Securing a round of the Enduro World Series is a coup of monumental proportions for the blossoming North-East township of Derby.
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The prospect of some 500 riders and many more spectators and families, plus a throng of journalists and photographers from around the world, will put not only Derby, but all of Tasmania on the world map in terms of mountain biking.
It will also give the state the opportunity to again showcase what it has to offer in terms of world-class accommodation, food and wine.
About 30 professional teams will call Northern Tasmania home for the duration of the championships, which will be held in April 2017.
The enduro world series is held every year across seven different countries.
This year, the event was staged in Canada, the US, Italy, France, Chile and Argentina.
The announcement overnight reinforces just how important tourism is to this state, and how a seemingly simple mountain bike trail in the North-East of Tasmania can catapult a small country town like Derby onto the world stage.
The Blue Derby trails are a national – and now international drawcard for tourists and bring employment and wealth the North-East community, which has been among the hardest hit in Tasmania following the closure of a number of timber-based industries.
But a successful plan to diversify our wealth-creating industries, and a focus on the booming tourism industry – is proving a masterstroke.
The aim now must be to capitalise on the announcement and drive further investment and employment opportunities the region.
We know tourism is already a shining beacon and has been driving our economic recovery for a number of years now.
Events such as Targa Tasmania, the V8 Supercars, AFL matches at both ends of the island and drawcards such as MONA are combining to make Tasmania a true one-stop tourism destination of world-class proportions.
An event such as the enduro world series will be worth millions of dollars to the state and the North-East region.
The meagre $100,000 investment by the state government to make it all happen seems insignificant in comparison.
It’s certainly money well spent when you consider the flow-on effect such an event will have months and even years from now.
