Gift a tourism experience this Christmas

Are your family and friends coming to enjoy Summer in the NT or are you looking for a Christmas staycation at home? Give the gift of a travel or hospitality experience this Christmas with a gift voucher from Tourism Top End or Tourism Central Australia to use on all bookable products and services. From a Nit Nit Dreaming Two Gorge Tour, to an Outback Pub Safari to a relaxing staycation in the Red Centre, give lifelong memories this Christmas and help support our operators!

TOURISM TOP END GIFT VOUCHER

TOURISM CENTRAL AUSTRALIA GIFT VOUCHER

NEWS

Territory's best operators crowned

Territory businesses were recognised at the tourism industry’s night of nights, the 35th Brolga Awards, held last month in Alice Springs. Celebrating individual contributions as well as the best tourism operators and products across the NT, Char Restaurant and The Darwin Club were awarded the Chairman’s Choice for Tourism Excellence, as well as the Tourism Restaurants and Catering Services Award and Katherine Outback Experience was awarded Best Tourism Attraction. Good luck to our NT business category winners who will represent the NT at the 2022 Qantas Australian Tourism Awards in March 2023.

Cruise tourism on upward swing

In a sign that cruise tourism is on the upward swing, Darwin Port welcomed three ships last month including the Noordam, the Queen Elizabeth and the Viking Orion! Another three smaller ships will be coming in to Darwin Port this month including Seven Seas Explorer on t20 December, Regatta on 22 and Europa 2 on 23 December 2022. Check out the cruise schedule here

NT to be leading Aboriginal tourism destination

The Northern Territory Government is establishing the Northern Territory as the undeniable leader in Australia’s Aboriginal tourism sector. Last month saw the inaugural Aboriginal Tourism Forum take place in Darwin and the release of the second progress report on the Northern Territory Aboriginal Tourism Strategy 2020-2030.

Improving the Territory's town assets

The Northern Territory Government is continuing to improve visitor experiences in the NT with grants for five regional and town councils as part of the Tourism Town Asset Program, which aims to enhance and improve main streets and town centres for visitors. City of Darwin will undertake several projects including creating an online Accessible Darwin Platform, develop digital assets sharing Larrakia culture and install artwork to public restrooms along the Nightcliff foreshore.

LEARN MORE

New evening experiences underway

Tourism operators across the Northern Territory are creating new evening experiences for visitors, to enhance their attractions and encourage more tourists to visit the NT. The Adelaide River Inn and Daly Waters Pub are creating outdoor cinemas, to encourage families to stay longer, while the Katherine Outback Experience is developing a family friendly evening outdoor dining experience. In Alice Springs, Red Centre Adventures NT will have a new evening cycling tour to Simpsons Gap, with special tours conducted on full moons.

What's coming up in Domestic Trade Marketing?

From January to February, Tourism NT will be supporting the following cooperative trade marketing campaigns:

NT Now (always on until 30 June)
Expedia, Hotels.com and Wotif (16 January – 28 February)
Viator (1 – 28 February)
Webjet (1 – 28 February)
Go See (1 February – 30 April)
AAT Kings (20 February – 22 May)
Flight Centre (23 February – 22 March)

To get involved please reach out to these trade partners directly or email [email protected]

Boxing Day and New Year sales

To leverage the upcoming Boxing Day and New Year sales, the Domestic Marketing team are collating the best travel deals from our key distribution partners including Jetstar, Travello, NT Now, AAT Kings and more. Deals will be distributed to our email database, social media channels and via various earned media publications. Sale dates are 26 December 2022 to 2 January 2023. Deals will be live on our Deals and Offers page HERE

INDUSTRY OPPORTUNITIES

Attracting WHM initiative

ATEC, in partnership with Australian Chamber - Tourism is inviting members to become engaged in attracting working holiday makers to work in your business. The Australian Chamber - Tourism is inviting ATEC member businesses to provide an incentive to intending working holiday makers by offering to reimburse the visa fees for those arriving in Australia and securing a job with ATEC member employers before 30 April 2023.

