Since 2011, Luke Martin has been at the helm of the TICT as its CEO. Throughout the past 12 years, he has seen tourism in Tasmania evolve into what it is today - an industry that makes a greater contribution to its state's economy than any other in Australia.
Finally, the time has come for the interviewer to become the interviewee! Hosted by Tom Wootton, today's episode is longer than usual - so grab a drink and settle in, because it's a good one!
Tom and Luke travel down memory lane and reflect on what the tourism landscape was like in 2011, before something called MONA came into the picture. They then talk about how this became a real turning point in putting Tasmania on the map and tourism spend becoming more of a government priority. But, it wasn't all rainbows and sunshine - as with every industry, there were challenges - and the most obvious one being COVID. Tourism was hit especially hard, but as Tom and Luke recognise, the resilience and hard-working attitude of our state's tourism operators is second-to-none and the bounce back has been remarkable.
It wouldn't be an episode of Talking Tourism without the famous 7 Questions - and it's safe to say, Luke has had plenty of time to think of his answers (having asked dozens of people them over the years). His answers certainly don't disappoint!
Tom even managed to surprise Luke with a special thank you from some very special people from his personal and professional life.
We hope you enjoy the episode!