Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Tourism Top End's Glen Hingley on the sector's reaction to the Government's $12.8 million tourism incentive announcement

Transcript

Tourism Top End's Glen Hingley on the sector's reaction to the Government's $12.8 million tourism incentive announcement · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: So we know that there has been some really positive
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: announcements in the tourism space over the last couple of days,
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: and I think that we all understand just how tough
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: going it's been for tourism in the Northern Territory over
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: the last two and a half years. Now joining me
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: on the line is Tourism top Ends General Manager Glenn Hingley.
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: Good morning to you, Glenn.
• 0:21
  Speaker 2: Katie, good morning, Good morning listening Glenn.
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: Finally some good news over the last couple of days.
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: We know that that Darwin London route well it's been
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: extended for at least a couple of months. And we
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: also know that there's going to be some aircraft based
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: right here in Darwin which will enable some different routes
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: for territorians and visitors alike.
• 0:43
  Speaker 2: Absolutely, and I think for everyone, if you're in the
• 0:46
  Speaker 2: tourism industry or not, this is great news. This morning.
• 0:49
  Speaker 2: I was privileged to be out at the airport to
• 0:51
  Speaker 2: see Allan Joyce that make that announcement this morning of
• 0:55
  Speaker 2: continuing the London DAHO and direct flights, which is great
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: news for Territorians looking to get and travel internationally. They
• 1:05
  Speaker 2: can do that leaving from here and returning from here.
• 1:07
  Speaker 2: But it's particularly good news with the federal borders opening
• 1:13
  Speaker 2: on the twenty first of February, allowing double vaccinated visitors
• 1:17
  Speaker 2: into the country, So there was a concern that we'd
• 1:20
  Speaker 2: missed that opportunity, but by extending that through now to
• 1:23
  Speaker 2: mid June is terrific news for tourism in the top end,
• 1:27
  Speaker 2: and it's terrific news for everybody having that and also basing.
• 1:32
  Speaker 2: Having a base of e one to ninety aircraft here
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  Speaker 2: in the territory means not just jobs in terms of
• 1:38
  Speaker 2: visitors coming to the territory, but all the jobs that
• 1:41
  Speaker 2: that requires, the service those aircraft to put the food
• 1:44
  Speaker 2: on the planes, the staff that will be based here,
• 1:46
  Speaker 2: the money they spend in the community, all though direct
• 1:49
  Speaker 2: value that tourism brings, so that it's not just about
• 1:52
  Speaker 2: tourists coming into the territory and the ability of territorians
• 1:56
  Speaker 2: to fly to different places. All that economic values that
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: that brings can only be good for the top end.
• 2:03
  Speaker 1: Glenn, just how badly does our tourism industry really need
• 2:08
  Speaker 1: this boost right now? Because I know it's been tough going.
• 2:14
  Speaker 2: We In fifteen minutes, I'm having, for example, a meeting
• 2:17
  Speaker 2: with a big online meeting with our Cacado tourism operators.
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  Speaker 2: And so many of these guys are career drivers. At
• 2:24
  Speaker 2: the moment they're working, they've got other jobs. They're not
• 2:28
  Speaker 2: able to do what is their passion. They're not able
• 2:30
  Speaker 2: to do the businesses that they have been their life
• 2:32
  Speaker 2: saving put into. The banks are on them for making
• 2:36
  Speaker 2: those payments back over the last the last two years,
• 2:38
  Speaker 2: some of the I've only been able to do two
• 2:40
  Speaker 2: or three departures since since effectively March in twenty twenty.
• 2:46
  Speaker 2: So this is so vitally important. We know that tourism
• 2:50
  Speaker 2: is a major contributor to employment in the territory, but
• 2:54
  Speaker 2: more than that, it actually contributes towards the infrastructure of
• 2:58
  Speaker 2: the territory. Twenty nineteen, tourism contributed close to half a
• 3:04
  Speaker 2: billion dollars in taxes half a billion dollars in taxes,
• 3:07
  Speaker 2: and what that means is and whilst most of that
• 3:09
  Speaker 2: was GST and income tax, we all know that the
• 3:12
  Speaker 2: federal government funds the Northern Territory government up to seventy
• 3:15
  Speaker 2: percent every day and that's better roads, better hospitals, better
• 3:20
  Speaker 2: family services, better policing. So the more tourists we get
• 3:22
  Speaker 2: here the more taxes we get from those tourists, the
• 3:25
  Speaker 2: better infrastructure and the more liveability we see. We also
• 3:30
  Speaker 2: saw an announcement yesterday for it, just as an example
• 3:33
  Speaker 2: too of Waterfront and what the plans that Richard Vgo
• 3:36
  Speaker 2: as Chair of Waterfront Corporation have for the future development.
