9 October 2020
Spirit of Tasmania is now accepting bookings from passengers travelling from South Australia, Western Australia, the Northern Territory, Queensland and the ACT for travel to Tasmania from 26 October 2020.
Bernard Dwyer, Chief Executive Officer, said last week's announcement by the Premier about the easing of Tasmania's border restrictions was an important step forward for the recovery of the state.
"We're excited to invite bookings from passengers from those low risk states who may be looking to visit Tasmania for a much needed holiday or a long-awaited reunion with friends and family."
"COVID-19 has been incredibly challenging for us, our passengers and for Tasmania - particularly those in the tourism and hospitality industry.
"We will be doing everything we can to encourage people to sail to Tasmania for their next road trip."
"It's well known that people who travel with their own cars on Spirit of Tasmania tend to stay longer and spend more in regional areas than visitors who fly to Tasmania.
"It is for this reason we believe that we have a crucial role to play in the economic recovery of the state."
Prior to 26 October, Spirit of Tasmania can only accept bookings from: Tasmanian residents returning to Tasmania; essential travellers to Tasmania; freight operators; and passengers travelling to the mainland from Tasmania.
Mr Dwyer said that Spirit of Tasmania had a COVID-19 Safety Management Plan in place with a new Sail Safe initiative highlighting all of the recent changes to passengers.
"The health and safety of our passengers is our highest priority and we have implemented a range of precautionary measures to ensure that everyone has a safe and enjoyable journey on board." he said.
"In the current climate, passengers understandably want to know that they will be safe while travelling.
"Through Sail Safe (spiritoftasmania.com.au/sailsafe) we can provide extra reassurance to our passengers that our terminals and ships are COVID-ready and our team is ready to welcome passengers back on board."