Positive Impact Plan

Image Credit: Harrison Candlin

Tourism is a big part of life on the East Coast of Lutruwita/Tasmania, but how can it contribute to the local community?

This project is about building a future where tourism strengthens our region - not only by supporting businesses, but by protecting what makes the East Coast special and bringing real-life benefits to residents and visitors.

We are listening to people who live, work and visit the East Coast:  What’s working? What’s not? How can visitors give back in meaningful ways?

Through community conversations, we’re gathering ideas for tourism that work for us, are from us, and by us.

The Approach

Project updates

  • The East Coast Tasmania Tourism Positive Impact Plan has now completed a significant phase of community and stakeholder engagement across the region.

    Since January 2025, the project team has engaged with local residents, businesses, community groups, tourism operators, councils, government agencies and industry partners through town hall workshops, drop-in conversations, surveys, meetings and local events across Orford, Triabunna, Swansea, Coles Bay, Bicheno, Scamander, St Marys and St Helens.

    To date, the project has included:

    • More than 200 face-to-face conversations

    • Over 160 survey responses

    • More than 1,500 engagement data points gathered and analysed

    Strong themes emerging through the engagement include protecting the East Coast’s natural environment and lifestyle, supporting local communities and businesses, and ensuring tourism contributes positively to quality of life for residents and place.

    The project team is now distilling the information gathered into a draft Positive Impact Plan for the East Coast, focused on what positive impact tourism looks like in practice, how it can be delivered, and the principles that can help guide future tourism and destination stewardship across the region.

Write to us

We want to know about what you think about tourism. What does it add to life on the East Coast? What does it take away? Do you have ideas about how to make it better?

If you can’t connect with us in-person, there are also plenty of other ways to get involved.

You can write to us at: PO Box 115 Bicheno 7215 or send us an email at positiveimpact@eastcoasttasmania.com.au

Logo with the word 'episteme' in large font and 'informed strategy' in smaller cursive font underneath

In partnership with:

Stay Up To Date

The best way to stay up to date is to sign up to our project email newsletter. Catch up below:

Newsletter

The intermittent e-newsletter will share project updates, opportunities for you to get involved as well as positive impact ideas, concepts and interesting insights we have learned from the region along the way.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • The Positive Impact Plan is about creating a shared vision for the future of tourism on the East Coast of Tasmania — one that reflects the values, aspirations, and needs of our communities.

    Rather than focusing only on visitor numbers or economic growth, this project looks at how tourism can create lasting, meaningful benefits for the people who live here. We want to better understand what “positive impact” means to our communities and build a framework that strengthens local quality of life, protects our environment, supports cultural connection, and ensures tourism contributes to a thriving future for everyone.

  • Positive impact is about creating long-term benefits for communities, cultures, and the environment, not just generating economic returns. It’s about tourism making life better for the people and places that call a region home and for travellers to contribute back to the places they visit.

    Below are some real-world examples of positive impact in action and links to discover more.

    Local examples (Lutruwita/Tasmania):

    • wukalina Walk: An Aboriginal-owned and led tourism experience on Tasmania’s East Coast, reconnecting visitors with palawa Country, culture, and history in an authentic, community-driven way. Learn more

    • Zero Waste Events Tasmania: An initiative supported by Visit Northern Tasmania in partnership with RM Consulting Group and funded by the Tasmanian Government through Events Tasmania. It promotes sustainable practices by helping local events reduce waste and minimise their environmental impact, promoting practical change across the community. Learn more

    • Citizen Science programs: Visitors can participate in environmental projects like Kelp Help and other marine monitoring programs, directly supporting local conservation efforts while learning about Tasmania’s ecosystems. Learn more

    • Green Guardians Program: A Tasmanian initiative that enables travellers to take part in small conservation projects — such as weed removal, birdlife surveys, and rubbish collection — while exploring places like the Franklin River and South Coast Track. Learn more

    Global examples:

    • Responsible Travel: A global platform offering holidays designed to maximise positive outcomes for local communities and environments. Learn more

    • The Long Run: An international network of tourism businesses committed to Conservation, Community, Culture, and Commerce, helping destinations achieve long-term sustainability. Learn more

    • Sustainable destination choices: Examples like New Zealand’s visitor management strategies or Iceland’s controlled tourism growth demonstrate how managing when, where, and how people visit can reduce environmental stress and improve local quality of life.

    Positive impact tourism is about encouraging visitors to be thoughtful — to consider where they go, how they spend their time and money, and how their visit can contribute meaningfully to the places and people they encounter.

    Want to explore more?
    You can find real-world examples of positive impact tourism through Responsible Travel, The Long Run, and the Global Sustainable Tourism Council.

