Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Katie spoke with Deborah Moyle about how the December 20 border entry rules will impact Litchfield tourism

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Katie spoke with Deborah Moyle about how the December 20 border entry rules will impact Litchfield tourism · 360 with Katie Woolf

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  Speaker 1: We have spoken at length over the last few days,
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  Speaker 1: well since Friday morning. I think you'd have to say
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  Speaker 1: about these changes come December twenty and the impact that
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  Speaker 1: it's going to have on so many not just Territorians
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  Speaker 1: looking to travel back here into the Northern Territory and
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  Speaker 1: you know, be able to go about their normal lives
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  Speaker 1: if they live regionally or in remote areas, but particularly
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  Speaker 1: when you talk about some of our tourism operators. Now
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  Speaker 1: joining me on the line is Deborah Moyle, who is
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  Speaker 1: from the Litchfield Regional Tourism Incorporated. Good morning to you, Deborah.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning Katie and listeners.
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  Speaker 1: Deborah, can you tell us a little bit more about
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  Speaker 1: the impact that these changes are going to have on
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  Speaker 1: those operators in the Litchfield area.
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  Speaker 2: Goodness at the extreme close their businesses down because the
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  Speaker 2: lack of confidence in the IF by consumers. The cancelations
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  Speaker 2: that have already been received across the board have mounted
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  Speaker 2: to tens of thousands of dollars for individual and Christmas
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  Speaker 2: is gone. Even even if these directives are reversed, the
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  Speaker 2: damage has been done. Notwithstanding, the Association has undertaken some
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  Speaker 2: initiatives to get some feedback just from Camali residents. Many
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  Speaker 2: people in Darwin don't realize that Kamali has three highly
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  Speaker 2: populated areas. The Bachelor Township, which is the traditional gateway
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  Speaker 2: to Lichfield National Park, Adelaide River of course Saymou's for
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  Speaker 2: that wonderful pub down there, and the Antack day Service,
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  Speaker 2: and also Lake Bennett. We've done a community sentiment of
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  Speaker 2: survey and I'm collating that and it'll be going off
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  Speaker 2: to the Minister shortly. We've done online membership and support
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  Speaker 2: a survey, and we thought letters of support, and we've
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  Speaker 2: written letters to the Ministers of Tourism Natasha Files, and
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  Speaker 2: also to the Minister of Business and of course their
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  Speaker 2: respective departments. I'm led to believe there is some positive
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  Speaker 2: announcement's going to be made within the next forty eight hours,
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  Speaker 2: maybe by close business Thursday. I believe. Yes, we've heard
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  Speaker 2: nothing other than that, Debrah.
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  Speaker 1: How does that make you and all of the residents
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  Speaker 1: and all of those operators feel.
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  Speaker 2: You know what, this isn't the first time, Katie, But
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  Speaker 2: in one word, we've forgotten. We're in no man's land,
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  Speaker 2: we're not in Darwin Lockdown, we're not in Greater Darwin area.
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  Speaker 2: But we were when we did the Destination Management Plan
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  Speaker 2: consultation process of which our membership and our and tourism
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  Speaker 2: uproad is in our region, it made a very big
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  Speaker 2: contribution to that. So I think there's an inconsistence in
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  Speaker 2: the definition of Greater Darwin within the Northern Territory Government,
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  Speaker 2: its use and application. And for residents, they can't come home.
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  Speaker 2: We're one hundred and one hundred and ten hundred and
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  Speaker 2: twenty k's down the road from Darwin. We have no COVID,
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  Speaker 2: We've got our own medical center. We have very high
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  Speaker 2: vaccination rate, although I do believe the township a bachelor's
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  Speaker 2: got a few more to get And when I worked
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  Speaker 2: it out, we're talking thirty two people need to get
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  Speaker 2: a vaccine. You know. If that's the issue, get a
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  Speaker 2: bus down there, team or knocking get thirty two injections
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  Speaker 2: in people's arm. You could do that in a day,
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  Speaker 2: just like they've done at Binjari and Rock Hole. That's
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  Speaker 2: the issue that allows all of Darwin to come down
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  Speaker 2: and access Lichfield National Park. And more importantly, the tourists
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  Speaker 2: that are going to arrive here and the people don't
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  Speaker 2: come to Darwin to be in Darwen. They come to
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  Speaker 2: Darwin to go to everything that's surrounded. Yeah, it's all
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  Speaker 2: in lockdown and they don't realize.
