2024 Brolga Tourism Awards are now open for nominations

Nominations are now open for the 2024 NT Brolga Awards, celebrating the very best of NT tourism and hospitality businesses.
Territory tourism, hospitality, accommodation, festival and events providers are encouraged to nominate for one of the 26 award categories. The awards recognise the efforts and excellence of Territorians working in the industry with individual and employee accolades announced on the night.
Nominating for an award could elevate your businesses reputation, accelerate marketing and publicity, foster continued improvement and provide opportunities for business networking.
Find out more and nominate now!

NEWS

Talking up tourism

Minister for Tourism and Hospitality Joel Bowden announced earlier this month the Territory Government is injecting $68 million into our tourism sector in the 2024-25 Budget, - which includes $6 million extra funding to support the sector and talk up the Territory to our biggest visitor markets.
The recently announced boost will see $3 million for attracting international visitors to the Territory and a further $3 million for cooperative marketing with airlines that have brought more airline routes and more passenger capacity to the NT through the Territory Aviation Attraction Scheme.

Tourism boost for Centre and the Barkly

The Northern Territory Government is boosting the Central Australia and Barkly destinations by investing more than $7.7 million into iconic Central Australian attractions and water infrastructure projects to support tourism.

In addition $3.5 million will be allocated to develop and implement a 10-year strategic plan for the National Road Transport Museum in Alice Springs, including an audit of its collections, an interpretation plan for visitors as well as capital works at this iconic museum and attraction.

Explore NT

In partnership with the Australian Tourism Export Council (ATEC), Tourism NT welcomed over 100 delegates to Darwin in April for the inaugural Explore NT B2B event. This was the first ATEC event in region since 2018 and an incredible opportunity to bring together local sellers with buyers from across Australia. The event included a new product pitch session, a full day of B2B meetings between operators and ITOs, with over 1200 meetings conducted, along with networking opportunities.
Buyers also attended famils pre and post event to experience product in the Red Centre, Kakadu, Litchfield, Katherine and Darwin.

Find out more about Tourism NT’s business support

Singapore Airlines ramping up

Singapore Airlines now flies every day of the week between Darwin and Singapore. More flights mean better access to lower fares, and flexibility for visitors and Territorians to travel any day of the week. Singapore Airlines provides one-stop connectivity between Darwin and a range of cities in Asia, UK, Europe and North America via its Singapore-hub.

The latest economic data for tourism in the NT

For 2022-23, the NT Tourism Satellite Account's summary reported that the total tourism Gross Value Added (GVA) in the NT was $2.2 billion (a 53% increase compared to the previous year), supporting a total of 16,300 jobs (or 11% of the Territory’s total employment).
During the same period, the Tourism Business factsheet reported there are 1,448 employing tourism businesses in the NT.

PRODUCT UPDATES

VEEP grants closing soon

Using a Tourism NT Visitor Experience Enhancement Program (VEEP) grant, The Locals in Alice Springs recently completed an enclosed alfresco dining area, providing patrons with an option to enjoy the beautiful weather outside. The new area has proven to be popular with Centralians with many patrons opting to sit outside and enjoy a coffee and a chat in the cool breeze.

You too can improve your business, by applying for a Tourism NT VEEP grant. The grants are currently open for applications offering a total funding pool of $3 million for NT tourism and hospitality businesses for projects that improve the visitor experience.

Applications close 4:00pm, 7 May.

Get on board and apply now!

INDUSTRY OPPORTUNITIES

$1.4 million to develop Aboriginal tourism in joint managed NPs

NT majority-owned Aboriginal businesses and organisations can apply for funding to support developing Aboriginal tourism in our 33 joint managed parks and reserves.
The Aboriginal Tourism Development in NT Parks and Reserves Grant Program opened this week with a total funding pool of $1.4 million. This is a non-competitive grant round with funding between $30,000 and $100,000 available.
Applications close on 29 November 2024 or sooner if allocated budget is exhausted.

Aboriginal Tourism Grant Program

Applications for the Aboriginal Tourism Grant Program Round 7 are now open with a total $1 million funding pool on offer. Grants are available for NT Aboriginal majority owned businesses or organisations to develop or enhance Aboriginal cultural tourism experiences and tourism product in the NT.

Sustainability webinars for tourism operators

The Tourism Collective will be running the tourism operator webinar component of the Sustainability for Tourism Operators training program (4 x 1 hour webinars - one for each pillar) during April and May. The webinars are designed to bring the Sustainable Toolkit to life in a practical and easy-to-understand way.

EVENTS

NT Muster 2024

NT operators are invited to register their interest to attend this year’s NT Muster. The three day roadshow will be held from 10 – 12 September 2024 in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney.
Participation costs for the 2024 roadshow include a non-refundable $1300 registration fee, with travel and accommodation costs at your own expense.

Garrmalang Festival 2024

A celebration of Aboriginal cultures right in the heart of Darwin City will be held from 22 to 25 May 2024. There is something for visitors and locals, including live music, dance, comedy and more.

Taste of Kakadu

Immerse yourself in the rich Aboriginal culture in Kakadu and celebrate the unique flavours and traditions of the land. Indulge in a tantalising array of culinary delights, showcasing the finest local produce and traditional bush ingredients.
The festival will be held from 24 to 26 May 2024.

TOURISM NT WEB

Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade

GPO Box 1155, Darwin NT 0801