good and minimising the bad. This plan will be about building capability and connection across the people and place of the East Coast to make sure we deliver experiences that transform the lives of locals and visitors for good.
We’re working in close partnership with key agencies including Tourism Tasmania, Parks and Wildlife, the Tourism Industry Council Tasmania (TICT), Hospitality Tasmania, and the Department of State Growth. We've presented progress to both Break O’Day and Glamorgan Spring Bay Councils, and had fantastic conversations with groups like NRM South, Events Tasmania, the Tasmanian Land Conservancy, and many more.
Thanks again for your time, energy, and thoughtful input — and stay tuned, there’s more to come!
Warm regards,
Allison Anderson – Project Director, episteme and Damian Mather – CEO, East Coast Tourism
.png?upscale=true&width=100&upscale=true&name=Untitled%20design%20(12).png)
