16 Sep 2015
Adam Giles
Chief Minister of the Northern Territory, Minister for Tourism
The Ooaramina Homestead will be upgraded, doggy day care established at a local caravan park and new shade structures installed at an Indigenous tourism experience at Uluru as a result of Northern Territory Government tourism infrastructure grants.
Chief Minister and Tourism Minister Adam Giles said the three projects were successful under the first round of the Government’s $4.75 million Tourism Infrastructure Development Fund.
“The Northern Territory Government is committed to expanding the range of tourism experiences on offer in the Territory, particularly in our regional and remote areas, so we can create more jobs and drive economic development in these communities,” he said.
“This is the largest Government investment in tourism infrastructure in the Territory’s history. It is a significant boost for the NT tourism industry that will help attract more visitors here and encourage them to stay longer.
“It has been fantastic to see significant interest from local operators wanting to improve their infrastructure, and while these projects are small in scale, they will make a huge difference to improving the overall visitor experience.”
Under the small scale category, tourism businesses can apply for grants of up to $30,000 to support new or establishing tourism businesses at any stage over the next 12 months.
The first Central Australia projects funded under the program
include:
Heritage Caravan Park (Alice Springs) $9500: installation of new facilities at the caravan park to allow guests to have their pet dogs looked after while they visit local tours and attractions during the day;
Maruku Arts (Uluru) $29,850: construction of four new shade structures to allow a more comfortable experience for guests attending the company’s interactive tourist dot painting and punu-making workshops;
Ooramina Homestead (Alice Springs) $26,300: infrastructure upgrades including a new cool room and air conditioning to meet demand for more conferences and events to be held at the homestead, located about 30 km from Alice Springs.
“A thriving tourism
industry will help to develop our regions, boost local businesses, create more
jobs and grow the Territory economy,” Mr Giles said.
“It’s all part of the Country Liberals Government’s plan to drive the development of North Australia and build a $2.2 billion visitor economy by 2020.”
Media Contact: Scott Whitby 0438 531 583