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  Speaker 1: Well and to see the beautiful, unique places that we've
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  Speaker 1: got and you know, let's face it that a lot
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  Speaker 1: of those are in the Litchfield area and further abound.
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  Speaker 1: You said right at the beginning of this interview that
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  Speaker 1: a number of businesses are realistically looking, you know, like
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  Speaker 1: they could, at the worst case scenario, have to close down.
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  Speaker 1: And you said that they're also losing thousands of dollars
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  Speaker 1: in bookings. Have those businesses, like, have a lot of
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  Speaker 1: them already had people calling through from interstate and into
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  Speaker 1: territory saying that they're not going to follow through with
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  Speaker 1: those bookings.
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  Speaker 2: As they stand, they're canceled. They won't even wait till
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  Speaker 2: the end of the week for this announcement they have canceled.
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  Speaker 2: I mean, I know one operator that's lost four weddings.
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  Speaker 2: You know, that's tens of thousands of dollars. I know
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  Speaker 2: another largish operator. You know, they don't know whether the
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  Speaker 2: New Year's Eve is going to happen for them. You
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  Speaker 2: know that they're going to put on events so no
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  Speaker 2: interstoyed visitor can come to our area. They have to
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  Speaker 2: stay in Darwin. My group more strategic concern is the
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  Speaker 2: reputational risk for tourism in the entire Northern territory. People
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  Speaker 2: are by the time they've spent two weeks in Darwin,
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  Speaker 2: they're going to end up hating the place and they're
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  Speaker 2: going to talk badly about it when they go home.
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  Speaker 2: This is a pr nightmare and it's catastrophic for tourism.
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  Speaker 2: It will take a long time to come back from
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  Speaker 2: and it's not necessary. We need to hurry up and
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  Speaker 2: turn this around very damn quickly, because we've spent millions
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  Speaker 2: advertising in the southern market and they can't go to Ularu,
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  Speaker 2: they can't go to Kakadu, they can't go to Litchfield
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  Speaker 2: National Park. These are our strengths. These are our unique
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  Speaker 2: selling points, if you like, and it's the reason people
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  Speaker 2: come here. When they find out they can't, they're going
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  Speaker 2: to go, oh my god, you know worse, they might
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  Speaker 2: feel trick. Well, we have to discard that and say, oh, well,
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  Speaker 2: you should have read the term of the conditions. It
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  Speaker 2: doesn't take away. Now.
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  Speaker 1: I think you're right, you know, you don't want people
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  Speaker 1: to arrive here and not realize that they are the
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  Speaker 1: restrictions that are in place, and then feel very upset.
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  Speaker 1: You know, when they go to travel art to Lichfield,
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  Speaker 1: or when they go to see some of those different
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  Speaker 1: wonderful iconic locations, they find they're not able to Deborah.
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  Speaker 1: You know, what is your message for the government this morning.
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  Speaker 1: I know that we're all sort of anticipating that there
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  Speaker 1: is going to be an announcement. You know, the Health
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  Speaker 1: Minister had alluded to it even on Monday on the
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  Speaker 1: show that there would be some changes. But what is
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  Speaker 1: your message for the government this morning?
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  Speaker 2: To take a sensible, reasonable and proactive approach to lowing
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  Speaker 2: those that have done the right thing for the greater
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  Speaker 2: goods and it consistently followed anti COVID guidelines be allowed
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  Speaker 2: to enjoy living life and running their businesses as normal
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  Speaker 2: as possible. Instead of being punished for those who have
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  Speaker 2: exercised their individual rights with no contact, I think the
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  Speaker 2: government needs to refocus on those that haven't stepped up
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  Speaker 2: for the greater good and put the resources into that
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  Speaker 2: and let the rest of us just go about our
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  Speaker 2: lives as normal as one can. I mean, these are
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  Speaker 2: difficult circumstances and health is crime, but everyone has had
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  Speaker 2: the same opportunity, the same amount of time, doesn't cost anything.
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  Speaker 2: For those that choose not to get the vaccine, to
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  Speaker 2: hold the rest of the country and the territory to
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  Speaker 2: ransom is outrageous.
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  Speaker 1: Well, Deborah Oyle, we are going to have to leave
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  Speaker 1: it there. I really appreciate your time this morning and
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  Speaker 1: keeping contact. Let us know what you here. Will try
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  Speaker 1: our best, obviously to do the same for everybody, but yeah,
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  Speaker 1: please keep in contact and I really appreciate you having
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  Speaker 1: your chat with me.
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  Speaker 2: Thank you, Katie, thank you.