While the cold Tasmanian winter may seem a million miles away to the majority of grey nomads basking in the tropical sun, there is yet more evidence to confirm that their love affair with the Apple Isle is ‘back on’.
Despite persistent gripes about the cost of crossing the Bass Strait and the whole booking process, new data shows the two Spirits of Tasmania carried 418,831 passengers in the 2015-16 financial year … up a whopping 8.9% on the previous year.
Describing the latest numbers as ‘fantastic’, Infrastructure Minister, Rene Hidding, told State Parliament that forward bookings were up 14.5% from the previous year, and extra day sailings have been scheduled to keep up with the increasing market demand.
“That financial year has been a particularly big year for grey nomads: caravans were up 7.7% and motorhomes were up by 9%,” she said. “It’s great news for the state as Spirit passengers stay longer and spend more in Tasmania than those who come by other means, which means more money into local businesses and more jobs for Tasmanians.”
The Government says changes to the operation of the twin Spirit of Tasmania vessels, which included refurbishment, reduced fares and an increased sailing schedule, were the reason for the rise in bookings.
While many grey nomads fall in love with Tasmania once they get there, there have long been grumblings about the perceived high cost of taking a rig across. This year, many also found themselves ‘stranded’ on the Apple Isle if they hadn’t booked a return crossing well in advance.
Paul and Chris R were among them, having had their plans thrown in to chaos when family sickness meant they had to fly off the island in a hurry, leaving their caravan and car in storage in Tasmania.
By the time they got back in early April ready to sail away, they were told the first available date was in August, and they couldn’t even register for the wait list until July 16. After constantly haranguing the Spirit office and making up to 20 phone calls a day, they were finally able to ‘escape’ back to the mainland on April 25, having spent more than $1300 for a one-way trip.
“I can’t begin to tell you what a bad taste it has left in my mouth,” said Chris.
