A Tasmanian tourism operator has called for the state to re-stimulate ties with alternative tourism markets as the flow-on effects of the coronavirus outbreak in China reach Tasmania.
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Bridestowe Lavender Estate owner Robert Ravens said Japan had been a marvellous source of tourism for Tasmania in the past but it had been sadly neglected.
"Indonesia also reflects thrilling potential for the future: it's right on our doorstep and there's an interest in Australia as a tourism destination," Mr Ravens said.
Mr Ravens said he suspected the worst of the negative impact from coronavirus was yet to be seen.
"I'm worried because China is such an important source of tourism. Australia has gone from being a must-visit destination to an area of concern because of the bushfires and then of course the coronavirus has put limitations on Chinese travel generally," Mr Ravens said.
"But we're already past Chinese New Year, which is peak travel time for Chinese tourists, so it's going to have a much lesser impact than if the coronavirus had happened in, say, November."
Tourists from China made up 14 per cent of all international visitors to Tasmania for the year to September 2019 according to Tourism Tasmania.
Visitors from Hong Kong accounted for 10 per cent of international tourists.
But Tourism Industry Council Tasmania chief executive Luke Martin said there were some misconceptions about Chinese tourism to Tasmania.
"Chinese visitors represent about 3 per cent of all tourists to Tasmania. It's important to not overstate our reliance on that market," Mr Martin said.
"We get more visitors from the United States, which is one of our fastest growing inbound markets, whereas China and Hong Kong have been flat and in decline since the Presidential visit [of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Tasmania in 2014]."
Mr Martin said reports of group travel cancellations out of China would be monitored.
"It's inevitable this will have some impact on Tasmania but we are much less reliant on inbound tourism than other Australian destinations, and our brand as a destination remains very strong, so I'm confident we will push through relatively well," he said.
"We are monitoring all these issues carefully with Tourism Tasmania on a daily basis, and I know they are ready and able to respond quickly to any clear threats to our core markets."
Tasmania's rock lobster and abalone industries have already taken a hit as a result of the outbreak, with all orders into China cancelled, leaving fishers facing financial losses.
China is the state's biggest trading partner accounting for 32.8 per cent of Tasmania's merchandise exports, or $1.153 billion, in the 2018-19 financial year.
This was 1.5 percentage points below the national average.
Both the Greens and Labor said the situation with coronavirus was a reminder of the need for Tasmania to diversity its trading partners.
Greens leader Cassy O'Connor said her party had long warned about the risks of Tasmania's economy becoming overly dependent on China and advocated for the government to diversify its trade and tourism strategy.
"Obviously the Chinese market is very important to Tasmania but, as recent events demonstrate, reliance on any single market leaves us vulnerable," Ms O'Connor said.
"It should be a priority of government to improve trade relations with markets such as Taiwan, India, and Malaysia."
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Ms O'Connor said local exporters and tourism operators must be really feeling the pinch.
"The government needs to support our local businesses by focusing their energy on diversifying our export markets," she said.
"We strongly suggest Tourism Tasmania rethinks its marketing strategy to ensure in future we're buffered against shocks like the coronavirus fallout."
Labor leader Rebecca White said China was an important market for Tasmania across many sectors which would continue into the future.
"We call on the Tasmanian government to support those sectors experiencing temporary downturn, but we remain optimistic that there will be no long-term harm to Tasmania's important relationship with China," Ms White said.
"That said, China is not our only important international market."
Trade Minister Jeremy Rockliff said the state engaged with China as part of its Tasmanian Trade Strategy, which identified China along with Malaysia, Japan, the United States, Singapore and mainland Australia as key markets.
"The government has uplifted its support for businesses to enter into new markets," Mr Rockliff said.
"In particular, the Accelerating Trade Grant Program provides matched support for wide range of new market business initiatives."
Mr Rockliff said a Tasmanian delegation would be travelling to Singapore to connect with buyers in Asia and beyond in late March.
"The Department of State Growth will be hosting a Tasmania expo stand and a Tasmania on Show food and beverage showcase event featuring Singapore-based Australian Chefs," he said.
"Seafood businesses are encourage to attend the delegation to explore new markets opportunities and meet buyers.
"Tasmanian export ready businesses are also entitled to free TradeStart Advice, provided under a partnership between the Tasmanian Government, AusTrade and the Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry."
A government spokesperson said it was likely, with inbound travel to Australia from China impacted by coronavirus, Tasmania's tourism sector would experience a degree of impact in visitation from this market.
"The situation is evolving, with Tourism Tasmania confident the marketing activity it has in place in both China and Hong Kong will ensure Tasmania remains a front of mind destination for visitors when travel conditions improve," the spokesperson said.