This is the time of the year to prepare your tennis racquets, take a partner and have a hit, inspired by the professionals on display at the Caterpillar Burnie International.
Jason Simmons, tournament operations coordinator for Tennis Australia explained that the event would serve up an economic champion
“On the accommodation side of things, it’s been great to bring so many visitors into town. It’s actually created some problems for us because we are trying to find some accommodation for a lot of players, so from that side of things it’s great to know that the town is very well booked out,” he said.
“When players come they aren’t just spending money in the motel, but they are also going out for dinners and buying food and shopping in the local town.”
Mr Simmons stated that he was recently down at the Burnie waterfront where he witnessed several players visiting the penguins and exploring the local tourist sites.
“It’s great to be able to show off the Burnie region. The players take those fond memories and photos home and show all their friends and family,” he said.
He explained that the tournament was known and identified worldwide.
“We live-stream the event around the world; all the matches are live-streamed, so people see Burnie, so even if they’re not here they see Burnie on their computer screens,” Mr Simmons said.
“Players remember Burnie fondly. The event is known around the world. Lots of players that have played here in the past come back.”
“We used to follow the Australian Open, but now we are in the second week of the Australian Open which has improved the standard of the field quite noticeably,” Mr Simmons said.
