Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Tourism Top End CEO Glen Hingley talks the next lot of tourism vouchers releases on 360 with Katie Woolf

Transcript

Tourism Top End CEO Glen Hingley talks the next lot of tourism vouchers releases on 360 with Katie Woolf · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: It is just after nine point thirty. Now we know
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: that the next round of Territory Tourism vouchers go live tonight.
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: Plenty of Territorians already jumping online to register and joining
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: me on the line to tell us a bit more
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: is the general manager of Tourism top End, Glenn Hingley.
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: Good morning to you, Glenn.
• 0:16
  Speaker 2: Katie, Good morning, Good morning listeners.
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: Glenn. For those who have not yet been lucky enough
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: to get their hands on one of these vouchers in
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: the past, where do they need to go and what
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: do they need to do?
• 0:27
  Speaker 2: Territory vouchers dot com. So if you go to Tourism NT website,
• 0:32
  Speaker 2: that'll be the best one to get there. You can
• 0:33
  Speaker 2: remember that and then people will be able to from
• 0:36
  Speaker 2: there go follow the links. And I would suggest people
• 0:39
  Speaker 2: would do this well and truly before eight o'clock this evening,
• 0:44
  Speaker 2: so there's not a last minute panic. And for those
• 0:46
  Speaker 2: who are new to vouchers, this being round four, will
• 0:52
  Speaker 2: know that last time they sold out yeah and a
• 0:56
  Speaker 2: half minutes.
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: I was going to say, right, so people really need
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: to make sure that they're getting early. How important are
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: these vouchers to the tourism sector in terms of really
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: trying to get things moving, particularly over the wet season.
• 1:15
  Speaker 2: It's been an incredibly difficult year. A little couple of
• 1:19
  Speaker 2: rays of sunshine back in April May, we remember we
• 1:22
  Speaker 2: were chatting about the need for more staff and to
• 1:24
  Speaker 2: be able to get businesses up and running because demand
• 1:26
  Speaker 2: was so strong, and then New South Wales Victoria, then
• 1:30
  Speaker 2: New South Walest went into lockdown so effectively since July
• 1:33
  Speaker 2: and July August September being our peak period for tourism
• 1:37
  Speaker 2: for our visitor economy that make up over forty percent
• 1:40
  Speaker 2: of our annual two point four billion dollars our customers
• 1:43
  Speaker 2: for tourism have been in lockdown ever since. So whilst
• 1:46
  Speaker 2: it feels busy at times around the top end, effectively
• 1:50
  Speaker 2: we've been fondly referring to those focus COVID refugees and
• 1:53
  Speaker 2: we're through that they could stay on, but they're here
• 1:56
  Speaker 2: in their caravans and there are vs and they're not
• 1:58
  Speaker 2: heading back to New South Wales a Victorian time soon
• 2:01
  Speaker 2: and a lot of those people now have made the
• 2:02
  Speaker 2: trip over to WA as well. So it's been an
• 2:05
  Speaker 2: incredibly difficult time. It's we've been going back and forward
• 2:10
  Speaker 2: through the numbers it's about one point six billion dollars.
• 2:14
  Speaker 2: The territory economy is down because of it not having
• 2:18
  Speaker 2: our normal arrivals. And that's a lot of jobs, wow,
• 2:21
  Speaker 2: a lot of repayments to your peak businesses that are
• 2:25
  Speaker 2: mortgaged not only on their premises but on their vehicles
• 2:27
  Speaker 2: and their vessels. The amount of staff that that would employ.
• 2:31
  Speaker 2: You know, you know, we know that every time we
• 2:34
  Speaker 2: employ someone in tourism it generates about fifty thousand dollars
• 2:38
  Speaker 2: per year to the local economy as well as giving
• 2:41
  Speaker 2: someone a job. But so that's it's a really it's
• 2:45
  Speaker 2: a real challenge, and so we're grateful when you.
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: Talk about that one point six billion dollars. Is that
• 2:51
  Speaker 1: over the July August September period, No, that's.
• 2:56
  Speaker 2: Our calendar year today. So I'm looking at that number
• 2:59
  Speaker 2: and how we do that, but understanding that normally, if
• 3:03
  Speaker 2: not for vouchers this year, it would have been a
• 3:06
  Speaker 2: much bigger number, would have been closer to over two
• 3:08
  Speaker 2: billion dollars. So on the average this last few months
• 3:15
  Speaker 2: has been costing the territory economy upwards of seven point
• 3:19
  Speaker 2: six million dollars a day. Seven point six million dollars
• 3:22
  Speaker 2: a day, so we value this five million dollar campaign,
• 3:26
  Speaker 2: but it's less than one day of the losses that
• 3:29
  Speaker 2: tourism has been suffering. And when I say tourism, the
• 3:33
  Speaker 2: territory economy has been suffering by people not being able
• 3:36
  Speaker 2: to fly. And we know that when tourists can't fly,
• 3:39
  Speaker 2: planes stop flying and therefore anyone who wants to who
• 3:43
  Speaker 2: lives in the territory to travel around to those places
• 3:45
  Speaker 2: have been able to. There's less and less choices as well.
• 3:48
  Speaker 2: So you tourism helps the top end economy in more
• 3:51
  Speaker 2: ways than just financially for the government.
