Territorians need to capitalise on the NT’s appeal to southerners

TERRITORIANS have always known we live in the best place on Earth and now it seems the coronavirus pandemic has helped some of our southern brothers and sisters cotton on, with a significant number of Victorians in particular turning their eyes north.

Ebony Gall, Maddy Gallagher, Millie Lowndes and Gemma Lehmann have all made the move north to the Territory from Victoria. Picture: Che Chorley

TERRITORIANS have always known we live in the best place on Earth and now it seems the coronavirus pandemic has helped some of our southern brothers and sisters cotton on.

Victoria has now gone two full weeks without a single new case of COVID-19, and looks finally set to squash the virus out of existence – but the many weeks of lockdown has left more than a few residents contemplating a cold beer at one of the Territory’s very much open pubs.

Just like the rest of Australia and much of the world, the Territory’s economy has taken a hit from the global pandemic, and a lack of international arrivals and the commensurate decline in population hasn’t helped.

So the fact that Victorians like occupational therapist Gemma Lehmann and nurses Maddy Gallagher and Ebony Gall are turning their eyes to the Top End is cause for celebration and hopefully, as with their friend Millie Lowndes, their stay up north will convince them to encourage more of their mates to make the tropical sea change.

MORE NT NEWS EDITORIALS

Liquor Commission should approve Dan Murphy’s for Darwin now company has chosen new location

NT happy to roll out the welcome mat for more visitors from Victoria

Few surprises in Gunner’s first Budget as Treasurer

It also comes on the back of figures showing more than 200,000 Victorians took a trip to the Top End last financial year, splashing $286m of their tourist dollars into our local economy, and with most of that coming even before the pandemic hit.

On top of that, the Greater Melbourne area remains the last of the hot spots still active in the garden state, and with even that restriction looking set to lift in the not too distant future, attracting more Victorians to the Territory presents a real opportunity to help with the NT’s economic recovery in the wake of COVID-19.

OFFER EXTENDED: Amazing NT News subscription offer: Read everything for $1

With the future of international travel still up in the air, the Territory government and tourism industry should be focusing on the Victorian market as a way to tide us over until the world one day returns to business as usual.

And with next year’s dry season set to coincide with another bleak Victorian winter, the next few months represent the perfect time to consolidate the gains already made so the opportunity is not allowed to go to waste.