NT minister Nicole Manison’s India trip to lure flights, nurses

A Northern Territory minister will head overseas on another taxpayer-funded trip with the goal to attract flights and skilled workers. See where she’s going.

Tourism Minister Nicole Manison is set to go on her second overseas business trip this year. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

A Territory minister will jet off on another taxpayer-funded overseas trip, just weeks after the government copped criticism for a string of international travel.

Tourism Minister Nicole Manison revealed she along with at least one staffer will head to India next month to meet with international airlines, build on trade ties and lure nurses from the country of 1.4 billion people.

The NT News understands the trip will go for six days with visits to Mumbai, Kerala and Chennai on the agenda.

Ms Manison said India had risen to become the Territory’s fifth largest source of international visitors with 9000 travellers touching down over the last financial year.

“It’s going to be a very, very busy trip but part of that is going to be meeting with international airlines over there to look at the opportunities to connect the Northern Territory to India,” she said.

Tourism Minister Nicole Manison will visit India primarily to meet with international airlines and build tourism ties. Picture: Raveendran

“We have a fast growing middle class there and the other thing that we have is huge Indian communities that are growing in the Northern Territory.

“It’s about building on those ties, building trade, being able to build the opportunities to have more people come to the Northern Territory with high skill sets.”

Ms Manison said she and the other delegates would “proactively” seek to recruit Indian nurses, while meetings with Indian airlines could lead to another success after the government’s new aviation attraction scheme won over Bonza.

It comes after the government defended Chief Minister Natasha Fyles’ trip to the US last month, which cost taxpayers more than $90,000.

At the same time Infrastructure Minister Eva Lawler and one staffer went to Singapore at a cost of nearly $30,000.

Ms Manison’s trip to India will mark her second international trip and the fifth for the government this year.

The costs of the India trip as well as a more detailed itinerary are expected to be released next week.

It is understood this decision was made after the government copped backlash from the opposition and media for not releasing details ahead of its travel – something the party promised to do before they won office in 2016.