Cheers all round after Boag's decision
Published on 26 January 2023
Launceston Mayor Danny Gibson has expressed his delight with the news that brewery giant Lion has reversed its decision to close the Boag's visitor centre and brewery tours.
Mayor Gibson applauded the announcement, singling out the collaborative approach taken by Premier Jeremy Rockliff to see the original decision by the brewer reversed.
"This is a wonderful announcement and I can only thank the State Government for taking the initiative on this and listening to everyone's concerns - particularly the staff and the broader community," Mayor Gibson said.
"We know that the Boag's visitor Centre and the tours are consistently ranked highly by visitor to Launceston through the feedback we receive to the Launceston Visitor Information Centre as well as a broad range of tourism websites.
"The decision by Lion to not only keep the visitor centre open and the tours operating, but to actually further enhance both of those experiences is incredibly exciting for Launceston.
"It will provide a much-needed boost to our visitor economy, as well as further enhance our region's UNESCO City of Gastronomy credentials."
Mayor Gibson also welcomed the announcement that Tasmanians would be able to undertake a brewery tour for free for the next 12 months.
"I encourage all Tasmanians to take up this wonderful offer and show their support for the brewery staff who were impacted by the original decision. They must be all breathing a huge sigh of relief following today's announcement."
On Wednesday last week, Lion announced that the Boag's visitor centre, brewery tours, bar and function hire would cease from the end of the month, blaming the ongoing challenges arising from the COVID pandemic.
Following that announcement, Mayor Gibson and Premier Rockliff met with Lion management to better understand its decision and to explore opportunities to reconsider the closures.
"I would like to think that the united and collaborative approach both the Premier and I took to discuss the issues with Lion ultimately led to a positive outcome for everyone in some way," Mayor Gibson said.