OCCUPANCY BOOST: Dark MOFO Festival provided a 24.4 per cent boost in occupancy rates.
THE verdict is in. Hobart's two signature winter events, the Festival of Voices and newcomer Dark MOFO, have transformed the city's cultural landscape and been an unprecedented boon for tourism operators.
From the opening of the inaugural Dark MOFO on June 13 to the Festival of Voices swansong on July 14, visitor nights in the city were up nearly 10 per cent on last year, according to data collected by STR Global.
When broken down by festival, Dark MOFO provided a 24.4 per cent boost for occupancy rates, while for the Festival of Voices there was a 6.4 per cent jump.
Destination Southern Tasmania chief Ben Targett hailed the results, saying the obvious implication was that festivals were very effective in creating interest in the state.
"The challenge is to grow the festivals sustainably and ensure they become part of the fabric of our community in years to come," he said.
Communities needed to own successful events and both festivals were "at different stages of this journey", he said.
Mr Targett said many visitors would have been attracted before and after the two arts extravaganzas, pleasing tourism operators in the traditionally quiet winter period.
But he said the city could do more to take advantage of its natural wonders, after visitors and locals were denied access to much of Mt Wellington after a recent snow dump.
"Certainly the Festival of Voices has been a source of great pride over the years and Dark MOFO was able to tap into the community much more quickly than almost anyone expected," Mr Targett said.
"But Mt Wellington is such a winter wonderland, right on our doorstep, and it is such a shame it is closed on most occasions when it snows."
Tourism Council of Tasmania CEO Luke Martin said the occupancy results were proof that strategically timed, high quality events over winter could attract large numbers of people to the state over the gloomier months.
"We still have a long way to go to address the downturn over winter in our regional areas," Mr Martin said.
"But there are lessons out of the success of Dark MOFO that the whole state can learn from in terms of taking heed of the perception that Tasmania is a place that hibernates over winter."
Tasmanian Air Adventures director Tim Robertson said demand for his company's tours had been noticeably higher this winter.
He said the welcome boost in patronage had come about through interstate and local customers.
"Winter actually provides our guests with some of the most amazing experiences a visitor to Tasmania could imagine - blue skies, snow on the peaks and clear air for flying," Mr Robertson said.
"The visitation generated by events such as Dark MOFO and Festival of Voices is key to Hobart's success as a winter destination.
"We are seeing first-time visitors who experience our seaplane tours and realise there's more to Tassie than you can see in a short visit."
duncan.abey@news.com.au
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