Mr KNIGHT - 2008-02-12
Attracting tourists to the Territory is an important role of this government. Can the minister advise the House on efforts to attract tourists from Sweden and the outcomes of those efforts?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for his question. Tourism is a very important industry in the Territory. Eleven thousand Territorians work in the tourism-related industry and contribute greatly to the gross state product of the Territory. We are always looking for new markets. Scandinavia is one emerging market.
In Scandinavia, the Northern Territory undertook the first integrated tourism campaign. We have partnered with Australienresor, a Scandinavian travel agency, and conducted a market campaign over January. We invested $210 000, and the results were outstanding. We had television advertising, advertorials, product reviews, photographs and write-ups in the Sunday newspaper that has a circulation in Stockholm of 880 000 people. As I said before, the results were outstanding.
Within the first 10 days of the campaign, the Australienresor travel agency had 900 phone calls and e-mail inquiries about holidays in the Northern Territory. They had a 500% increase in visitors to the travel agency. They had to employ four people to meet the demand. Not only that, but the number of people who booked holidays in the Territory is significant. The total value of these holidays is $1.2m. That is only in January.
That is a very good campaign on our behalf, because we now identify key areas. There are significant new and emerging markets, and we partner with travel agencies that can actually deliver our product and will specifically target people who want to come to the Territory and who have never seen anything about the Territory.
This is a very good example. The Australienresor Managing Director, Mr Rolf Eirik Kjeseth, said that the Northern Territory is now the agency’s No 1 destination. Tourism, as I said before, is important for the Territory. A significant number of Territorians work in the tourism industry. We will continue this type of campaign, not only targeting Scandinavia but other areas as well.
Ms LAWRIE (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I ask that further questions be placed on the Written Question Paper.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for his question. Tourism is a very important industry in the Territory. Eleven thousand Territorians work in the tourism-related industry and contribute greatly to the gross state product of the Territory. We are always looking for new markets. Scandinavia is one emerging market.
In Scandinavia, the Northern Territory undertook the first integrated tourism campaign. We have partnered with Australienresor, a Scandinavian travel agency, and conducted a market campaign over January. We invested $210 000, and the results were outstanding. We had television advertising, advertorials, product reviews, photographs and write-ups in the Sunday newspaper that has a circulation in Stockholm of 880 000 people. As I said before, the results were outstanding.
Within the first 10 days of the campaign, the Australienresor travel agency had 900 phone calls and e-mail inquiries about holidays in the Northern Territory. They had a 500% increase in visitors to the travel agency. They had to employ four people to meet the demand. Not only that, but the number of people who booked holidays in the Territory is significant. The total value of these holidays is $1.2m. That is only in January.
That is a very good campaign on our behalf, because we now identify key areas. There are significant new and emerging markets, and we partner with travel agencies that can actually deliver our product and will specifically target people who want to come to the Territory and who have never seen anything about the Territory.
This is a very good example. The Australienresor Managing Director, Mr Rolf Eirik Kjeseth, said that the Northern Territory is now the agency’s No 1 destination. Tourism, as I said before, is important for the Territory. A significant number of Territorians work in the tourism industry. We will continue this type of campaign, not only targeting Scandinavia but other areas as well.
Ms LAWRIE (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I ask that further questions be placed on the Written Question Paper.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016