Editorial: Tourism dollars need to be spent wisely with overseas travel off the cards

IT’S understandable the NT Government wants to get international travel booming again but we also need to ensure we’re getting bang for our buck

• Government forks out $1.2 million to market the NT to Europe

THE Prime Minister said that international travel might not return to normal by the end of 2021.

This means the Northern Territory looks like it’s still a long way off from welcoming back overseas tourists any time soon.

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Which is why the NT Government had a few people scratching their heads this week when it awarded a contract worth up to $1.2m to an overseas company to market the NT to European tourists, with a special focus on those from the UK and Germany.

Stage one of this project is expected to get underway next month despite the fact that tourists from these countries aren’t currently able to come to Territory.

Australia’s international travel ban has been extended until March 2021 and Scott Morrison has also warned that international travel still might not be back to normal at the end of the year.

It’s understandable the government wants to get international travel booming again as the ban is lifted but we also need to ensure we’re getting bang for our buck.

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The NT isn’t in the financial position to be throwing money around and it’s still not that clear how the government plans to engage these European markets when many places like the UK are still struggling to get through another wave of COVID-19.

Tourism is so important to the NT and we need to make sure funds are spent effectively to get the industry back on its feet again.

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