Number of travellers arriving at Darwin airport getting smaller

THE number of travellers coming through the gates at Darwin International Airport fell by 30,000 people in the past year.

Tourists in the Territory

THE number of travellers coming through the gates at Darwin International Airport fell by 30,000 people in the past year.

Some tourism businesses blame the downturn on the multi-billion dollar Inpex gas project.
A new customs report shows Darwin passenger numbers dropped 7.5 per cent to 390,611 in 2012-13, compared to 421,107 the previous financial year.
Darwin Reef and Wrecks fishing charter boss Jim Bancroft said Inpex workers had clogged up city accommodation, strangling the tourism industry.
"They've also driven up the cost," he said.
"Tourists aren't coming here because it's so expensive. You pay top dollar for a two-star room these days."
Mr Bancroft, who has worked in the NT for 30 years, said 90 per cent of tourism businesses in the Top End were suffering and the problems flowed down to small businesses.
He said he was braced for another five hard years.
NT Tourism Minister Matt Conlan said the Top End holiday market would suffer as hotels shifted stock to provide long-term accommodation for major projects.
He said the Government had spoken to hoteliers about lowering room prices on weekdays and packages to improve guest capacity.
The number of visitors to the NT has steadily declined since 2000.
Mr Conlan said he hoped the new Malaysia Airlines base in the NT would help.
Darwin is the only terminal where passenger numbers dropped in 2012-13, according to a table in the Customs and Border Protection annual report.
An Inpex spokesperson said the company was mindful of the possible displacement problems caused by "non-locals" because of "increased demand for accommodation and had developed a number of strategies to minimise potential impacts."