Wednesday, April 12, 2023
Caravan park reservations in the Northern Territory have dropped by 50%, raising fears about the next tourism season. Operators blame recent coverage of crime and social concerns in Central Australia, as well as the cost of flights and living expenses.
Brendan Heenan, president of the Caravan Parks Association NT and proprietor of an Alice Springs caravan park, said the season had started poorly.
“Compared to last year, which actually was very good, sites are down around 50 per cent, and 25 per cent on the cabins,” he said. “We’re all in the same boat — we’re all suffering from the downturn.”
Mr Heenan said the negative national attention the region was receiving was having an impact.
“I think Alice seems to cop the bad publicity Australia-wide,” he said.
“These people aren’t comfortable coming here for some reason.”
Easter weekend is frequently seen as the unofficial start of the tourism season in Alice Springs. This year also saw the start of the famed Indigenous light festival Parrtjima.
Lee Donald, general manager of Ross River Resort in the East MacDonnell Ranges, said there was a larger-than-usual turnout of locals at the weekend event.
“There were not as many as usual,” she said. “They are around, but certainly not as many.”
According to Ms Donald, anecdotal indications from visitors indicate that many are avoiding the town centre and moving directly to the outlying tourist sites.
The industry, notably the hospitality sector, is concerned about the figures.
While results for February and March indicated glimmers of promise, Hospitality NT chief executive Alex Bruce said figures for April had collapsed and were much below what would be expected for this time of year.
Mr Bruce stated that the slump in his industry was not as severe as it was at caravan parks, but it was still substantial.
He attributed the slowdown of the “drive” market to cost-of-living concerns, with recent national coverage of issues facing the region also playing a role.
“There are multiple reasons, and crime is one of them that has resonated across the country,” he said. “It impacts how often and how long [tourists] stay in Alice Springs.”
Saturday, April 27, 2024
