Welcome to the Tourism NT Industry Update providing you with the latest news, information about grants and programs, events and training opportunities.

VISITOR ECONOMY TO POWER TERRITORY'S FUTURE

We are developing a new Northern Territory Visitor Economy Strategy 2032 that will set the direction for how we grow, invest, and work together in the Territory.

The Northern Territory Visitor Economy Strategy 2032 will aim to build on our strengths and continue to grow our visitor economy, while supporting and sustaining local businesses and industry.

The Strategy will focus on three priorities:

celebrating our character through showcasing the depth of our nature, culture, and creativity to deliver real and distinctive events and experiences
maximising our location by leveraging our position as Australia’s northern gateway to Asia to grow international markets, boost connectivity, and strengthen our position in global tourism networks
driving sustainable growth by balancing increased visitation with preserving our natural and cultural heritage, ensuring benefits flow to future generations.

The NT’s visitor economy encompasses not only holiday tourism, it also includes visiting friends and family, travelling for business, attending conferences, events and festivals, working temporarily in the Territory and international students. It is a key driver of the Northern Territory’s economic recovery, community strength, and quality of life.

As part of developing the new Strategy, a discussion paper is out for feedback, we want to hear from industry to help shape and inform the strategy.

We aim to develop a shared plan that helps deliver benefits, builds on our strengths, and continues to grow our visitor economy, while building and sustaining local businesses and industry.

We invite you to take our survey and contribute your ideas and views.

Read more

NEWS

GET INVOLVED IN THE 'BEST KEPT SEASON'

The ‘Best Kept Season’ campaign launched on 2 September, encouraging interstate visitors to explore the Northern Territory during the low season for fewer crowds, great deals, and seasonal experiences.

The new, collaborative low season campaign between Tourism NT, Tourism Central Australia, Tourism Top End and NT Major Events Company encourages visitors to explore the NT’s ‘Best Kept Season’.

The national advertising campaign is reinforced with conversion and deal-focused messaging, delivered through key trade partners including Jetstar, Qantas, Tripadvisor, Luxury Escapes, Travel Auctions, Expedia, Helloworld, and NT Now.

Running until 30 November, the campaign includes paid media, PR, social media and trade partnerships. Leverage the campaign to drive bookings for your business.
Download the toolkit HERE

DESTINATION NT - PARTNER WITH US AND GET INVOLVED

Destination NT will take place from 4 to 8 November 2025 and tourism, events and hospitality businesses and organisations are invited to get involved - Connect, Collaborate, Celebrate!

Partnership opportunities are now available! Or host an event alongside the official program. Take advantage of this great opportunity to showcase your product with your peers and key stakeholders. Whether you're a small operator, large organisation or peak-body, consider getting involved by hosting:

networking events
tastings or pop-up dining experiences
behind the scenes tours
pre or post touring options
post-Brolgas recovery event.

Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with tourism, event and hospitality participants from across the NT and Australia.

Watch this space...registrations opening soon!

INFLUENCERS VISITING DARWIN

influencers Darren Robertson (@darrenrobertsonfood) and Magdalena Roze (@magdalena_roze) visited Darwin recently.

They attended the Darwin Festival and explored the Waterfront precinct, our culinary scene and also ventured out to Berry Springs. The pair visited with their children highlighting Darwin to their more than 200,000 followers.

Check out Magdalena's videos on Instagram showcasing Darwin!

TOURISM NT FAMIL PROGRAM - REGISTER YOUR INTEREST

Tourism NT run various familiarisation (famil) programs throughout the year with social media influencers, media/journalists and travel trade. We invite these guests to familiarise themselves with your product or experience so they can share it with either their social media audiences, media publications, customers looking to book a holiday and international travel distribution networks.

The benefit for your business to be included in a famil includes media exposure or increased customer sales.

When looking for operators to be included in our famil programs, we consider the following:

bookable product
export ready product (mandatory for international famils)
high quality product or experience
a product or experience that is newsworthy and/or unique product that aligns with the specific interest area of that famil, eg. Aboriginal culture, luxury, adventure etc.
an operator that is willing to offer the famil booking either at a discounted rate or FOC
product that has availability in line with the scheduled dates of the famil.

If you would like to express your interest in being involved in a Tourism NT famil, please complete the form here: https://northernterritory.com/familEOI

TOURISM NT ATTENDS MARKETPLACE EVENTS

Tourism NT recently attended Tourism Australia’s Australia Marketplace South East Asia and India, meeting with 160+ tourism trade partners to educate them on the NT.

