Wendy Askew (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's been cold here in Canberra, but when it's cold like this in Tasmania, that's when Tasmania really hits its stride. The ground might be covered in slippery white frost, the days are shorter and the thermometer hits minus territory, but that's when Tasmanians come out to play. Instincts might be to stay in and rug up, but anyone who has visited Tasmania during the cooler months knows that getting outside to enjoy the state's cultural events has become a popular winter pastime.

Mainlanders and international travellers are following Tourism Tasmania's advice to come down for air in droves. Marketed to visitors as the off season, the most recent tourism campaign positions the state as a must-do winter experience. Not only does this support our tourism and hospitality industries, both of which were hit hard during the COVID-19 pandemic, but it shows off Tasmania's wintry attractions to a new audience, or to those who already know how good a winter party can be.

Celebrating Tasmania's cool climate has been a tourism campaign winner since the late 1800s. The state was marketed as a health destination for mainland Australians and visitors from India and England escaping warmer climes. Indeed, the Tasmanian Government Tourist Bureau promoted the opportunity to 'Cool off in Tasmania' in 1929. This tourism campaign by artist Harry Kelly features a man pointing to a thermometer hitting 62.3 degrees Fahrenheit, or around 17 degrees Celsius. The same artist produced the 'Switzerland of the South' poster for the bureau in the 1930s, which depicted Mount Ida and Lake St Clair.

Some of the biggest attractions are our winter festivals, where we don our 'Tassie tuxedos', huddle around log fires and watch as creativity comes out of the dark. Starting the winter festival season with a bang was Dark Mofo's 2022 offering, Resurrection, which celebrated the opportunity to come together again after the forced isolation of COVID lockdowns. Dark Mofo included the Winter Feast and live performances of dance, song and light that culminated in the Nude Solstice Swim. Crowds flocked to Dark Mofo events at both ends of the state this year, with more than 300,000 attending festival venues. Visitor numbers in 2022 were just shy of 2019's pre-COVID levels. Revenue generated topped $3.5 million, and, at Dark Mofo's 45 ticketed events, 65 per cent of tickets were bought by interstate visitors. The revenue and visitor statistics from Dark Mofo alone show just how popular Tasmania is in winter.

But the cold season is not just about Dark Mofo. There is much more on offer throughout winter. Festival of Voices take up the baton with a mission to improve lives through singing. This was the event that started the idea of celebrating Tasmania winter culture 17 years ago. In fact, Tourism Industry Council Tasmania chief executive Luke Martin considers this festival of song, choirs, composers and stories to be the unsung hero of winter tourism.

Then there is the Huon Valley Mid-Winter Fest at Willie Smith's in Grove, with live music, poetry, storytelling and the wassail ceremony to awaken the Huon's apple trees as the bonfire crackles and Big Willie burns. The temperature drops again for the biannual Australian Antarctic Festival in Hobart, the gateway to Antarctica. This festival aims to inspire Antarctic adventures and careers, while sharing stories about the pioneer who explored the continent and raising awareness of the work to conserve Mawson's Huts. Smaller in size to the other events but big on flavour, the Tassie Scallop Fiesta celebrates the north-east region's fishing and maritime heritage. There is plenty of produce to eat and drink, chef demonstrations and wine masterclasses, live music and a full program of fringe events.

Science and art come to the fore during the Beaker Street Festival in August. This event challenges our ideas about the way the world works and allows us to engage with scientists and innovative art at talks and dinners and join the Tassie Science Road Trip. Science of a different kind steps up during Tasmanian Whisky Week. More than 30 of Tasmania's whiskey distilleries share their stories and spirits with whisky lovers via tastings, dinners, meet-the-maker events and the Tasmanian Spirit Showcase. And this year, for the first time, the Winter Light Festival was held at Hobart, at the Salamanca Arts Centre, during August. This arts festival was created to attract a new demographic to Tasmania, by celebrating the end of winter and the 'coming of the light'.

These events have truly transformed what was traditionally Tasmania's quiet and dormant off-season, providing a welcome glow for visitors near and far.