Despite a fuel crisis, rising cost of living pressures, and a plea from the prime minister, many Tasmanians seemed to make the most out of their Easter.
According to early anecdotal evidence from the Tourism Industry Council Tasmania (TICT), global conflicts and rising house costs haven't dampened Tasmanians' Easter spirit.
Across the aisle, operators reported a typical holiday weekend, however, concerns remain for how the rest of the year will play out.
A Parks and Wildlife Service spokesperson said early reports from staff indicate some remote sites had fewer visitors, but campgrounds and statewide visitation remained relatively strong over the Easter weekend.
The Ashgrove Cheese Dairy Door, situated along the Bass Highway between Launceston and Devonport and often a tourist hotspot, noticed an odd trend.
Marketing manager Anne Bennett described the Easter period, usually a busy one for Ashgrove, as a "mixed picture".
"The tourism was definitely being influenced by a mix of global uncertainty and cost-of-living pressures," she said.
"The lead-up to the break was stronger than last year, with good visitation. But this year, the main Easter weekend itself was quieter than we expected.
"On Monday, we did see more local visitors, and the RV travellers were definitely out and about and moving again."
Josef Chromy Wines, a winery and restaurant in Relbia - a short drive from Launceston - saw an uptick in visitors this year compared to 2025.
Direct-to-consumer marketing specialist for Josef Chromy Wines, Donovan Stull, said the restaurant and cellar door were up 10 per cent in visitation compared to the year prior, despite the restaurant closing for a wedding on the Saturday afternoon.
He also said Easter was a busy time for the winery, however, is subject to weather as the state enters autumn.
Both businesses noticed a new trend: fewer families and larger groups, and more couples.
At Ashgrove, there were more caravanners, couples and individuals carpooling.
"There were fewer young families, 20 to 30-year-olds with kids," Ms Bennett said.
"We predominantly market towards younger families, but the older cohort is more likely to have a little bit more of a discretionary spend."
Mr Stull noticed the same at Joseph Chromy wines
"Sunday, we had 75 guests, and Monday, we had 58, but with that being said, the majority of the bookings were for two people," he said.
"We didn't have too many large groups, but we had significantly more two packs that are coming in."
Fears for the future
For many businesses, Easter stood as the first test of how the rest of the year would play out, especially as Tasmania enters its quieter winter months.
TICT chief executive Amy Hills said going into the off-season, there are fears around how busy the period will be.
"The off-season is always challenging, but this year there are additional pressures that require a coordinated response," she said.
"The ongoing uncertainty around fuel supply is a major factor. Operators cannot plan or invest when they don't know what their costs will look like, whether their guests can afford to travel, or whether supply chains will hold up."
Mr Scull attributes the bump in visitor numbers to more people deciding to hunker down and explore their own backyard, as travelling interstate and overseas becomes unaffordable.
"I don't want to relive and think back to the COVID period, but I think that we are finding ourselves in a very early similar state, where people are not going to the mainland, they're not going interstate, but they're looking locally and wanting to enjoy the things that we do have here," he said.
Ms Barnett said she expects to see that upswing in local visitors during the winter months.
"Places like Ashgrove, our local community, our local customers are the most important customers. Tasmania. That's where most of our business is done," she said.
"It's really good to be positive and we're really hoping to see some shift towards local tourism, through the winter and the next few months."