Tasmania’s Kentish Council is playing a key role in the development of the region’s tourism industry by establishing a special tourism committee. The Cradle Mountain Tourism Association is a working group comprising business representatives and individuals that provides a commercial tourism service in the Cradle Mountain precinct. The group aims to develop and implement a marketing and development plan that will again establish Cradle Mountain as the pre-eminent natural holiday destination in Tasmania.
A tourism plan for the municipality focusing on the promotion of events, facilities and experiences will also be developed. Establishing the Association is in line with Council’s new strategic plan, which places greater focus on the tourism industry. The Association is made up of representatives from the Council, the National Parks and Wildlife Service, Essentially Cradle and Kentish Visitor Information Centre, as well as community representatives from the townships of Sheffield, Railton and Wilmot.
Kentish Council General Manager, Dirk Holwerda, said this was an exciting time for the area’s tourism industry, with TT-Line’s Bass Strait service two new vessels, bringing more people to picturesque Kentish.
“Council is increasing its focus on the development of the tourism industry in the municipality,” said Dirk Holwerda. “Kentish has so much to offer visitors from throughout Tasmania, Australia and overseas, and we will be making a concerted effort to ensure we market our unique features to the rest of the world in a consistent and strategic manner. The Council’s focus is on working with the local tourism industry and the general community to ensure that the municipality can reach its potential as a tourist attraction, while at the same time maintaining the qualities that appeal to visitors, such as the rural atmosphere.
“Kentish is already on the tourism map for a number of reasons, such as its murals and the beautiful Cradle Mountain area – but working together through the new committee and through the incorporation of Essentially Cradle, we can only further enhance our reputation, at the same time boosting the local economy, which will benefit the whole region.”