• 3:41
  Speaker 2: And that's primarily driven for tourism, but it's therefore are
• 3:44
  Speaker 2: tost territorians to enjoy. So every time we've got a
• 3:49
  Speaker 2: tourist coming in, they're bringing their money from interstate or international,
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  Speaker 2: they're leaving a big black of it here that yes,
• 3:56
  Speaker 2: pays for our infrastructure, but employs our locals, keeps keeps
• 4:00
  Speaker 2: our restaurants, hope and our cafes, our bars, accommodation houses,
• 4:05
  Speaker 2: keeps people whose job it is to fix car mechanics,
• 4:09
  Speaker 2: aircraft mechanics, prepare the food now, get the food from
• 4:14
  Speaker 2: the paddic to the plate. So those indirect jobs really
• 4:17
  Speaker 2: benefit when we do this and see the government recognize this.
• 4:21
  Speaker 2: I mean, we were getting pretty close to the line,
• 4:23
  Speaker 2: yeah in terms of we're being too late, so hopefully
• 4:25
  Speaker 2: not too late now.
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: Yeah, So this twelve point eight million dollars as well,
• 4:29
  Speaker 1: obviously that was announced yesterday it is in a bid
• 4:31
  Speaker 1: to lower international holiday makers as well as workers to
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  Speaker 1: the Northern Territory, so that's good news. At two point
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  Speaker 1: six million to deliver the Working holiday Maker campaign and
• 4:41
  Speaker 1: to turbocharge hospitality, tourism and tourism. Three million for an
• 4:46
  Speaker 1: international leisure tourism marketing campaign, fifteen hundred dollars per new
• 4:51
  Speaker 1: worker as part of the Workstate Play relaunch, three million
• 4:55
  Speaker 1: to deliver the Flexible Workforce Initiative, fund one point three
• 4:59
  Speaker 1: to five million dollars to boost the territory's skilled migration capacity,
• 5:03
  Speaker 1: and six hundred thousand to launch the Worker Connect platform. Glenn, firstly,
• 5:09
  Speaker 1: when it comes to really being able to turn that
• 5:13
  Speaker 1: workforce back on, because as you just discussed, there are
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: some that have been working in the tourism sector for
• 5:18
  Speaker 1: an awfully long time who've been doing other jobs due
• 5:22
  Speaker 1: to this COVID situation. Are we going to be able
• 5:25
  Speaker 1: to turn the workforce back on as quickly as we
• 5:27
  Speaker 1: might need.
• 5:32
  Speaker 2: I'd like to answer that to b yes, but it's
• 5:34
  Speaker 2: not going to be without a lot of hard work.
• 5:35
  Speaker 2: So the first thing I'd say for territories, there's a
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  Speaker 2: lot of jobs in the tourism, hospitality industry, should you
• 5:40
  Speaker 2: be thinking about a changing career tourism coming back and
• 5:44
  Speaker 2: by these investments to give confidence that it's going to
• 5:47
  Speaker 2: hopefully be a good year ahead. So I reach out
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  Speaker 2: to every Territorian that's looking for a job and thinking
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  Speaker 2: about a career change tourism and hospitality. We need you
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  Speaker 2: to make sure that our restaurants and our bars are
• 5:58
  Speaker 2: operating a capacity for tourists to deal with tourists and
• 6:01
  Speaker 2: locals alike. We do need these people coming in from
• 6:05
  Speaker 2: outside the territory b they working holiday maker, backpackers or
• 6:10
  Speaker 2: people moving up from down south. So we're grateful that
• 6:12
  Speaker 2: the government's doing these campaigns and that they are thinking
• 6:16
  Speaker 2: about this. We've held a number of forums within our
• 6:19
  Speaker 2: industry where there's been really great forums Katie, where we've
• 6:22
  Speaker 2: got a group of the major employers and the medium
• 6:25
  Speaker 2: sized employees together across the tourism and hospitality sector for example,
• 6:29
  Speaker 2: sat down and said, guys, we need solutions. We don't
• 6:32
  Speaker 2: need government bashing. We need solutions on the table. So
• 6:34
  Speaker 2: here's let's come up with a range of things and
• 6:37
  Speaker 2: sit down with government to say here's some ideas from
• 6:39
  Speaker 2: a commercial standpoint that makes sense of we work and
• 6:43
  Speaker 2: then leave that to them. And government have listened to
• 6:46
  Speaker 2: that and they're moving on some of these ideas. There's
• 6:48
  Speaker 2: some other ideas that will continue to champion as well,
• 6:51
  Speaker 2: but anything that's happening. What we do know also is
• 6:55
  Speaker 2: that Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales South Australia we're
• 7:00
  Speaker 2: in the fight of our lives to get people because
• 7:03
  Speaker 2: they're doing everything they can to keep people staying in
• 7:07
  Speaker 2: Sydney and Victoria, for example. In Queensland, and they're trying
• 7:11
  Speaker 2: to get people from the territory to move to those
• 7:12
  Speaker 2: places as well. Now, no territory wants to go and
• 7:15
  Speaker 2: to go and sit through a winter. Why wouldn't we
• 7:19
  Speaker 2: want to work through the dry up here? And that's
• 7:22
  Speaker 2: part of the charm to get people up here and
• 7:24
  Speaker 2: to find and to find a job, to find a future.