Destination knowledge was strong with Singaporean and Malaysian buyers, with interest boosted by Air Asia’s new route. We will continue working with trade in these markets to increase awareness and consideration.

NEW BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY AT WANGI FALLS - EXPRESSION OF INTEREST NOW OPEN

If you ever dreamed of running a café, retail store or tourism experience in one of the Northern Territory’s most visited destinations now is your chance.

The Department of Tourism and Hospitality is seeking Expression of Interests (EOI) from experienced operators to manage one or both commercial spaces at the Wangi Centre, right beside the world-famous Wangi Falls in Litchfield National Park.

With a term of up to 10 years, this opportunity offers the perfect platform to grow your business, delight visitors and be part of an iconic Territory destination.

Two spaces are available:

food and beverage space – perfect for a café, takeaway or your signature culinary concept.
versatile indoor shopfront – ideal for retail, tourism services, arts, or other unique visitor experiences.

The EOI opened on Monday 25 August 2025 and closes on Sunday 5 October 2025.
A site inspection will be held on Tuesday 9 September 2025 at 10.00am.

To attend, you must register via email to [email protected] no later than Friday 5 September 2025.

For full details and how to submit your proposal visit: dth.nt.gov.au/wangicentreeoi

EXPRESSION OF INTEREST NOW OPEN - WINDOW ON THE WETLANDS SITE

The Department of Tourism and Hospitality is inviting Expression of Interests to revitalise the Window on the Wetlands (WOW) site. Located 70km east of Darwin and overlooking the Adelaide River floodplains, the WOW site is a Top End landmark with cultural, environmental and tourism significance.

This is an opportunity to shape a standout visitor experience at an iconic location and showcase the landscape, and celebrating culture, community and Country.
Do you have a vision for the WOW site? We would love to hear from you.
For more information, please email [email protected]

A site inspection will be held on 23 September at 10:00am. To attend you must register via email to [email protected] no later than 19 September.

Expressions of Interest closes 5 October 2025.

NORTHERN TERRITORY GOVERNMENT - STATE SQUARE BUILDING OPPORTUNITY

The Northern Territory Government has opened an Expression of Interest (EOI) process for the future use of the State Square Building in Darwin’s Civic and State Square precinct.

The State Square Building is a high-spec, architecturally designed shell comprising 3 above ground storeys and a basement. It features high ceilings, advanced climate control and back of house provisions and is positioned between Parliament House and the Darwin Waterfront.

The EOI is currently open and closes on Monday 20 October 2025 (ACST).

This notice is being shared for awareness across stakeholder networks. Please feel free to circulate to relevant parties.

For queries regarding the EOI process, please visit the website or get in touch via [email protected]

MAGUK ROAD UPGRADE TENDER OPEN

In partnership, the Australian and Northern Territory Governments are delivering upgrades to key tourism roads in Kakadu National Park. Upgrades to Kubara Road, Maguk Road, Gimbat Road, Gunlom Road and Jim Jim Falls Road will improve access to key park attractions, supporting growth of annual visitation numbers and economic development for the region.

Maguk Waterfall is a popular attraction in Kakadu National Park. Maguk Road and the day use track will be upgraded to improve access, safety and environmental protection.

The works will be delivered in stages from 2025 to 2027 and will be conducted under traffic management, ensuring that roads and attractions remain open.

The tender for the Maguk Road upgrade is open at Tenders Online. The tender closes on the 1 October 2025.

Early works for Maguk Road upgrades are planned for late 2025, the remainder of works occurring in 2026.

MEET WITH TOURISM NT IN YOUR REGION

Our Industry Development team supports tourism businesses across the Territory through face-to-face industry consultations. In August, the team met with operators in Litchfield and Batchelor, along the Plenty Highway, and up the Binns Track into the Davenport Ranges. These trips support existing businesses and connect with those aspiring to develop future tourism product and experiences across the Territory.

In September, Tourism NT will be visiting the Katherine and Mataranka region, as well as the Tanami and Barkly regions. If you are a tourism business in these areas and would like to arrange a meeting, please email us at [email protected].

DO YOU HAVE ACCESSIBLE TOURISM OFFERINGS?

Help us promote the NT as an inclusive destination by sharing your accessible offering.

Tourism NT is continuously updating its digital assets and itineraries on northernterritory.com and we’re looking for tourism, events and hospitality businesses across the Territory that are improving their accessibility.

