New Top End passport opens the door for cruise ship passengers on short-stay visits

The new Top End passport will be mandatory reading for the thousands of cruise ship visitors spending a day on land in Darwin. Read what the tourism guide includes.

Cruise ship passengers disembarking in Darwin are being handed a free passport to the Northern Territory on arrival.

But Australian Border Force doesn’t need to panic.

The bespoke booklet is a passport to fun, containing information of things to do and places to see, for short-stay visitors arriving in Darwin as part of the growing share of the lucrative national cruise ship market.

Pre-Covid, cruise ship visitors contributed $60m annually to the NT economy and the Government and tourism industry hope it will again hit those heights next year.

This season, 50,000 passengers are expected to disembark in Darwin between October and April and the challenge for them is how to maximise their fun during the day-long stay in the Top End.

Tourism Top End's Glen Hingley and Tourism Minister Nicole Manison in front of the 1900-capacity Westerdam.

Introducing the passport – a pocked sized compendium of eateries, visitor spots and attractions first distributed earlier this month when the 11-storey Westerdam disembarked almost 2000 passengers at Stokes Hill Wharf.

Among the Top End Tourism staff and volunteers greeting them with the free passport was Tourism Top End chief executive Glen Hingley, who said the Westerdam’s passenger-count was equivalent to 15 commercial 737-aircraft landing in Darwin.

“One of the things that constantly cruise ship passengers get off and ask for is what can I do, where are the things,” he said.

“We’re giving them maps but they’re looking for more information and despite everyone having a digital equipment in their pocket in the smart phone they still want the printed material.

“We put this out and this is where the industry puts their money where its mouth is. They’re doing all the digital marketing but they still want something printed. It’s easy to go in someone’s pocket, easy to go in their purse.”

Each advertisement cost businesses $105 and the first edition was oversubscribed within 24-hours.

Phat Mango is one of the businesses featured in the Top End passport. Picture Glenn Campbell

More than 50 advertisers took up the offer including restaurants, tourism operators, fish charters, gift and fashion boutiques, a book exchange, shopping centres, a laundromat and church.

Mr Hingley said the passport will complement the soon-to-be-released $250,000 Top End holiday guide will soon be released.

“Visitors to the Top End have done their Googling and done their searching and they turn up here and they want to talk to a local and they want something they can carry around with them, have a beer, have a coffee in the shade and have a bit of a think about what they want to do.

“From an industry point of view, keep it simple. Here’s my business, this is where I am, here’s the benefit to come and use my business. These are the simple things connecting 2000 people getting off at port to the economic benefit to them actually being here.”

The Top End passport is also available free at the Top End visitor centre and will be placed at Darwin Convention Centre for big delegations.