Tourism Tasmania’s spring update brings new Qantas capacity to Hobart, a wave of hotel and dining openings, and multiple industry awards recognising Tasmanian producers and operators.
Qantas adds daily Hobart flights, Sharp Airlines returns to King Island
Qantas will increase Brisbane–Hobart flights to daily from 25 October 2026, adding 40,000 seats through to the April 2027 school holidays. Sharp Airlines will also return to the Melbourne Essendon–King Island route from October 2026, running up to six return services weekly through April 2027, giving agents more scheduling flexibility on both routes ahead of peak season.
New accommodation spans Hobart, East Coast and Flinders Island
Somerset on the Pier has reopened as Citadines Elizabeth Street Pier following an expansion from 56 to 98 studios on Hobart’s waterfront. Adina Hobart will make its Tasmanian debut in October 2026 with a 48-key apartment hotel in the same precinct as Vibe Hobart.
Outscape will launch a fully hosted luxury experience on Flinders Island in November, taking groups of up to 12 into remote landscapes over four or five days. New luxury lodges have also opened at Circus Key in the Derwent Valley and Threefold near Swansea on the East Coast, both positioned around seclusion and premium self-contained stays.
Recognition highlights Tasmanian food, wine and tourism operators
Hobart chef Christian Ryan was named Chef of the Year at the 2026 Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Awards, while Hobart restaurant Scholé was named the island’s Restaurant of the Year. House of Arras was named Winery of the Year at the 2027 Halliday Wine Companion Awards, the first dedicated sparkling producer to win the title, while Pooley Wines took Best Wine of Show at the 2026 Sydney Royal Wine Show for its 2024 Syrah, beating more than 1,500 entries nationally.
Hobart Airport won the Airport Retail and Commercial Business Excellence Award at the Australian Airports Association’s 2026 Retail and Commercial Forum, and will host the national forum in 2027. Tasmanian Wild Seafood Adventures was named joint national winner of the Seafood Experience Award at the 2026 National Seafood Industry Awards for its “deep-to-dish” seafood cruises.
New dining and experiences add to trade product
Notable openings include Small Wonder Wines’ new cellar door and restaurant in the Tamar Valley, Analiese Gregory’s intimate Lumachelle in the Huon Valley, and Wade Fordham’s fire-cooking restaurant WADE at Wineglass Bay Estate, opening 18 September 2026. A new Palawa-led “Kunanyi Walk” experience has launched on kunanyi/Mt Wellington, and BODHI Spa Group will open its first Tasmanian bathhouse at The Tasman in September 2026.
MONA has also signed an agreement to develop Mona Bangkok, taking the museum’s brand to an international audience, while DarkLab has unveiled plans for a 150-room Hanging Garden Hotel in Hobart’s CBD.
Spring events calendar spans arts, food and wine
Key events include the Wynyard Tulip Festival on 10 October, the Tamar Valley Writers Festival headlined by Nigella Lawson from 15-19 October, Great Eastern Wine Week along the East Coast Wine Trail from 22-25 October, and the Tasmanian Craft Fair in Deloraine from 30 October to 1 November. kunanyi/Mt Wellington will also host the first combined Australian Mountain and Trail Running Championships from 19-21 March 2027.
For agents building Tasmania itineraries, the combination of improved flight access, new premium accommodation and a packed spring events calendar offers several fresh hooks for client bookings across food, wine, arts and nature-based experiences.
