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Northern Territory tourism is suffering but these visitors still love it

Behind the headlines, there’s still tremendous fun to be had holidaying in the Territory. Read what’s behind the current tourism slump.

Darwin Harbour underwater drive record attempt

The combined effects of crime and eye-watering airfares has seen tourism operators report consecutive quiet years after an enormous 2022 visitor season.

As Australians emerged from lockdown, the Northern Territory became the destination-of-choice for travel-starved families as they fled lockdowns and soaked up the sunshine.

But a high-profile crime wave that grabbed national headlines, an Australia-wide cost-of-living crisis and domestic fares at international prices combined to drive a stake through the hearts of operators right across the Territory.

Tour operators in Litchfield are reporting a 25 per cent decline in tourists and fishing charters are down 50 per cent.

Chief Minister Eva Lawler and Police Minister Brent Potter on the announcement of Alice Springs snap 72-hour curfew.
Chief Minister Eva Lawler and Police Minister Brent Potter on the announcement of Alice Springs snap 72-hour curfew.

But there are still enormous rewards for those who make the trip north if perceptions and misconceptions are put aside.

Melburnian Melissa has visited the Territory twice before this week’s visit – once in the 1990s and once 10 years ago to bushwalk through the Katherine Gorge – and her partner Cameron is a first-timer who, after a few days, wondered why he hadn’t been here before.

They came to the Territory when another pre-planned holiday fell through and after five days in Darwin have driven to Katherine before another five days in Kakadu.

Melissa said she was surprised when a family member warned them to be careful in Darwin because the streets were not safe.

Undeterred, they paid the mind-blowing return airfares and had a great few days in the capital visiting Cullen Bay, the Waterfront, markets, Litchfield and clapping with 1000 others as the sun set over Mindil Beach thousands of kilometres from the single digit temperatures in their home city.

Mindil Beach’s famous sunset, taken on Thursday May 2 by Werner Kalin of Bellamack.
Mindil Beach’s famous sunset, taken on Thursday May 2 by Werner Kalin of Bellamack.

“It’s just beautiful here,” Melissa said. “It’s really lovely and Cameron can’t believe it. He wants to stay in Darwin another five days.”

The latest tourism figures showed the extent to which external factors have hit the Territory’s $2.7bn travel market.

In the 12 months to March, the Territory had 1.65m visitors, a decline of 3.2 per cent on the previous year, with average nights stayed dropping 0.4 per cent to seven and the average visitor spend increasing 5 per cent to $1658.

Operators said the sector was being propped up by the caravan market, mainly comprising senior travellers, and the cruise industry, which is bolstering Top End tourism but not flowing into the regions.

Last month, Alice Holiday Tours owner Mahesh Mahendra spoke publicly about issues around visitor safety.

“Visitors worry about their safety and about whether they will be safe if they walk the streets at night. Instead of 10 people coming for a tour previously, we might only get two this year and their priority is personal safety.”

Announcing a new Alice Springs curfew on Monday, Chief Minister Eva Lawler acknowledged the impact of crime on tourism operators and businesses generally.

“When I was at (Alice Springs) show I had discussions with tourism operators,” she said. “Of course they’re finding it really tough around the messaging around Alice Springs. If you’re on holidays, people want to go to a place where they feel safe.

“We’ll continue to make sure we are focused on reducing crime in Alice Springs so that visitors, but also locals, can enjoy the beautiful place that Alice springs.

”So yes, things like we’ve seen over the past few days impact on tourism in Alice Springs but this is part of the reason we brought in curfew legislation so the Police Commissioner has another string to his bow to address the issues and get on top of crime in Alice Springs.”

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Original URL: https://www.ntnews.com.au/business/nt-business/northern-territory-tourism-is-suffering-but-these-visitors-still-love-it/news-story/8b4ae513e9364a1c9e9c267f1904207f