According to the Treasury, Tasmania will make a loss of $450 for each passenger that travels on The Spirit III from Sydney. This is because they are subsidising them to the tune of $2500 each and they only spend on average $2050.

I promise the Government of Tasmania that I will NOT travel on the Spirit III from Sydney if they will pay me $225, which is just half the loss they would have made had I come by sea. With this money I will be able to afford the return airfare from Melbourne and have a little spending money when I arrive.

And surely the loss will be greater than $450 because $2050 is not the net return to Tasmania, only the turnover.

A good proportion of sales must be going back to China to pay for the imported souvenirs etc.