Whether you’ve made upgrades to wheelchair-friendly facilities, sensory-inclusive experiences, adaptive tours, or other accessibility-focused initiatives, we want to hear from you and help spread the word. You can provide information here.

If you have any questions or want to discuss your accessible offering, please contact the Industry Development team at Tourism NT via email on [email protected]

GET INVOLVED IN THE KANGAROO MARKETING CAMPAIGN

Tourism NT is launching a 2025 Kangaroo campaign, inviting interstate visitors to explore Alice Springs and experience where the new StudioCanal film Kangaroo was made. Running 18 September–17 October 2025, the campaign includes paid media, PR, and trade partnerships.

An Industry Toolkit will be shared on 18 September.

TOURISM NT AND TRIPADVISOR GLOBAL CAMPAIGN

Tourism NT is partnering with Tripadvisor to inspire high-yield travellers from Australia, the US, UK, Germany and Canada to choose the Northern Territory for their next holiday. The campaign will showcase the Territory’s rich culture, vibrant festivals and iconic itineraries, helping international travellers plan their NT adventure with confidence.

A new Tripadvisor content hub will bring the NT to life through videos, maps, reviews and booking links. From spotlighting signature events and art to guiding travellers with curated itineraries, the hub will be a one-stop shop for those considering a trip to the NT. The campaign will also be supported by social media, online advertising and exclusive offers to drive conversion.

Running from 1 September 2025 to 30 June 2026, the campaign’s first burst (1 September – 31 October) will feature a 15% discount on NT experiences through Tripadvisor and Viator. This flash sale supports Tourism NT’s Best Kept Season campaign to incentivise travel over the low season to increase appeal, intention and conversion to the NT by delivering direct bookings to NT tourism operators.

Campaign partners

This campaign is delivered in collaboration with Tripadvisor and Viator, leveraging their global reach and trusted platforms to engage travellers at every stage of the decision-making journey.

How to get involved
NT tourism operators and businesses are encouraged to update their Tripadvisor and Viator listings, ensuring products and photos are current, to maximise visibility. If you don’t already have a listing, you can create one for free via this link . For step-by-step instructions, see the Get Your Business On Tripadvisor guide.
Approvals generally take 3–5 working days, with confirmation sent via email once processed.

TRADE FAMILS HIT THE NT THIS SEPTEMBER

Tourism NT is proud to be partnering with our China office, Tourism Australia and Singapore Airlines this September to deliver a series of impactful travel trade famils.

These include two groups from China experiencing the Top End, and a Scandinavian famil discovering the Red Centre. Designed to showcase the Northern Territory’s unique experiences, the programs feature participants from Tourism Australia’s Premier Aussie Specialist program alongside key international buyers.

These famils present an excellent opportunity for industry, with 36 delegates in the NT for a collective 16 hotel nights across 10 hotel properties, a minimum of 15 tourism operators showcasing a multitude of experiences and activities in each program, and a host of hospitality venues featured across each region. The timing couldn’t be better, with one Chinese group exploring the Top End immediately after the excitement of Darwin’s MXGP!

GRANTS

ABORIGINAL TOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN NORTHERN TERRITORY PARKS AND RESERVES GRANT PROGRAM

The Aboriginal Tourism Development in Northern Territory Parks and Reserves Grant Program is assisting NT majority owned Aboriginal businesses and organisations to develop Aboriginal cultural tourism experiences and tourism product for NT park visitors.

There are 85 parks and reserves across the NT. This grant program is complementary to the recently released tourism development investment framework recently released to generate new tourism product in the Parks estate.

Tourism NT is providing a non-competitive funding pool of $400,000 (excluding GST). Applications are now open and can be submitted for:

a minimum funding value of $10,000 (excluding GST)
up to a maximum funding value of $100,000 (excluding GST).

To find out more contact Tourism NT's Aborignal tourism team by email: [email protected] or phone: 08 8999 7420.
Applications can be made at grantsnt.nt.gov.au

EVENTS

SCREEN SUMMIT

Screen Territory is putting the industry in the spotlight with its 2025 ‘NT on Screen’ program. The program includes red carpet premieres and a free two-day NT Screen Summit symposium. The program coincides with the Darwin International Film Festival.

