Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Youth Shack backpacker hostel Marketing Manager Deb Turner says there's still a lot of work to do before we see internationals pouring back into the Northern Territory

Transcript

Youth Shack backpacker hostel Marketing Manager Deb Turner says there's still a lot of work to do before we see internationals pouring back into the Northern Territory · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Well, last we saw yesterday those international borders reopened right
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: around Australia and indeed here in the Northern Territory. I
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: think plenty of us saw the images on nine News
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: last night and plenty of other places with those people
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: arriving on those international flights. About one hundred and eighty
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: we were told yesterday on each of those flights that
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: arrived in Darwin, so two flights seem to be lots
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: of grandparents ready to reunite with their grandchildren, which was lovely.
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: But how's it looking when it comes to that youth
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: marketsh our backpacker is heading back into Australia and into
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: the Northern Territory. Well, joining me on the line right
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: now as a marketing manager of the youth Shack Backpackers,
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: deb turn out. Good morning Debbie, Good morning Katie.
• 0:41
  Speaker 2: How are you?
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: Yeah? Really well, lovely to have you on the show,
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: and well good to see those international borders reopen yesterday,
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: was nash, it was what's it mean for you guys?
• 0:54
  Speaker 2: Well, it's a big slow. When I think everyone around
• 0:57
  Speaker 2: Astray you understands it's not going to happen overnight, and
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: you know the competition's even tougher now after COVID. Let's
• 1:07
  Speaker 2: face that the whole world needs staff. We just have
• 1:11
  Speaker 2: to be out there marketing and doing the best we can.
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: Yeah, there's no doubt about that. We're talking to Glenn
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: Hingley just a bit earlier this morning and he was
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: going through that research that they've commissioned into exactly what
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: tourism does for the economy in terms of employment and
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: the visitation and you know, money coming into the Northern
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: territory and there's no doubt that tourism has a massive
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: impact in so many positive ways. But Debla, like you've said,
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: it's going to take a while until we sort of
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: see things bounce back, isn't it.
• 1:46
  Speaker 2: It will be. We are in a campaign with Tourism
• 1:50
  Speaker 2: and TEE at the moment trying to get backpack us
• 1:52
  Speaker 2: up here a little bit earlier, and we've got competitions
• 1:56
  Speaker 2: happening right through the dry season. We've got cold Clock
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: tickets to give away. We're working with employers to try
• 2:04
  Speaker 2: and get them the right backpackers for the role.
• 2:08
  Speaker 1: Yep.
• 2:08
  Speaker 2: We just have to hope that down South gets an
• 2:11
  Speaker 2: early winter, and I think this year will be a
• 2:14
  Speaker 2: little bit different as well, because they do change every year.
• 2:17
  Speaker 2: Last year they came up fairly cashed up because they
• 2:20
  Speaker 2: were down south and they were in lockdown. A lot
• 2:23
  Speaker 2: of them still continued to work but couldn't spend their money. Yeah,
• 2:27
  Speaker 2: Plus we had the COVID Center taking so many backpackers on,
• 2:32
  Speaker 2: whereas that sort of dialed down this year. So and
• 2:36
  Speaker 2: you know they've been down in Melbourne and Sydney spending
• 2:40
  Speaker 2: their money yep. So hopefully by the time they get
• 2:43
  Speaker 2: back up here April May they come back broke in
• 2:47
  Speaker 2: they're desperate to work. Yeah, that's what we really need.
• 2:51
  Speaker 2: That's what we're hoping for.
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: Good point dev now tell us as well for a
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: lot of our listeners. You know, people will be thinking,
• 2:58
  Speaker 1: have we even had it any backpackers in town for
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: the last sort of six months or so? What has
• 3:04
  Speaker 1: it been like when you talk about that backpack of market.
• 3:07
  Speaker 2: For you guys, it has been quiet, but then you know,
• 3:10
  Speaker 2: the wet seasons traditionally quiet. I think everyone forgets because
• 3:14
  Speaker 2: during COVID we did do better than we've done free COVID, Yeah,
• 3:20
  Speaker 2: because we weren't in lockdown, and we've forgotten what that site.
• 3:25
  Speaker 2: Because the backpacker sector did start declining drastically over the
• 3:29
  Speaker 2: last five years. As you remember, we have any cats
• 3:33
  Speaker 2: before COVID, so during COVID we did well. But I
• 3:36
  Speaker 2: think now we'll go back to our normal seasons and
• 3:41
  Speaker 2: the wedding is quiet. That's the time when you know
• 3:44
  Speaker 2: we're repainting and reserving everything, getting it ready, yep. And
• 3:48
  Speaker 2: we just have to really all work together as much
• 3:51
  Speaker 2: as we can and do our marketing internationally interstates and
• 3:57
  Speaker 2: do what we can and have our products up to
• 3:59
  Speaker 2: scrab Yeah.
