‘‘AWESOME’’ was how East Coast Cruises owner Michael Davis described the company’s second winter of free travel to and from Maria Island.
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Mr Davis said that the initiative prompted a 10-fold increase in visitation over the numbers attracted just a few seasons ago.
‘‘We were really excited about the Tasmanian community’s response," ’ a delighted Mr Davis said last week.
‘‘When we introduced the free-travel incentive last year, it was a real unknown.
‘‘We had no idea how much interest there would be to travel to Maria Island in winter — records over the previous years shows visitation for the three months of winter sitting around the 500 mark.
‘‘We wanted to do something to spread the message that Maria Island wasn’t closed during winter.
‘‘We started three winters ago with a 50 per cent fare reduction and saw numbers go to 1500 and that gave us the encouragement to gamble on a free service.
‘‘If the interest had been low, we’d have lost a lot of money.’’
Mr Davis said that the state government, through Parks and Wildlife, has for about five years subsidised the winter ferry to cover the operator’s costs and ensureacontinued service for the island.
‘‘That was a lump sum, paid whether or not anyone used the ferry —I believe a subsidy should be a co-investment with the operator to provide an inducement to people to travel there,’’ he said.
‘‘We did that, firstly, with the half-price fare and then the free travel.’’