Join us for our final Tips and Tipples of 2025 at The Albert, Moonah's finest brewery!
The Albert offers a range of authentic lager beers that are meticulously made on site with passion and precision, using traditional techniques. You'll get an overview of their brewery tours, try some Albert beers, and also enjoy some European inspired morsels from the kitchen.
Relationships Australia Tasmania
For those who attended our October Tips and Tipples, you'll know our scheduled presentation around workplace mental health was foiled by illness, so we have invited Relationships Australia Tasmania to come in November to run us all through the resources available for organisation wellbeing, including EAPS, mental health first aid training, self-care training, peer support programs, counselling and therapy services, and more.
Nibbles are provided free of charge and a cash bar will be open for beverage purchases. Please also note that there are regularly photographers at our events, taking photos for use on digital platforms. If you do not want to be photographed, please let us know when you RSVP, or on arrival at the event.
Please also let us know if you have any specific access requirements.
DST Membership Survey
A huge thank you to those DST members who have already completed our 2025 Membership Survey. To those who haven't yet done it, there's still time! To get a reasonable sample size, we need about another 20 of you to please hit the button below and provided some feedback, which will ultimately help us to serve you better
Don't forget the added incentive: the chance to win a Golden Ticket, once again kindly donated by Tasmania's Taste of Summer. The Golden Ticket is the ultimate Taste experience. This all-access premium pass includes unlimited entry to the Taste and the VIP Yacht Club across all eight days, plus a ticket to the NYE Party, so get surveying!
If so, then please don't forget to list your Christmas activities on the ATDW as an event. It will be the easiest (and cheapest!!) way to help visitors to find you and join the festivities. Whether is be a special Christmas lunch menu or simply operations as usual to cater for those who don't celebrate with all the traditional fare, listing Christmas Day activities will mean you get featured on the Hobart & Beyond What's On page and come up more readily in web searches. It's a no-brainer!
CONGRATULATIONS!!
2025 Tasmanian Tourism Awards
Congratulations to all the superstars who were recognised at this year's Tasmanian Tourism Awards, held on Friday night at Wrest Point. Just completing the submission and being selected as a finalist is quite an achievement in itself, so our heartfelt congratulations go to all entrants across the state, but an extra special shout-out to our DST members who won gold:
Port Arthur Historic Site
Kuuma Nature Sauna
The Wooden Boat Festival (TWO gold!!)
Aquila Eco Retreat (TWO gold!!)
Cascades Female Factory
Pennicott Wilderness Journeys (TWO gold!!)
eGuide
Killara Distillery
The Tasman, A Luxury Collection Hotel
And of course the two peer-nominated category winners:
Tourism Champions Rodney Dunn and Severine Demanet from The Agrarian Kitchen; and the Tourism Minister's Young Achiever, Sofia Tsamssiros from Eudaimonia Tasmanian Cycling Tours. We couldn't be more proud of our region, our members and our industry!
Also on Friday night at Wrest Point was Stay Afloat - 10th Tasmanian Seafood Industry Awards, celebrating excellence and innovation in all things seafood. DST members Mures Tasmania and Tasmanian Wild Seafood Adventures took out two awards each, and Mure's Jock Mure also won the Young Achiever Award. Congratulations one and all!
Michelin Keys
Most of us are familiar with the Michelin star rating system for restaurants...? Well, Michelin recently announced a new global, tiered awards system called Michelin Keys – a hotel equivalent of a Michelin star.
Michelin inspectors take five criteria into account when awarding keys: excellence in architecture and interior design, quality and consistency of service, overall personality and character, value for money, and contribution to the area.
Like with Michelin stars, hotels can be awarded one to three keys depending on their level of excellence, but unlike stars (which can only be given to restaurants operating in a region which is covered by the Michelin Guide, which is why we don't have them in Australia) the keys can be awarded to hotels anywhere in the world. 35 Australian hotels have been awarded keys, and we are ecstatic that FIVE of those hotels are in Tasmania; FOUR in southern Tasmania!
The ultimate Tasmanian adventure attraction: clay target shooting, .22 rifle range, archery, axe throwing, air rifles, slingshots, golf alley, Tasmania's biggest paintball fields and so much more. Brilliant for couples, families and groups, both large and small.
Also home to The Rugged Race, coming up in November (see below in What's On).
TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT
Tourism Tasmania Masterclasses
The final session of Tourism Tasmania's Masterclass series is coming up on November 10. If you are planning to participate in the Off Season in 2026, you can't miss this one. The TTas team will provide you with an Off Season overview and campaign insights, and provide support for you to develop an appealing, brand-aligned offer for winter visitors.
The in person class on the 10th,is by far the better option but if you can get there, there is also an online session on Friday 14 November.
For those of you who are missing our friend Carmen (former DST Membership Coordinator), you can now get her in your ears via her new podcast: Tourism Matters in which she has conversations with travel and tourism industry pros on their career in the industry.
The first three episodes are available now and feature tourism heavyweights Cecil Potatau, Edward Kwek and Claire Baxter.
Direct flights between Auckland and Hobart have recommenced and will continue three days per week until the end of March. Not only should we see the NZ tourist contingent swell over the summer but this route is also a popular choice for Americans looking for a one-stop journey from the US to Oz.
Australian Tourism Exchange
ATE is only six months away! It's taking place in May 2026 in Adelaide. If you're a tourism operator wanting to participate, you're invited to register for the event before this Friday, November 7. Seller applications to attend the ATE are open until 7 November 2025. Please reach out to the Tourism Tasmania partnerships team with any questions at trade@tourism.tas.gov.au.
Open House is an free annual architecture program that opens some of Tasmania’s most unique and interesting buildings to the public, including private homes and historic buildings in Hobart (nipaluna) and Launceston.