The NT Screen Summit on Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 September provides unprecedented access for NT creatives to top decision-makers and commissioners across streaming services, production companies, distributors, funding agencies and story developers. People working or interested in the industry will have the opportunity to hear from over 50 delegates, including CEO of Screen Australia, the Head of Originals at Prime Video and MGM Amazon Studios, CEO of Beyond Productions, CEO of Studiocanal ANZ, CEO of Ausfilm and the Head of Unscripted Originals at Foxtel.
Register at: https://screenterritory.nt.gov.au/summit

The NT on Screen workshop program aims to foster professional development of the incredible talent existing in the Northern Territory, and includes:

A ‘Directing Masterclass’ by acclaimed Australian director Kriv Stenders (NCIS: Sydney, Danger Close, The Correspondent, Red Dog) to build craft skills for emerging and mid-career Territorian directors and actors. 22-24 September 2025.
‘The Freelancer Life’ and ‘You Can Get In: How to Job Hunt for the Screen Industry' presented by Screen Careers on 18 September 2025.
An ‘Audience Development Masterclass’ presented by award winning Haven’t You Done Well Productions aimed at fostering an understanding of audience-targeted games development and direct-to-audience screen content on 19 September 2025.

Register at https://screenterritory.nt.gov.au/workshops

NT on Screen 2025 screening events

Kangaroo – Wednesday 17 September, Event Cinemas Palmerston
Top End Bub - Friday 19 September, Deckchair Cinema
Tickets available via Darwin International Film Festival www.diff.net.au.

NZ IN-MARKET TRADE EVENTS - AUCKLAND, WELLINGTON AND CHRISTCHURCH 2026

NT operators are invited to register their interest in joining our New Zealand in-market roadshow, taking place in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch from 10 – 12 February 2026.

This three-day program includes evening events in both cities, offering an excellent platform to connect face-to-face with the New Zealand travel trade, strengthen existing relationships, and introduce your product to new agents and wholesalers. These events attract engaged travel professionals looking for fresh ideas and experiences to sell to their clients.

Participating operators will cover their own travel expenses, a small registration fee and provide a prize for each event, helping to inspire agents and keep the NT top of mind.

Secure your place by 16 September 2025 – register here.

OCTOBER BUSINESS MONTH 2025 PROGRAM

The calendar of events for October Business Month 2025 has been released with over 200 events to help Territory businesses grow. More than 70 event partners will deliver a wide range of events, workshops and networking opportunities across the Territory.

This year’s theme is Play to Our Strengths, with a focus on digitalisation, using AI to implement technology, workforce attraction and talent retention, and resilience in business.

OBM platinum sponsor NAB will bring economist Tapas Strickland, Head of Market Economics at NAB to Darwin and Alice Springs to provide an update on the Territory’s economy.

A highlight event, the Business Support Showcase in Alice Springs, brings together service providers from the Australian Government, Northern Territory Government, and a range of non-government organisations to share practical tools, resources, and advice to help Territorians grow their business.

Other highlight events include the first Darwin Rural Business Connect networking event in Humpty Doo, hosted by AusIndustry, and the Business Futures Forum – an event designed to shape the Future of Business in Palmerston.

Check out 'Visitor Economy to Power Territory's Future session on Friday 3 October from 1:00pmto 4:30pm.

Learn more and book now at obm.nt.gov.au

OCEANIA CUP HAPPENING IN DARWIN

International hockey returns to the Northern Territory this week with the Oceania Cup being played in Darwin. Test matches continue until Sunday 7 September! The event showcases our Hockeyroos and Kookaburras going head-to-head with the women's and men's New Zealand national teams, the Vantage Black Sticks.

These events are a great opportunity to experience world-class competition here in the Top End with six Test matches taking place at Darwin's MWT Hockey Centre. The stakes will be high with the event doubling as a qualifier for the next FIH Hockey World Cup in 2026.

RED CENTRENATS

Taking place from Friday 5 September, don't miss this festival of wheels this weekend! The Red CentreNATS has an action-packed program full of street cruising, drag racing, burnouts, show cars and more.

The event draws people to our region and creates another great liveability activity for locals, in addition to positively profiling Alice Springs. Visitors will no doubt stay for a while and enjoy the unique landscape and attractions of the Red Centre.

MXGP OF AUSTRALIA

MXGP of Australia is nearly here! From 19 to 21 September, the world’s greatest riders, teams and bikes will descend on the Top End to put on one of the greatest shows in the motorsport calendar.

Over three thrilling days elite riders will compete on a purpose-built track at Hidden Valley across MXGP, MX2 and WMX categories.

The 1.61km track is built to MXGP international standards, featuring massive jumps, high-speed straights, and technical obstacles that will challenge the best riders in the world. With 22 corners, 21 jumps, and a 90-metre start straight that crosses the iconic Hidden Valley Road Racing Circuit, this track is as unique as it is intense.