A new age is dawning for the Northern Territory’s tourism and events industry.

The first step was creating a new Northern Territory Government department — Tourism and Hospitality.

“It’s been a year of growth, change and innovation,” says the department’s chief executive, Suzana Bishop, who has extensive experience in sectors across the visitor economy.

The new department also includes Screen Territory, which supported recent productions Kangaroo and Top End Bub; Licensing NT, which supports the hospitality industry; Darwin Waterfront; and Northern Territory Major Events Company (NTMEC). 

The NT Government announced in March that it was considering an integration of Tourism NT and NTMEC as a way to establish a more targeted and strategic approach to attracting visitors to the Territory. 

The department through NT Parks and Wildlife also has oversight of the Territory’s 85 parks and reserves. It works closely with Parks Australia to leverage the tourism potential of World Heritage-listed Kakadu and Uluru-Kata Tjuta national parks. 

The overarching aim of the transformation is to not only attract more visitors to the Territory but to develop year-round tourism.

“We’ve got a bold vision to do this,” says Mrs Bishop.

The year of growth and change will be crowned by Destination NT, which will bring industry and stakeholders together in Darwin from 4-8 November to help shape the future of tourism in the Territory.

The theme is: Connect, Collaborate, Celebrate.

Connect: strengthen connections between industry, community and government.

Collaborate: build learning, capacity, partnerships and a unified vision for the NT visitor economy.

Celebrate: recognise impact and excellence across the NT visitor economy.

Destination NT, which was developed in response to industry feedback, aims to deliver stronger collaboration, wider and deeper connections and a shared understanding of the NT visitor economy.

The major industry event will include: 

• Destination NT, the annual conference, formerly called Tourism Towards 2030 
• A new public-facing session to encourage a broader community conversation around tourism and events contribution to liveability, job creation and economic growth across the NT 
• The Aboriginal Tourism Forum 
• Brolga Northern Territory Tourism Awards gala 
• Sector-specific forums, workshops and networking opportunities. 

“We want everyone to understand the importance of tourism to the Territory,” Mrs Bishop says. “The NT economy is the jurisdiction most reliant on tourism after Tasmania.” 

Tourism, along with defence, agriculture, energy and mining, are the priority industries the Government has identified as key sectors to rebuild the economy. 

The sector contributed $3 billion to the Territory economy in 2023-24, a 7.1 percent increase on the previous year, with direct value-add rising to $2.5 billion (up 6.9 percent). 

Tourism now supports 17,000 jobs across urban and regional areas. 

The Department of Tourism and Hospitality is also preparing for G’Day Australia, Tourism Australia’s biennial trade event for international front-line travel agents. 

More than 600 delegates, including 300 travel agents from 17 markets, such as the United Kingdom, Germany, the United States, China and Malaysia, will visit the NT in October 2026. 

It will be the largest tourism trade event ever held in the NT and will play a big part in the Government’s strategy of increasing international visitation during off-peak periods and further promoting the Territory as a must-visit destination. 

In June, the Government announced the purchase of Silkwood, a 30,000-hectare parcel of land near Adelaide River. The $7.5 million acquisition will see great potential for more access to camping, hot springs and 4WD tracks with planning for the land underway. 

Other visitor triumphs include the T20 international cricket returning to the Territory for the first time in 17 years in August and the NRL Dolphins signing a three-year deal to play an annual game in Darwin. 

“With tourism, events and parks together under one portfolio, it allows for a bigger, more connected story, ensuring investment in experiences, infrastructure and marketing works harder.” 

As part of October Business Month, industry is invited to the Visitor Economy to Power Territory’s Future session, on Friday, 3 October. The free session will explore the Northern Territory Visitor Economy Strategy 2032, encourage discussion and debate, and invite feedback on the paper. TQ 

PHOTO: TOURISM NT