  • The Positive Impact Plan is being led by episteme consulting, working in collaboration with East Coast Tasmania Tourism (ECTT).

    episteme consulting is a Tasmanian-based practice specialising in community engagement, project development, and creating pathways for positive change. Alli and Dani, the lead consultants, bring extensive experience working with regional communities to deliver meaningful, community-led outcomes. You’ll meet Alli and Dani during the community conversations, where they’ll be listening to your ideas and helping shape the future vision for tourism on the East Coast.

    You can learn more about episteme consulting at www.epistemeconsulting.com.au.

    Project governance is supported by East Coast Tasmania Tourism’s Steering Committee, made up of industry and community representatives. The ECTT Steering Committee provides advice and oversight to ensure that the Positive Impact Plan remains community-driven and reflects the values, aspirations, and priorities of the East Coast region.

    Together, episteme consulting and East Coast Tasmania Tourism are working to deliver a project that is built with the community, for the community, ensuring that tourism continues to deliver lasting, positive benefits for the region.

  • Community conversations for the Positive Impact Plan will be happening across the East Coast between 29 April and 15 May 2025.

    There will be a range of ways to get involved — from community conversations and drop-in cafés to town hall meetings and an online session — all designed to hear your ideas and build a shared vision for the future of tourism on the East Coast.

    Everyone is welcome!
    Tea, coffee, and light catering will be provided at all in-person events.

    For full event details and to book your spot, click here.

  • There are lots of ways you can get involved in shaping the future of tourism on the East Coast!

    You can:

    • Attend a community conversation, town hall meeting, or drop-in café happening across the region between 29 April and 15 May 2025.

    • Join the online community conversation (via Teams) if you prefer to contribute from home. Subscribe to our E-News here for further details.

    • Fill out the Positive Impact Plan online survey 

    • Write to us — we want to hear what you think about tourism. What does it add to the East Coast? What does it take away? What ideas do you have to make it better?

    • Get inspired! If the examples of positive impact spark an idea or project you’d like to talk more about, we’d love to hear from you.

    If you can’t connect with us in person, there are plenty of other ways to stay involved:

  • After the community conversations, the ideas, insights, and feedback gathered will be brought together to help shape the Positive Impact Plan — a community-driven framework to guide the future of tourism on the East Coast.

    This will include:

    • Identifying the shared values, priorities, and aspirations of East Coast communities.

    • Developing a Positive Impact Framework that highlights the principles and actions needed to create long-term benefits through tourism.

    • Exploring opportunities for community stewardship of tourism activities.

    • Sharing the outcomes back with the community through updates, workshops, and online platforms.

    The Positive Impact Plan will be a living document — built from what matters to our communities — and will help guide tourism decisions, projects, and partnerships into the future.

    We’ll also be sharing updates as the project evolves, so you’ll have more opportunities to stay involved, see the outcomes of the work, and keep the conversation going.

    👉 Sign up to stay updated here. Subscribe to Positive Impact Plan E-News

  • The Positive Impact Plan is supported by the Tasmanian Government via The Department of Premier and Cabinet and Department of State Growth, East Coast Councils Break O’Day Council and Glamorgan Spring Bay Council, the Tourism Industry Council of Tasmania, and Regional Development Australia – Tasmania as part of the Strategic Regional Partnership.

    The Strategic Regional Partnership Steering Committee brings together regional partners to collaborate on local priorities, improve outcomes, and increase opportunities for the East Coast region.

    Across the broader East Coast, the Tasmanian Government is investing more than $5.2 million through the Strategic Regional Partnership Deal to deliver initiatives that enhance health services, education, job opportunities for young people, tourism, infrastructure planning, and other regional priorities.

    The Positive Impact Plan is one of three tourism-specific initiatives being delivered under this funding. The other tourism-based initiatives include:

    • The Bay of Fires Masterplan, led by Break O’Day Council, focusing on protecting and enhancing the Bay of Fires region. Learn more about the Bay of Fires Masterplan

    • Triabunna Tomorrow, led by Glamorgan Spring Bay Council, focusing on future planning for the township of Triabunna.

    While these projects are funded through the Strategic Regional Partnership, they are separate initiatives to the Positive Impact Plan, each with their own focus areas and outcomes.

    The Bay of Fires Masterplan and Triabunna Tomorrow are place-based projects focused on specific locations, while the Positive Impact Plan is a holistic, region-wide conversation about the future of tourism across the entire East Coast, specifically about engaging East Coast communities to create a shared, community-driven vision for the future of tourism.

    A full list and further information about the Strategic Regional Partnership and other supported non-tourism specific projects can be found here.

An old, dried-out skeleton sitting in a wooden boat in the water.