Darwin Council wants to entice tourists and industry to the city

Darwin Council is looking into how to promote the municipality as a tourist destination.

DARWIN Council is looking into how to promote the municipality as a tourist destination, not only to draw tourism but to entice appropriate industries and commercial opportunities.

It comes with news international travel may not return for some years.

Darwin Council Innovation, Growth and Development general manger Joshua Sattler said it was important for council to put resources into tourism.

“There is a tourism emergency and there has been for quite some time,” he said.

“We’re working with Northern Territory government to support Darwin as a destination and the management of such.

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With news international travel may not return until 2024, Mr Sattler said the council had to capitalise on a potential increase of Australian tourists to ensure the have fond memories of their Territory experience.

“Darwin’s a sophisticated capital of Australia so from our perspective, it’s about fleshing out those experiences and putting them in front and centre,” he said.

“As we know too well, you know rocks, crocs and waterfalls are great for the Northern Territory we’ve got such a high level of sophistication here and Darwin, it’s critical we start exposing that to the rest of the country, and why not better time to do it now.”

Darwin Council Lord Mayor Kon Vatskalis said: “It’s important for council because it’s important for the local economy, it’s important for the local people to get employment in the tourist sector, the businesses, the hotels the restaurants, the Taxi drivers and the coffee shops in Darwin survive because of tourism and that’s why we want to attract more tourists here.”

“This is what we want to do and this is why we’re focusing on the development below the Esplanade, this so-called Lameroo Baths, we want to do a new waterfront, that will attract more tourists that will stay here, the same people who go to Cairns says, ‘wow, that’s really good. We want to come here and wow, it’s better than Cairns’.”

Mr Vatskalis said people had good memories of their holiday to the Top End but needed a bigger draw card to Darwin itself.

“I know some people said ‘oh people can leave Darwin with bad memories’, no that’s not true,” he said.

“Everybody I spoke to they actually like Darwin, the only thing they say there’s not what we need more to stay longer in Darwin, because we fly in we stay for a night and we go to Kakadu, to Litchfield and then fly out – can you offer us something more?”

The tourism strategy is part of Darwin’s economic development strategy 2030.

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