• 7:28
  Speaker 2: And we all know amongst our friends circle, so many
• 7:33
  Speaker 2: people that came up here on a holiday or came
• 7:35
  Speaker 2: up here for a short term job and stayed because
• 7:37
  Speaker 2: they loved it. I think that's one of the other
• 7:39
  Speaker 2: things when we think about it. It's not just still in
• 7:41
  Speaker 2: short term jobs. We know that what the territory needs
• 7:44
  Speaker 2: if we're to have better hospitals, better schools, better facilities. Yes,
• 7:49
  Speaker 2: getting tourists up here generate that, but increasing our population
• 7:52
  Speaker 2: does that? Absolutely? Does that? Yeah, absolutely what we're talking
• 7:56
  Speaker 2: about here.
• 7:57
  Speaker 1: We certainly have got some work to do when it
• 7:59
  Speaker 1: comes to to building that population. And as you said,
• 8:02
  Speaker 1: you know we're going to be competing with other states
• 8:04
  Speaker 1: as well in terms of trying to get people to
• 8:05
  Speaker 1: move here to join the workforce. Glenn, just finally this morning,
• 8:10
  Speaker 1: I know that you know, you and I have had
• 8:12
  Speaker 1: so many difficult conversations over the last two and a
• 8:15
  Speaker 1: half years, as have I and Daniel Rochford from Tourism
• 8:18
  Speaker 1: Central Australia. It's been a really tough time for our
• 8:21
  Speaker 1: tourism operators. Do you think, are you finally now with
• 8:25
  Speaker 1: these announcements and with these quantus flights and with COVID,
• 8:30
  Speaker 1: you know, sort of changing. I guess you would say somewhat,
• 8:34
  Speaker 1: Are we finally seeing the end of the tunnel?
• 8:37
  Speaker 2: We're getting close to it, Katie. I think April May
• 8:40
  Speaker 2: June would mark that so many of our businesses right now,
• 8:45
  Speaker 2: and that's why it's tinly yesterday's announcements it well, was
• 8:49
  Speaker 2: it only a couple of months away? You know, that's
• 8:53
  Speaker 2: many payroll cycles, that's many mortgage repayments or rent repayments
• 8:57
  Speaker 2: between now and April. And with our customers there are
• 9:00
  Speaker 2: so many businesses now they can't the banks aren't taking
• 9:06
  Speaker 2: being kind to them and saying we'll extend further on
• 9:09
  Speaker 2: the landlords saying we can't continue this on. So I'm
• 9:14
  Speaker 2: really worried about the next two months and COVID playing
• 9:20
  Speaker 2: out well. Then we get to April May, and then
• 9:26
  Speaker 2: that I would hope is the light at the end
• 9:28
  Speaker 2: of the tunnel that we can move towards and we
• 9:32
  Speaker 2: can start to think about tourism as one of the
• 9:35
  Speaker 2: biggest employers in the territory. Yes, we're needing people for
• 9:39
  Speaker 2: those jobs. It's one of the biggest job opportunities and
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  Speaker 2: it's one of the biggest economic earners. It's certainly in
• 9:44
  Speaker 2: the service sector outside of education, the biggest earner for
• 9:49
  Speaker 2: the territory, which makes the territory a better place to
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  Speaker 2: live by getting more tourists here and the more dollars
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  Speaker 2: they leave behind when they go, the more facilities and
• 9:57
  Speaker 2: infrastructure there is territories to enjoy well.
• 10:01
  Speaker 1: Glenn Hingley, of course, the general manager of tourism top end.
• 10:06
  Speaker 1: We always appreciate your time. Thank you very much for
• 10:09
  Speaker 1: having a chat with us, and I think, as you've
• 10:11
  Speaker 1: said there, the next couple of months are still going
• 10:13
  Speaker 1: to be difficult, so let's make sure that we support
• 10:15
  Speaker 1: our wonderful tourism operators and hopefully then we really start
• 10:21
  Speaker 1: to see some good times over the next few months.
• 10:24
  Speaker 2: Thank you, Katie, Thanks Glenn,