A BOLD $160 million tourism blueprint to upgrade neglected and outdated visitor infrastructure at Cradle Mountain and boost visitation, would be reliant on securing public and private investment to bring it to reality, said Cradle Coast Authority regional tourism manager Ian Waller.
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The highly anticipated Cradle Mountain Master Plan, labelled a Tasmanian tourism game-changer by industry leaders that have seen it, will be unveiled on Thursday at a special briefing in Devonport by the Cradle Coast Authority.
An Alpine wilderness village centre on a disused air strip at Cradle Mountain forms a key part of the master plan.
Expectations are high as the tourism industry seeks to re-establish Cradle Mountain as the jewel in Tasmania's crown and Australia's most significant natural and cultural heritage destination.
The master plan is being launched ahead of the federal election when government money is more likely to flow to such projects, at a time when tourism to the North-West and Tasmania is at an all-time high, but research shows the market share to the mountain is declining.
CCA chief executive Brett Smith said the master plan would reinvigorate the destination to meet expectations of the increasing number of visitors.
"Cradle Mountain is a site of international significance being one of only two sites in the world with the most number of world heritage attributes," Mr Smith said.
"Visitors come to Cradle Mountain expecting a world class experience and are let down by aged and primitive infrastructures.
"It's not the Tasmanian wilderness experience visitors expect and the consumer research conducted reinforces this.
"If consumers tell you they don't intend to revisit based on the current experience, then it's time to take action and create a new set of products that will appeal and attract."
Deloitte Access Economics research forecasts the Cradle Mountain redevelopment would have an economic impact to the region of up to $29 million per year, based on attracting 59,000 more visitors translating to 102,000 more visitor nights.
The research conducted by BDA Marketing Planning showed interstate and inbound tourism to Cradle Mountain for overnight stays was growing year on year, however interstate day trips were trending down as visitors favoured other destinations and attractions.
The research was used by consulting firm, Inspired by Marketing, to inform the new master plan for Cradle.
"Cradle Mountain is one of the most researched topics in the region but change has not been effected to bring about the improvements needed," Mr Waller said
"Today people are required to line up for buses, have limited shelter from the elements at Dove Lake and are not receiving a world-class experience as they arrive, dine and shop at the visitor centre.
"We need to stop taking Cradle Mountain for granted and start working as a region together to bring a site of such global significance to its full potential."
He said visitor expectations had changed and Cradle Mountain needed to catch up.
"We can't simply rely on Tourism Tasmania to continue to increase visitor numbers to the region, we need to create new and exciting experiences to attract new visitors, repeat visits and provide a reason for people to stay longer."
