NT government spends $335k on new interstate tourism campaign

A TERRITORY tourism advertising blitz will kick off across the country today, aimed at getting interstate travellers to choose the Northern Territory for their next domestic holiday

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A TERRITORY tourism advertising blitz will kick off across the country today, aimed at getting interstate travellers to choose the Northern Territory for their next domestic holiday.

The $335,000 NT Tourism campaign will be promoting the Territory’s lively event season, focusing on Parrtjima: A Festival in Light in April, the Barunga Festival in June and Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair in August.

The national campaign — which will run until June 30 — will include digital advertising across NewsCorp Australia platforms, Starts at 60 and PEDESTRIAN.TV, as well as social media and programmatic advertising.

The Barunga Festival will return on June 11-13 after the event was cancelled last year due to COVID.

It will also include travel deals and packages with the Northern Territory’s trade partners including Webjet, NT Now and Luxury Escapes.

Tourism Minister Natasha Fyles said the campaign was designed to plant the Territory seed in travellers and drive interstate visitors to our diverse regions.

“The Northern Territory is home to a diverse line-up of incredible events, and we want the nation to know they’re here and getting better every year,” Ms Fyles said.

Parrtjima Festival will return to Alice Springs from April 9-18. Photo credit: James Horan

“This campaign will capture the attention of our interstate market, and drive tourism to the Territory, which will help keep locals in jobs.

“We know how hard the industry has been hit by coronavirus, and we want to capitalise on our lively event season.

The Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair will be held on Augus 6-8. Photo by Dylan Buckee

“The Territory is the safest place in the country – which is why events like these can go ahead.”

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The tourism campaign comes as a selection of the Parrtjima light installations and the artists and experts who created them will be introduced in an online preview available today through the Parrtjima Facebook page.

This year, the festival’s theme is Future Kultcha. It will focus on sharing Indigenous stories and wisdom between the generations through light installations, interactive workshops, performances and more.