As part of the Territory Labor Government’s Turbocharging Tourism initiative, the Northern Territory’s Tourism Industry Strategy 2030 released today aims to put the sector on a long term path to prosperity, projecting up to $3.6 billion in visitor expenditure and 3,900 new tourism jobs by 2030.
Developed in collaboration with industry, the strategy sets the direction for the next 10 years and an ambitious target of between 2.51 million and 3.03 million visitors, accounting for between $3.01 billion and $3.67 billion in expenditure by 2030.
In terms of holiday visitors, projections are for between 1.18 million and 1.45 million holiday visitors by 2030, and $1.46 billion to $1.79 billion in holiday visitor expenditure.
The plan is a significant collaboration between the NT Government, regional tourism organisations Tourism Top End and Tourism Central Australia, the local tourism industry and the Tourism NT Board of Commissioners.
The strategy identifies six objectives that will make a real impact on the trajectory of tourism in the NT including:
· Grow investment in the Northern Territory’s remarkable assets, product and regions;
· Strengthen and showcase the Northern Territory’s distinctive Aboriginal cultural tourism experiences;
· Through strategic marketing activities grow the value of the holiday market in the Northern Territory;
· Leverage and build events to drive visitation;
· Develop ongoing access to and within the Northern Territory; and
· Increase recognition of the value of tourism to the Northern Territory.
The strategy also includes specific actions to achieve identified goals in the short, medium and long-term to attract more visitors to the NT, help the tourism sector deliver diverse, quality experiences while creating jobs for Territorians and encouraging private sector investment.
Visit www.tourismnt.com.au to view the Northern Territory’s Tourism Industry Strategy 2030 Summary Report.
Quotes from Minister for Tourism, Sport and Culture, Lauren Moss:
“The Territory Labor Government is investing in the tourism sector through the Turbocharging Tourism initiative to sustainably grow the sector and create more jobs for Territorians.
“A strong, competitive tourism sector benefits Territorians in many ways. It adds billions of dollars to our economy and currently accounts for one in eight jobs in the NT with a total of 17,100 jobs supported.
“This strategy will help guide investment and development over the next 10 years, and assist the government and industry to make the most of what the Territory has to offer visitors.”
Quotes from Tourism NT Chair, Michael Bridge:
“The development of the 2030 strategy has been a great opportunity for government and industry to work together.
“The process ensured everyone who wanted to contribute had the opportunity to do so, hence there should be a strong sense of ownership across all levels of government and the private sector.
“Just as importantly, the new strategy helps articulate each stakeholder’s obligations and commitments to ensuring the tourism sector continues to grow and prosper in the NT.
“Previous strategic plans have been too government/agency-centric and, as such, a great deal of the heavy lifting was assumed to be the responsibility of a relatively small NT government agency as opposed to being more broadly supported by industry, all NT Government departments, and Commonwealth and local governments.”
Quotes from Tourism Central Australia Chair, Dale McIver:
“As one of the best natural environments in the world, we need to exceed visitor expectations by ensuring we provide the very best experiences.
“The new Tourism strategy provides a map for how to get where we want to go.
“The 2030 Tourism strategy will provide Tourism Central Australia and our members with the mechanism for tracking how we are performing in our efforts to build tourism in the Territory.”
Quotes from Tourism Top End General Manager, Glen Hingley:
“Over the last decade, the tourism industry has faced significant challenges, including the natural resource boom with the fly in fly out (FIFO) worker phenomenon occupying most flights and rooms displacing holiday visitors, which has made for extremely difficult times for many tourism operators across the Top End.
“This year the tourism industry has reported positive growth, yet we are still in the relatively early stages of witnessing the long-term recovery of the Top End’s visitor economy.
“The Northern Territory’s Tourism Industry Strategy 2030 is an important investment in the future economy in the Territory and will ensure we are operating with a shared vision.”
Media Contact: Lisa Sennett 0436 929 858 lisaj.sennett@nt.gov.au