The arrival of the Spirit of Tasmania to Geelong has brought with it a $21 million dollar local spend according to its operator, GeelongPort and the local tourism body.
Marking the boat’s 12-month anniversary today (Monday) are economic figures reviewing its impact on the region, which also includes 750 direct and indirect tourism and freight jobs.
Just over 450,000 passengers made the journey in the 2022/23 financial year, accompanied by 213,766 passenger vehicles and 106,578 freight vehicles.
The numbers are in excess of predictions says Executive Director of Tourism Greater Geelong and the Bellarine Tracy Carter, particularly those who are staying in the region before or after boarding.
“More than we anticipated are probably spending that night…they are spending time in central Geelong,” she said.
Of those visitors it’s the day trippers who spend the overwhelming bulk of funds, making up $18.7 million, with overnight visitors spending around $2.3 million.
GeelongPort Chief Executive Officer, Brett Winter expects those numbers to continuing tracking upwards.
“The uplift in visitor spend since Spirit of Tasmania’s move to Geelong is on track to exceed initial projections of $57.3 million by 2030,” he said.
