00:00 I think for many years we know that running big events like this come as a big burden
00:07 on people's shoulders. But yeah, look, of course, we've got quite a lot of disappointment
00:11 today and that's really only because this festival is so loved by not only visitors
00:16 by Tasmanians, but really the most important thing for us is that Dark MoFo remains a staple
00:22 of winter for decades to come. And so if that means that it has to, that the organisers
00:26 have to take a year off, consolidate, look at how they can deliver it sustainably into
00:31 the future, then we support that 100%. But of course, we love this festival and it's
00:37 a quintessential part of Tassie and we can't wait to have it back.
00:41 So organisers say some events will still go ahead, such as the Winterfest and the nude
00:46 Solstice Swim. Will this be enough to attract some visitors?
00:49 Well, look, those two events are very important and we do welcome that they're still going
00:54 ahead. The Feast is a big event and if anyone's been down to Tassie, they'll know that it
00:59 just thrives in the middle of Salamanca in winter. It's cosy, there's fires. It's a showcase
01:05 of amazing Tassie produce. So we're really keen and happy that that's still continuing
01:10 and that does get a really strong visitation from interstate. And of course, the swim,
01:15 you know, that's taken on a bit of a cult following and it's really important that that's
01:19 continuing. But of course, it's not the broader festival and that broader festival, which
01:24 is that focus on art and installations did bring a broader crowd. So what we're needing
01:30 to do and wanting to do is work with government on how do we offset any impact. And there's
01:35 a number of things that we think we can be doing there.
01:38 So this event, of course, happens during winter. What is tourism typically like during these
01:42 colder months and just how important is this event to the tourism industry?
01:47 Well, over recent years, we've really tried to promote ourselves and cement ourselves
01:52 as a leading destination in winter. We see ourselves as this getaway to be warm, to be
01:58 cosy, and it's working really well. But as we go into summer, we get lots of visitors.
02:06 As we go into winter, we need to smooth out and become smooth out that seasonality. So
02:10 winter is really important to us in events like Dark Mofo play such an important role.
02:16 So what we want to do is work with government and look at our existing events. Is there
02:19 any way that we can expand those? Can we attract new events to Tassie? And how do we work with
02:25 airlines through tourism Tasmania to get more people interested in coming to Tassie and
02:30 get in front of everyone on the mainland and say, come down to Tassie because it really
02:33 is special and there's lots to do in winter.
02:37 Organisers are calling this kind of a period of renewal and a time to face rising costs.
02:42 Is there a bit of a result of a breakdown between talks between organisers and the state
02:46 government in terms of funding?
02:47 Look, no, I don't think so. The organisers are saying that they have had really productive
02:52 conversations with government and government has come to the party to ensure that these
02:56 two remaining events occur. I think this is really a decision from the organisers. They've
03:01 had a decade worth of events. They really want to make sure that it stays on brand and
03:06 that continues to live up to its reputation. And that's a decision that's been made by
03:11 them. But I think what we're saying as an industry is that government does need to step
03:15 up to the plate, work with us. And I know the premier has been out today and is keen
03:20 to do that to ensure that we really work hard to get visitors here in winter because we're
03:25 going to need to work harder. Dark mofo obviously generated a lot of demand. So we want to work
03:31 with government, look at what events we can have, what we already have and what more do
03:36 we need to do to get more people travelling to Tassie in winter.
03:39 So dark mofo is the main draw card during the winter months. Is this maybe a chance
03:45 for a new event to come forward?
03:47 Well, look, absolutely. I think what I've been talking about today is this may lead
03:52 to more innovation. I think that, you know, bright sparks out there will be looking at
03:57 what Tassie is and what it has to offer. And it may lead to some really innovative ideas.
04:01 And that's what we want to see. And I think we're really good at that here in Tassie.
04:04 We come up with innovative ideas that are quintessentially on brand, quintessentially
04:09 Tasmanian. So that's the work we have to do between now and winter to look at what
04:13 different events can we come up with to draw people down here. And I think there'll be
04:19 some great minds thinking about that in the next few weeks.
04:22 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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