NT tourism ‘bucking the national trend’

Territorians aren’t travelling ‘in their patch’ but others are!

A report just released by Tourism Research Australia shows that, when compared with the year ending December 2006, the number of Territorians travelling around the NT has fallen 7.3% but there has been an increase in the average length of stay of ‘holiday visitors’ from 8 to 9 nights, higher than the national average of 6.5 nights – ‘bucking the national trend’ towards shorter trips.’

The NT’s growth rate of interstate holiday nights has outstripped national figures with:

• a 30.8% increase, more than double the national increase which increased by 15.2%;
• 49,000 additional interstate visitors, an increase of 15.8%;
• an overall domestic holiday visitor numbers increase of 8% – well above the national average of 6.9% growth;

AND there has also been

• a 7.1% increase in international holiday visitors to the Territory.

Tourism Minister Paul Henderson in his Press Release 15 March said:

“It shows that the increase of $10 million to Tourism NT’s base level funding is
paying dividends and confirms that our ‘Share our Story’ marketing campaign is
working.”

I suppose in business there are always winners and losers. These figures are really good news for Territory tourism operators but all summer my thoughts have been with businessowners in the bushfire areas, especially in the Victorian high country, as the fires followed a ‘non-existent’ snow season……..really tough.