As part of theTerritory Labor Governments Turbocharging Tourism initiative, the NorthernTerritorys Tourism Industry Strategy 2030 released today aims to put thesector on a long term path to prosperity, projecting up to $3.6 billion invisitor expenditure and 3,900 new tourism jobs by 2030.
Developed incollaboration with industry, the strategy sets the direction for the next 10years and an ambitious target of between 2.51 million and 3.03 millionvisitors, accounting for between $3.01 billion and $3.67 billion in expenditureby 2030.
In terms ofholiday visitors, projections are for between 1.18 million and 1.45 millionholiday visitors by 2030, and $1.46 billion to $1.79 billion in holiday visitorexpenditure.
The plan is asignificant collaboration between the NT Government, regional tourismorganisations Tourism Top End and Tourism Central Australia, the local tourismindustry and the Tourism NT Board of Commissioners.
The strategyidentifies six objectives that will make a real impact on the trajectory oftourism in the NT including:
Grow investmentin the Northern Territorys remarkable assets, product and regions;
Strengthen andshowcase the Northern Territorys distinctive Aboriginal cultural tourismexperiences;
Through strategicmarketing activities grow the value of the holiday market in the NorthernTerritory;
Leverage andbuild events to drive visitation;
Develop ongoingaccess to and within the Northern Territory; and
Increaserecognition of the value of tourism to the Northern Territory.
The strategyalso includes specific actions to achieve identified goals in the short, mediumand long-term to attract more visitors to the NT, help the tourism sectordeliver diverse, quality experiences while creating jobs for Territorians andencouraging private sector investment.
Visit www.tourismnt.com.auto view the Northern Territorys Tourism Industry Strategy 2030 Summary Report.
As noted by Minister for Tourism, Sportand Culture, Lauren Moss:
The TerritoryLabor Government is investing in the tourism sector through the TurbochargingTourism initiative to sustainably grow the sector and create more jobs forTerritorians.
A strong,competitive tourism sector benefits Territorians in many ways. It adds billionsof dollars to our economy and currently accounts for one in eight jobs in theNT with a total of 17,100 jobs supported.
This strategywill help guide investment and development over the next 10 years, and assistthe government and industry to make the most of what the Territory has to offervisitors.
As noted by Tourism NT Chair, MichaelBridge:
The development of the 2030 strategy hasbeen a great opportunity for government and industry to work together.
The process ensured everyone who wanted to contribute had theopportunity to do so, hence there should be a strong sense of ownership acrossall levels of government and the private sector.
Just as importantly, the new strategy helps articulate eachstakeholders obligations and commitments to ensuring the tourism sectorcontinues to grow and prosper in the NT.
Previous strategic plans have been too government/agency-centric and,as such, a great deal of the heavy lifting was assumed to be the responsibilityof a relatively small NT government agency as opposed to being more broadlysupported by industry, all NT Government departments, and Commonwealth andlocal governments.
As noted by Tourism Central AustraliaChair, Dale McIver:
As one of thebest natural environments in the world, we need to exceed visitor expectationsby ensuring we provide the very best experiences.
The new Tourismstrategy provides a map for how to get where we want to go.
The 2030Tourism strategy will provide Tourism Central Australia and our members withthe mechanism for tracking how we are performing in our efforts to buildtourism in the Territory.
As noted by Tourism Top End GeneralManager, Glen Hingley:
Over the last decade, the tourism industry has faced significantchallenges, including the natural resource boom with the fly in fly out (FIFO)worker phenomenon occupying most flights and rooms displacing holiday visitors,which has made for extremely difficult times for many tourism operators acrossthe Top End.
This year the tourism industry has reported positive growth, yet weare still in the relatively early stages of witnessing the long-term recoveryof the Top Ends visitor economy.
The Northern Territorys Tourism Industry Strategy 2030 is animportant investment in the future economy in the Territory and will ensure weare operating with a shared vision.
