Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Tourism Central Australia CEO Danial Rochford on the new "park pass" required for interstate and international tourists to enter the NT's parks

Transcript

Tourism Central Australia CEO Danial Rochford on the new "park pass" required for interstate and international tourists to enter the NT's parks · 360 with Katie Woolf

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  Speaker 1: We're in a situation now here in the territory where
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  Speaker 1: well those traveling around the place. If you are a
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  Speaker 1: family that wants to travel to one of the Northern
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  Speaker 1: Territories parks, it's going to cost you one hundred and
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  Speaker 1: fifty dollars for an open pass into our.
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  Speaker 2: Northern Territory parks.
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  Speaker 1: Now joining me on the line to tell us a
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  Speaker 1: little bit more about how this may or may not
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  Speaker 1: impact tourism, whether it's Northern Territory tourists, whether it's interstate,
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  Speaker 1: whether it's international. It is the CEO of Tourism Central Australia,
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  Speaker 1: Daniel Rochford, Good morning to you, Good.
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  Speaker 3: Morning Katie, and good morning to your listeners. And I'm
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  Speaker 3: alive from beautiful Tenning Creek in the Berkley.
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  Speaker 2: Oh wonderful. What's happening in Tenant today?
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  Speaker 3: It's an absolute stunning day mate, looking at a picture
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  Speaker 3: of beauty outside from what I'm looking at the moment.
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  Speaker 2: Oh good stuff. How are our tourism businesses going in
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  Speaker 2: ten at the moment.
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  Speaker 3: Well, as you know, crime issues here in the Berkley
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  Speaker 3: have been a huge issue, so look back to ever present.
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  Speaker 3: Look it's coming off a low basis they've really had
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  Speaker 3: a lot of challenges result of COVID and you know
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  Speaker 3: some of the perception issues. But look, you know we've
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  Speaker 3: got a big meeting of the tourism operators today and
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  Speaker 3: you know there's some positivity about the future few months.
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  Speaker 2: Well, let us know how that meeting goes.
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  Speaker 1: We're always keen to know what's going on right around
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  Speaker 1: the territory, whether it's Central Australia, Tenant Creek, you know
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  Speaker 1: up here in Darwin, Catherine, I think it's really important
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  Speaker 1: that we all know what's going on right around the territory.
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  Speaker 1: And yeah, and speaking of we know that, well, these
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  Speaker 1: fees are about to be introduced or have they started today?
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  Speaker 2: What exactly is the situation, Daniel.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, So there's fees for the multi day walks, So
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  Speaker 3: for us in Central Australia, it's the larape, the trail
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  Speaker 3: and camping fees that have been introduced in all of
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  Speaker 3: our campsites around the Northern territory and as well as
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  Speaker 3: the new online booking system that the Parts and Wildlife
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  Speaker 3: Services introduced. So all of this is happening as we
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  Speaker 3: speak and starting to we're starting to see that the
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  Speaker 3: operation of that come into place.
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  Speaker 1: And obviously we know that the Department of Environment, Parks
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  Speaker 1: and Water Security, they've released this structure as well as
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  Speaker 1: fees for the park's pass which is going to be
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  Speaker 1: introduced in twenty twenty three. Now, as I understand it,
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  Speaker 1: it is going to mean that if you're a family,
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  Speaker 1: you're going to have to pay one hundred and fifty
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  Speaker 1: dollars for an open pass into one of the Northern
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  Speaker 1: Territory well into the Northern Territories parks. Daniel, is this
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  Speaker 1: going to have a negative impact? Do you think or
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  Speaker 1: do you think that people are pretty understanding that that
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  Speaker 1: there's going to need to be a fee or that
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  Speaker 1: there is a fee.
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  Speaker 3: Look, change is never easy, and what we see across
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  Speaker 3: other jurisdictions is these types of fees put in play.
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  Speaker 3: I guess the key point here, Katie, and certainly one
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  Speaker 3: I'm very passionate about, is we want to see any
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  Speaker 3: money raised through these fees being charged going directly into
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  Speaker 3: the front line of our parks of state and our
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  Speaker 3: infrastructure and our services, more ranges and the like. If
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  Speaker 3: we start to see money in, governments put their hand
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  Speaker 3: in the cookie jar and try and divert some of
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  Speaker 3: this money away from the National Party Parker State. We
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  Speaker 3: will be very unpleased because this was very much sold
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  Speaker 3: to the people of Northern Territory as an opportunity to
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  Speaker 3: put an increase investment in the parks of state and
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  Speaker 3: we definitely need from a tourism perspective that investment. As
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  Speaker 3: long as that investment flows, then that will be very
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  Speaker 3: positive for the tourism industry.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah. I think that that is such a critical point
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  Speaker 1: here that if there is going to be this money
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  Speaker 1: raise from these fees, that it needs to go back
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  Speaker 1: into the infrastructure in those parks.
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  Speaker 3: Oh. Look, we've you know, we've spoken directly to the
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  Speaker 3: Minister and also the senior executives. You know, we are
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  Speaker 3: going to be very closely looking at the budget. Paid
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  Speaker 3: is looking at the forward papers to make sure these
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  Speaker 3: money is raised are actually going into frontline services and
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  Speaker 3: infrastructure in our states. And if that's the case, which
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  Speaker 3: is what they're saying, and to the government's credit, they
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  Speaker 3: are saying that that's what's going to happen. So that's
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  Speaker 3: good news. And so if we start to see that
