Alice Springs accommodation ‘almost at no vacancy’ for Melbourne v Port Adelaide game
Finding accommodation in Alice Springs for next weekend’s AFL match between Melbourne and Port Adelaide is almost impossible, a tourism peak body says.
Northern Territory
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ALICE Springs accommodation for next weekend’s AFL match between Melbourne and Port Adelaide is “almost at no vacancy”, a tourism peak body says.
Reigning premiers Melbourne take on Port Adelaide at Traeger Park on July 17, which will trigger an influx of interstate visitors.
It will be the third AFL match to be hosted by the Territory this year, after the Gold Coast Suns took on Hawthorn and North Melbourne earlier in the season at TIO Stadium in Darwin.
However, an online search of a variety of major accommodation providers revealed few options for tourists wanting to stay that weekend.
Booking.com is only offering four, six and 16-bed dorm rooms and accommodation at Kings Creek Station, hundreds of kilometres away.
Tourism Central Australia chief executive Danial Rochford told the NT News it was fast approaching a situation where the only option was to erect “tent cities” and locals to billet out visitors.
He said there was traditionally large demand during peak season but there had been a hefty surge for accommodation in recent weeks.
“I was hearing some of the sponsors for the event couldn’t even get rooms,” Mr Rochford said.
“We’re very much almost at no vacancy right across the town. We’re almost at capacity.
“It’s a huge boon for the tourism and local economy.
“It’s great news after what has been a very difficult few years with the pandemic, to have this shot in the arm is absolutely important for our rebounding.”
Mr Rochford said erecting tent cities or hotels increasing their capacity – like Lasseters Hotel Casino is planning to do – was the only way to deal with surging tourism interest.
“I think the next step is tent cities and getting that additional capacity,” he said.
“It’s something we can explore in the future ... where the town is fully booked.
“But we don’t want to have a tent city when rooms are still available.
“The other option is to increase the number of hotels in town. The future looks bright.”
Mor Rochford also said Tourism Central Australia fully supported the local council’s push for more sports tourism.
“Sports tourism is such a critical part of the future for Central Australia and the AFL has been a perfect example of a quality events coming to the Red Centre,” he said.
AFLNT general manager Sam Gibson was thrilled to welcome AFL back to Alice Springs after a year’s break.
Mr Gibson said it was clear the community of Alice Springs and the wider AFL community were greatly anticipating the game with tickets selling fast.
“We’re thrilled to welcome back the Demons to Alice Springs next weekend when they take on Port Adelaide,” Mr Gibson said.
“There is a real sense of excitement in the Red Centre in anticipation for the game which will showcase some of the best the AFL has to offer.
“Ticket sales have been strong as anticipated after a year of no AFL footy matches in Alice and it’s great to see the Territory community showing support for the travelling teams.
“The game has not yet sold out but we encourage those wishing to come to buy them online so they don’t miss out.”
Alice Springs Mayor Matt Paterson said he was not surprised the town was almost fully booked out.
“Coming out of Covid, we want more events on a national scale,” Mr Paterson said.
“You can feel the buzz in the air, it’s a fantastic time to be in Alice Springs.
“We’ve got Finke, the (Alice Springs) show and now AFL footy, it’s a special time.
“It helps a lot of small business who have had a rough couple of years.
“Speaking to a few businesses, they’ve been at capacity for a little while.”
Mr Paterson said the increase was welcome but stressed “we also don’t want to bottleneck their industry because people can’t come here for that reason”.
“I’m happy that they’re full but there’s obviously a balance we have to come to,” he said.
“We’ve had a few hotels come offline which has put stress on everyone else.”
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