Born-and-bred Territorian secures Top End tourism role

A born-and-bred Territorian has secured a crucial new tourism role. Read who she is and what she plans to do.

A Territory local with a background in hospitality and tourism has been appointed to the Top End’s main tourism job.

Katherine-born Samantha (Sam ) Bennett will begin a new role as Tourism Top End general manager on August 28.

Her family, the Kerr’s, have a history of hospitality and aviation, Sam’s parents moved to Katherine with the RAAF, loved the lifestyle and stayed, and were publicans in Darwin city, Alice Springs, and Darwi nRural for 30 years.

Her appointment comes after two years on Tourism Top End’s board of directors which included implementing the organisation’s strategic plan under the governance of former general manager Glenn Hingley.

Samantha Bennett is the new general manager Tourism Top End.

She has spent the past seven years with the Royal Flying Doctor Service as tourism and operations manager and before that 15 years with Qantas in the Territory.

“I’m looking forward to working with our membership to put the Top End on the map and to make it the national destination to visit,” she said. “The job is about maximizing the destination and understanding from the membership and what are their challenges and what are the opportunities through working together.

“It’s also very much about bringing the membership together in collaborative partnerships to champion, shape and strengthen the Top End tourism industry. The Top End tourism sector has always benefited from working cooperatively in the Top End

She said Covid was a very challenging time for the tourism industry, and caused serve disruption, however it is now time to see “what the new world looks like”.

The cruise liner Orion at Stanley Island, Arnhem Land.

Part of that will be a greater focus on the cruise ship market which opens up remote coastal communities as potential destinations and also extends the Top End tourism season beyond the Dry.

The convention centre and business market is also right for the picking, with Tourism Top End primed to take care of visitors travel before and after the event.

“It’s about what we can do for the membership and how we can maximize the visitor information centre,” she said. “There’s a lot of hope in the cruise ship markets. We’re very concerned about aviation and all the things we’ve been through, but cruise ships give us hope that the low season will improve.

A storm lingers over the Tiwi Islands. Picture: Molly Faye

“I will focus on extending peoples stay and giving them a reason to stay by having enough new product.”

Other areas of potential growth include the Savannah Way linking Cairns and Broome through the NT, Katherine’s Big Rivers, the Tiwi Islands and Cox peninsula around Dundee Beach.

Tourism Top End chairman Shaun Pearce said Samantha’s local knowledge and tourism experience helped secure her the job from about 20 applicants.

“Samantha has a real passion for the Northern Territory and tourism and has been on the TTE board for last two years,” Mr Pearce said. “She knows the strategic plan and developed it and she has great knowledge of the tourism sector having been involved in previous role

“She’s very approachable, knowledgeable and knows the lay of the land, and she knows the operators. It’s very refreshing to have somebody come into a roll like this with her background.”