REGISTER YOUR BUSINESS

Have your say - online bookings

With online booking platforms an important source of bookings for many tourism and accommodation providers, the Australian Government is seeking feedback on the use of price parity clauses and similar restrictions by online accommodation booking platforms in Australia. The consultation will assist to:

understand the extent to which price parity clauses or similar practices are being used by online booking platforms, and any impact this is having on the ability of Australian accommodation and tourism providers to set their own prices when guests contact them to book; and
identify if any action, including legislative change, is required to address this.

Stakeholders can provide feedback, or complete a short industry survey, up to 6 January 2023.

Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard

Ecotourism Australia, in partnership with Tourism Australia, have launched the new ‘Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard’. Open to all tourism businesses wishing to start their sustainability journey in a simple and affordable way, the program is a snapshot assessment of where a business is at in their journey. It complements Tourism NT’s Sustainable Tourism Action Plan and aligns to global sustainability criteria.

Identifying jobs in demand - Survey

The Industry Skills Advisory Council of the Northern Territory (ISACNT) is conducting their annual research surrounding workforce profiles and challenges employers face in attracting, upskilling, and retaining workers in the NT.

This research allows the NT Government to produce an NT Skilled Occupational Priority List and informs recommendations around funding and programs.

Help ISACNT to help you by completing the survey today.

COMPLETE THE SURVEY

Book Now grants

The Book Now grant program supports NT tourism businesses to establish an online booking system integrated on an existing website or establish a turnkey website that features a booking system. Tourism businesses can apply for up to $2,500, with a matched funding contribution required. This is a non-competitive grant with businesses able to submit applications up to 30 April 2023 or until funding is fully subscribed.

Domestic Distribution grants

The Domestic Distribution grant program supports NT tourism businesses to increase their product offerings in domestic distribution. Funding is available to contract advice to price product, determine distribution potential, assist with planning, packaging, product alignment or undertake domestic sales calls with travel trade. NT tourism operators can apply for grants from $1,000 up to $5,000 with a matched funding contribution required. This is a non-competitive grant with businesses able to submit applications up to 30 April 2023 or until funding is fully subscribed.

International Distribution grants

This grant program is designed to ensure NT tourism businesses are ready for the international tourism market. Funding is available to contract advice to price product with suitable rates including commission, determine distribution potential, receive advice on international marketing plans or to develop an export marketing plan. NT tourism operators can apply for grants from $1,000 to $5,000 with a matched funding contribution required. This is a non-competitive grant with businesses able to submit applications up to 30 April 2023 or until funding is fully subscribed.

EVENTS

Towards 2030 Conferences

Tourism NT and Tourism Australia in partnership with Tourism Top End and Tourism Central Australia are pleased to present the annual Towards 2030 Conference in Alice Springs on Tuesday 21 February and Darwin on Thursday 23 February 2023. Sponsorship opportunities are available for the annual tourism industry conference.

For further information and a copy of the sponsorship prospectus READ MORE

Why size matters at Christmas

Australia’s richest fishing competition, Million Dollar Fish, has raised the stakes with the ‘Size Matters’ campaign. It means whoever catches the longest fish in December will receive $1,000 per centimetre! Season 8 is already record breaking, with $170,000 paid out since 1 October 2022. The Size Matters' campaign ends on 31 December 2022.

Three times the AFL fun

Territory footy fans are in for a triple treat in 2023. Darwin will host an AFL doubleheader of Gold Coast SUNS action in the Top End, with Alice Springs welcoming the Melbourne Demons to the Red Centre. The games bring elite sport to the NT, and provide opportunities for the community to engage with players. Tickets will go on sale in the New Year.

TOURISM NT WEB

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Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade

GPO Box 1155, Darwin NT 0801