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: And like you said, you know some of that is
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: already happening, working with the territory government at the moment
• 4:05
  Speaker 1: to try and make sure you get in early to
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: entice some of those backpackers to the territory. When are
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: you hoping that they do all sort of start to arrive.
• 4:15
  Speaker 2: We have been talking to a few of ours that
• 4:17
  Speaker 2: stay last year that are coming back in perse at
• 4:21
  Speaker 2: Melbourne and Sydney. Let's say about forty percent of them
• 4:24
  Speaker 2: are looking at actually April, which is fairly early for us,
• 4:28
  Speaker 2: which is great, and the rest around between May and
• 4:32
  Speaker 2: June and Debbie, do you.
• 4:34
  Speaker 1: Reckon if anyone really anticipated what a loss it would
• 4:37
  Speaker 1: be for us here in the Northern Territory not having
• 4:40
  Speaker 1: you know, not having that backpacker market in terms of
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: them also filling jobs around the place.
• 4:47
  Speaker 2: I think because there's quite a negative attitude, not with
• 4:53
  Speaker 2: everyone that I'm generalizing, but with these new locals about
• 4:57
  Speaker 2: the backpackers. I think people really felt it where we
• 5:01
  Speaker 2: ready to that first and second lockdown and no one
• 5:05
  Speaker 2: could get start, you know, and then we opened up
• 5:07
  Speaker 2: and local kids. I've said it for the last twenty years,
• 5:11
  Speaker 2: they are not interested in most jurism jobs to work
• 5:15
  Speaker 2: in a hostel or tourism sector, tour companies, and they
• 5:19
  Speaker 2: don't have to because there's always an abundance of jobs
• 5:22
  Speaker 2: in Darwas, So you know, when even the restaurants struggle,
• 5:27
  Speaker 2: I think I'm hoping that a lot of attitudes will
• 5:30
  Speaker 2: be changed because they realized we do need these backpackers
• 5:35
  Speaker 2: and how much they spend. They carry the whole of
• 5:40
  Speaker 2: the street, not just you know, the hostel. They're the
• 5:43
  Speaker 2: one spending money absolutely everywhere. And I even read I
• 5:48
  Speaker 2: read an article by the government itself the other day
• 5:52
  Speaker 2: with all their data and the different sectors and how
• 5:55
  Speaker 2: much more the youth sector brings into any other. And
• 6:00
  Speaker 2: yet the federal government with their marketing budgel, we always
• 6:04
  Speaker 2: get the leased and that just doesn't add up in
• 6:06
  Speaker 2: my head. I just don't understand it.
• 6:08
  Speaker 1: Yeah, right, And so Debbie, I know that last year,
• 6:12
  Speaker 1: that Carl Cox concert, it seemed to how it brought
• 6:15
  Speaker 1: every backpack from around Australia to the Northern Territory. You
• 6:18
  Speaker 1: said before that there's a bit of marketing to try
• 6:20
  Speaker 1: and to try and coincide the Carl Cox concert again
• 6:24
  Speaker 1: this year with bringing people back again. Is that right?
• 6:27
  Speaker 2: Yes, Look, I think it'll work in our favor a
• 6:31
  Speaker 2: little bit, but we have to realize everyone's been open
• 6:34
  Speaker 2: this year and he's had in Melbourne, he's playing in Sydney.
• 6:37
  Speaker 2: Last year, all the stars aligned for Guy Done and
• 6:41
  Speaker 2: it was amazing. It was amazing for us and it
• 6:45
  Speaker 2: did kick in the season a lot earlier yep, and
• 6:48
  Speaker 2: it was great. But I still think it's a great
• 6:51
  Speaker 2: draw card. And we have seen our bookings go up
• 6:54
  Speaker 2: for Carl Cox and based in the grass yep. And
• 6:57
  Speaker 2: now this campaign will involved in with tourism and tea
• 7:02
  Speaker 2: that'll be fantastic as well. And job chats open again
• 7:07
  Speaker 2: thank god it's been closed for two years. So we're
• 7:11
  Speaker 2: in a lot of campaigns overseas with all our international
• 7:14
  Speaker 2: agents again too already we started doing all that last
• 7:19
  Speaker 2: month before the border is open, once we knew they
• 7:22
  Speaker 2: were opening. So you know, we've just got a lot
• 7:25
  Speaker 2: of hard work ahead.
• 7:26
  Speaker 1: Good on you, and I know that you guys work
• 7:28
  Speaker 1: so hard in there. Like you said, over the years,
• 7:31
  Speaker 1: we've spoken on so many occasions about the you know,
• 7:34
  Speaker 1: about the ebbing and flowing. I suppose you'd say of
• 7:37
  Speaker 1: that youth market. So I really hope that you know
• 7:40
  Speaker 1: that we see that backpack of market thrive again.
• 7:44
  Speaker 2: We'll let you know by July.
• 7:46
  Speaker 1: Katie, good on you dev lovely to talk to you
• 7:48
  Speaker 1: this morning. Thank you so much for your time.
• 7:51
  Speaker 2: Thank you see