Open House invites you to be a tourist in your own city. Get out your camera and photograph the buildings and spaces you walk past every day; take a peek at how others live, work and play; and see how the city’s infrastructure works. Look up, look inside, climb a bell tower or descend into a basement, and take in the incredible views from different vantage points around town.
29 November, Nugent Tasmania’s only obstacle mud run, the Rugged Race is the ultimate adventure challenge! Featuring over 45 obstacles that include waterslides rope climbs, balance beams, A-frame walls, and muddy army crawls. All ages and skills levels are welcome, including juniors aged 8 and up.
Participants and spectators can stick around afterwards for showers, live music and food and drinks.
For more events near you, visit our Events page on Hobart & Beyond.
TOURISM INDUSTRY NEWS
Bushfire Preparedness
For those who missed the Tourism Tasmania and Tasmania Fire Service (TFS) bushfire preparedness briefing last month you can now listen to the webinar recording.
DON'T FORGET: For all emergency information, check TasALERT.com and the TasALERT App, or listen to ABC Local Radio. The following information for visitors is available to download and display at your business:
The recent waste survey that the Tourism Industry Council and Hospitality Tasmania did across tourism organisations in Tassie revealed the challenges businesses are experiencing in the waste space.
Recycle Rewards has responded by developing a Tourism Industry Container Collection document, which outlines the opportunity for tourism businesses to arrange free eligible drink container collection with the Recycle Rewards depots that are now in Hobart, Launceston, Spreyton and Somerset.
The Recycle Rewards depots are run by social enterprises, providing employment opportunities to people with disability, so there is plenty of positive impact to share beyond the immediate act of recycling.
Avian influenza (bird flu) is a contagious, viral disease affecting wild, commercial and domesticated bird species and other animals all over the world. A more serious strain of bird flu, H5, is causing severe disease and death in wild and domesticated birds and animals. While Tasmania is currently free of H5 bird flu, we are anticipating its arrival soon and you need to prepare your business now.
Click on the button to listen to the 25-minute webinar to find out:
What is bird flu?
What to expect when an outbreak occurs
How to prepare your business for H5 bird flu
Useful resources and support you can access to prepare your business.
If you have any questions, please contact Business Tasmania on 1800 440 026 or email ask@business.tas.gov.au.
Hospitality Tasmania, Tourism Industry Council Tasmania and the Tasmanian Tourism & Hospitality Workforce Advisory Committee are conducting a statewide survey to better understand the chef shortage affecting our industry.
We’re inviting chefs, business owners, and managers from all corners of Tasmania to share their experiences and ideas. The results will help shape practical recommendations to government and industry aimed at improving chef attraction and retention across the state.
Your input will help ensure the voices of our venues and professionals are heard — please take a few minutes to complete the survey and be part of the solution ➡️ .
You can help ensure visitors to Tassie have the best chance of a great experience by helping to increase awareness of the Discover Tasmania app. Very often a visitor's experience can rest heavily on their access to the right information, wayfinding, local tips and planning tools. The app has answered that call but we'd like your help to spread the word by displaying some promotional material in your business.
Promotional materials including an A3 poster, a counter-top card, window decal and flyer can be ordered for free. Available while stocks last.
If you've been lucky enough to preview the Spirit of Tasmania IV while she's been docked in Hobart, you will have noticed the careful curation of the vessel's artwork. New DST member Handmark has done an outstanding job of capturing the essence of Tasmania's people and landscapes through around 50 paintings, photographs, collages, sculptures and prints, created by our state's most accomplished artists. The result is spectacular!
Destination Southern Tasmania is always interested in your industry updates. Completing this form lets us know what’s happening in your business or region. Your news and information may be shared with Tourism Tasmania and throughout the Destination Southern Tasmania social, email and web channels. Priority is given to DST members.
POSITIVE IMPACT IN ACTION
CASE STUDY:
Business Supporting Conservation
The hospitality teams from ibis Styles Hobart and Mövenpick Hotel Hobart recently participated in two community-led conservation events that showcased how tourism operators can contribute to environmental stewardship, wildlife protection, and community connection — all while enriching their own staff and guest experiences.
These events weren’t about ticking boxes. They were about rolling up sleeves, learning from local experts, and making a tangible difference.
Dr Elleke Leurs from UTAS has written a piece for Wildlife Tourism Australia to show us how it's done.
Grants of between $25,000 and $100,000 are now available to support small- to medium-sized Tasmanian businesses to take action on climate change, focusing on local innovation, collaboration and partnerships.
Businesses must also be able to make a cash co-contribution of at least 30 per cent of the approved grant funding amount.
Grant applications close on Monday 17 November 2025.
Round 3 of the Grants Scheme is now open for applications and closes on 19 December 2025. A total of $1.3 million is being made available through two streams:
Small Grants Program: up to $20,000 for small scale heritage conservation and restoration projects, and
Large Grants Program: to activate heritage places and engage community support for built heritage.
This grant program is designed to cater for both large and small events, with two tiers of funding available for events with either intrastate or interstate visitation targets. Grants between $2,500 and $10,000 are available to support event organisers in enhancing their existing marketing strategies for established Tasmanian events.
Grants are available until the available funding allocation has been fully allocated, or the program has closed – whichever occurs first.
One-off Assistance grants of up to $20 000 are available to promote the number of winter events in regional Tasmania, increasing visitors and local community engagement through the non-peak tourist season, and assisting to grow event expertise skills and capacity in regional Tasmania.
The $50 million Regional Tourism Development Loan Scheme is now open for applications. The scheme is available to promote investment in tourism products and experiences that stimulate regional tourism and dispersal in Tasmania. The scheme will open for applications until 2pm, 30 June 2026 or until all funding has been utilised, whichever occurs first.
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