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  Speaker 3: investment in infrastructure and services in our Parker State, that's great.
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  Speaker 3: You know, you know what we see in other jurisdictions
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  Speaker 3: around the country. Is those moneys flow into better services
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  Speaker 3: on the ground as long as people are seeing that, that's.
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  Speaker 1: Good, Daniel, Will it be enough money to make a
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  Speaker 1: real impact.
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  Speaker 3: Oh, look, it's better than nothing, Katie. I guess you know, ultimately,
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  Speaker 3: we certainly do need governments to be investing in the
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  Speaker 3: parks of state. It's such a critical part of our
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  Speaker 3: tourism experience here in the Northern Territory. And you know,
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  Speaker 3: we certainly encourage government at all stage to support the
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  Speaker 3: national parks infrastructure. But you know, it's a good start
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  Speaker 3: and hopefully through other government appropriations we can see that
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  Speaker 3: in increased investment.
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  Speaker 1: Now, last time you're on the show, we spoke about
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  Speaker 1: some of that flood damage that had happened. I believe
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  Speaker 1: it was in the West McDonald Rangers. Has there been
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  Speaker 1: much of an update on the work that needed to happen,
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  Speaker 1: because we got in contact with with the Department, the
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  Speaker 1: Department of Environment, Parks and Water Security and they said
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  Speaker 1: that it was work that was going to get under way,
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  Speaker 1: but it may take some time. Yeah.
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  Speaker 3: Huge kudos to yourself and to your listeners, Cadi. Look
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  Speaker 3: pretty much straight after our last interview, you know, I
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  Speaker 3: was getting phone calls saying, you know, things are about
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  Speaker 3: to happen, so and you know I'm now starting to
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  Speaker 3: hit see and hear that on the ground. So look,
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  Speaker 3: as your listeners may remember, you know, we had some
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  Speaker 3: major flood damage here just over a month ago Central Australia,
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  Speaker 3: and that's very much concentrated on the West McDonald National Park,
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  Speaker 3: which is one of our main draw cards for tourism
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  Speaker 3: here in Central Australia. So we were really concerned about this.
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  Speaker 3: So we know we've called upon the government to urgently
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  Speaker 3: address that. I've certainly had some post some meetings post
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  Speaker 3: our interview and certainly you know, it was very clear
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  Speaker 3: to me the government understood the urgency of this for
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  Speaker 3: our industry. You know, we will go facing down the
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  Speaker 3: barrel of after two years of having no tourists come
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  Speaker 3: to our region to have close signed left, right and
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  Speaker 3: center throughout the West mcdonnald National Park, which would have
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  Speaker 3: been the worst case scenario.
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  Speaker 1: For oh, it would have been you know, nobody wants
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  Speaker 1: to turn up, especially when you travel that far and
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  Speaker 1: then not be able to see, you know, the wonderful
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  Speaker 1: things that you've been saving your money to be able
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  Speaker 1: to go and see like you're talking bucket list items
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  Speaker 1: for a lot of people.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, indeed. And look, you know, as our industry feels
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  Speaker 3: like a salmon going up the stream at the moment
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  Speaker 3: with all the challenges that have been thrown at us
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  Speaker 3: with COVID, this was just the straw that would have
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  Speaker 3: broken the camel's back. But to be fair, thanks to
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  Speaker 3: support and thanks to government has listened and they are
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  Speaker 3: starting to put the necessary works in action.
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  Speaker 1: Oh, I'm really pleased to hear that, mate, Just finally,
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  Speaker 1: how are things going at the moment.
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  Speaker 2: I know that, like you said, it's been a tough time.
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  Speaker 1: Sometimes you feel like a salmon's swimming up stream.
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  Speaker 2: How's it going for you guys?
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  Speaker 3: Look, there's some optimism, Katie. I have to say that
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  Speaker 3: forward bookings are looking really good. We're starting to see
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  Speaker 3: airline services come back to what we're low, record low numbers.
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  Speaker 3: You know, we were down to just two flights into
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  Speaker 3: Lara in the peak of COVID, So this is starting
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  Speaker 3: to now start to see return. All my members are
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  Speaker 3: saying that bookings are looking great post April one and
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  Speaker 3: into Easter and then we're into season from there, So
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  Speaker 3: there is general optimism right across the sector, and I
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  Speaker 3: think from what I'm seeing it's going to be a
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  Speaker 3: bumper season. And long mate, last and hope. We don't
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  Speaker 3: need to know what the next letter of the Greek
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  Speaker 3: alphabet is or any other curve balls. But we need governments.
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  Speaker 3: Ow they've done an excellent job keeping us safe, but
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  Speaker 3: we now need to get on the business, into the
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  Speaker 3: business of making money for the territory economy.
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  Speaker 1: And mate, I mean, I know that one time, when
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  Speaker 1: you're on this is a while ago, you said that
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  Speaker 1: you weren't exactly doing cartwheels down the todd male with excitement.
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  Speaker 2: Are you getting close?
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  Speaker 3: Mate, I'm limbering up. I've got the leotard thought it
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  Speaker 3: and I'm just limbering up to what will be a
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  Speaker 3: great season. I hope.
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  Speaker 2: Oh, let's hope. So that sounds exciting. It is always
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  Speaker 2: good to talk to you, Daniel Rochford. We appreciate your time, mate.
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  Speaker 3: Thanks Katie, Thanks you