One Northern holiday park is opening its doors to Tasmanians - free of charge - to help them relax and recharge after a particularly trying 18 months.
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BIG4 St Helens Holiday Park is offering more than 900 bookings for both its cabins and powered campsites for November.
Owner Peter Robinson said with the borders between the mainland and Tasmania closed, the state's tourism industry has been hit hard with many losing their job or suffering a reduction in income.
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He said with many people succumbing to the stress and pressure of daily life he wanted to do something to help.
"We know firsthand how hard it was to be shut down in 2020 due to COVID and we understand that lives and livelihoods are still impacted by what is happening on the mainland," he said.
A long supporter of mental health and suicide prevention initiatives, Mr Robinson said originally the plan was to run the promotion in conjunction with RUOK? Day, but due to the scale of the initiative was forced to change the dates.
"I was inspired by the messaging of the recent RUOK? campaign and wanted to contribute to the cause in some way. This was the only thing I could think of and given accommodation is what we do, it seemed like a good fit," he said.
While the purpose of the initiative is to give Tasmanians a break, Mr Robinson said other businesses and tourism operators in the North would benefit from holidaymakers coming to stay.
"For every visitor that comes to town it's worth about $75," he said.
"With the multiplier effect that dollar gets spent three and a half times, so it's quite significant for the region."
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He said other businesses had also stepped up to support the initiative.
"There is a venue in town - the Wharf Bar and Kitchen - which is a restaurant that looks out over the water, they've donated the first round of drinks for any of our guests that come and stay," he said.
Mr Robinson said people who were looking to come up and stay at the park could enter their details online through the BIG4 St Helens Holiday Park Facebook page.
He said the park was booking 30 requests a day for 900 powered sites and 58 cabins.
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Andrew Chounding
An experienced multi-platform journalist focusing on the issues that impact health in Tasmania. With a background in social research and public policy, health reporting for Andrew is about ensuring the best health outcomes for the Northern Tasmanian community. Contact Andrew at: andrew.chounding@examiner.com.au or 0437 358 262
An experienced multi-platform journalist focusing on the issues that impact health in Tasmania. With a background in social research and public policy, health reporting for Andrew is about ensuring the best health outcomes for the Northern Tasmanian community. Contact Andrew at: andrew.chounding@examiner.com.au or 0437 358 262
