Client: Northern Territory Department of Tourism, Sports and Culture
State: NT
AEC was engaged by the Northern Territory Government to develop a Cruise Tourism Strategy 2020 - 2025. The purpose of the Strategy was to provide a framework for the ongoing development of the cruise sector in the Northern Territory. It outlined a series of actions to:
Expand cruise tourism in the Northern Territory to grow the visitor economy
Provide commercial opportunities to Territorians engaging with the cruise sector
Promote Darwin as the preferred cruise gateway in Northern Australia
Promote other Northern Territory cruise tourism destinations thereby distributing the economic benefits of cruise tourism more widely, maximising the economic impact of cruise tourism for the benefit of all Territorians.
The number of passenger days spent in the Northern Territory has almost tripled over the last 10 years, from 22,873 in 2008-09 to 60,205 in 2018-19. To continue to capitalise on this growth, the Northern Territory needs to maintain our proactive approach in developing the appropriate infrastructure, facilities, and services to support cruise tourism. Further, the Northern Territory needs to adopt a targeted approach to capture specific market segments which provide the greatest opportunity to Darwin and other Northern Territory destinations. Cruise tourism can provide important economic contributions right across the Northern Territory from Arnhem Land to Central Australia, providing local business owners with an opportunity to benefit from visitor spend. Additionally, cruise tourism offers a great opportunity to showcase natural assets, and Aboriginal culture. Cruise tourism is a great platform to display what the Northern Territory has to offer and entice visitors to return for longer stays.