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: My certainly does. And you know, as we've said obviously,
• 3:57
  Speaker 1: these tourism vouchers are critically important and they will give
• 4:01
  Speaker 1: a bit of a boost. I know that we've had
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: someone just get in contact with us, and so do
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: we need the percentage of or do we know the
• 4:09
  Speaker 1: percentage of vouchers that have been purchased but have not
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: been used in the past, people snapping them up but
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: they're not actually using them. Or are we finding that
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: all of that money does in the end get used
• 4:23
  Speaker 1: and get out there into the tourism sector.
• 4:27
  Speaker 2: A great question and the answer is all of that
• 4:30
  Speaker 2: money in the last two rounds got out of the
• 4:32
  Speaker 2: tourism sector. So for those folk who go online and
• 4:35
  Speaker 2: can't make a decision, if they're successful in getting a
• 4:38
  Speaker 2: voucher tonight at eight o'clock and aren't successful, I can't
• 4:43
  Speaker 2: make a decision. They've got two weeks to make a
• 4:44
  Speaker 2: decision to make a booking for travel up until the
• 4:48
  Speaker 2: thirty first of January. So if you don't make that
• 4:51
  Speaker 2: booking within fourteen days, and you'll get a couple of
• 4:53
  Speaker 2: reminders along the way, then that money will go back
• 4:56
  Speaker 2: into the pool, so another voucher can be released to
• 4:58
  Speaker 2: someone on a wait list. Equally, if you don't spend
• 5:02
  Speaker 2: the whole two hundred dollars in your dollar for dollars.
• 5:06
  Speaker 2: So if dollar for a dollar for the two hundred
• 5:08
  Speaker 2: dollar free money voucher that you've got, you spend two
• 5:11
  Speaker 2: hundred dollars. Therefore the total price is four hundred. If
• 5:13
  Speaker 2: you only spend three hundred, then you'll be giving fifty
• 5:16
  Speaker 2: dollars back to the pool, which will go to someone
• 5:18
  Speaker 2: on the weight list.
• 5:19
  Speaker 1: So what sorry you go?
• 5:22
  Speaker 2: Well, there was upwards of over twenty thousand people on
• 5:25
  Speaker 2: the weight list, and a lot of those people pretty
• 5:28
  Speaker 2: much all those people were given the opportunity to take
• 5:30
  Speaker 2: up on the vouchers. So if you don't get it
• 5:32
  Speaker 2: at eight five past eight, whatever that time is tonight,
• 5:36
  Speaker 2: make sure you follow through put your name on the weightlist,
• 5:38
  Speaker 2: because the vouchers will be released in waves over the
• 5:41
  Speaker 2: next few weeks. And part of that is also calibrated
• 5:44
  Speaker 2: because there's this four hundred kilometer two hundred bonus claim
• 5:49
  Speaker 2: bonus cash as well, So if you travel four hundred
• 5:52
  Speaker 2: kilometers and make sure you read the details and you
• 5:55
  Speaker 2: do everything the way it's supposed to be done, can
• 5:58
  Speaker 2: pick up another two hundred dollars as well well.
• 6:00
  Speaker 1: Glenn, let's hope that as many people as possible do
• 6:03
  Speaker 1: obviously pick up those vouchers and head right around the territory.
• 6:06
  Speaker 1: I know that we've spoken on numerous occasions as well
• 6:09
  Speaker 1: to your counterpart in Central Australia, Daniel Rochford, about some
• 6:12
  Speaker 1: of the difficulties that they are facing, So I can't
• 6:15
  Speaker 1: make it any clearer. Everybody, get out there and make
• 6:18
  Speaker 1: sure that you go and support our local tourism operators. Glenn,
• 6:22
  Speaker 1: I do want to ask you. I know that Scott Morrison,
• 6:24
  Speaker 1: the Prime Minister, obviously said on Friday afternoon that international
• 6:28
  Speaker 1: travel for fully vaccinated Aussies is going to resume from
• 6:31
  Speaker 1: next month. He said that raising those vaccination rates obviously
• 6:36
  Speaker 1: enable people who'd had both doses of the TGA approved
• 6:39
  Speaker 1: vaccine to leave Australia and then to quarantine inside their
• 6:42
  Speaker 1: homes on their return for seven days. We have had
• 6:47
  Speaker 1: indication I've been sent a statement by the Northern Territory
• 6:51
  Speaker 1: government saying that at this point in time there aren't
• 6:55
  Speaker 1: plans to really make massive changes. They've said that our
• 6:58
  Speaker 1: roadmap for managing nineteen when of Territorians are fully vaccinated
• 7:03
  Speaker 1: later this year, retains strong borders, particularly for the unvaccinated,
• 7:08
  Speaker 1: and the safety of Territorians will always be the number
• 7:11
  Speaker 1: one priority, and our tough borders have been critical and
• 7:14
  Speaker 1: keeping COVID nineteen out and keeping the territory open. It
• 7:19
  Speaker 1: says that we will work with the Commonwealth in regards
• 7:22
  Speaker 1: to what the resumption of international travel for vaccinated Australians
• 7:25
  Speaker 1: means for the territory, both in terms of our borders
• 7:28
  Speaker 1: and the Center for National Resilience Glenn, how critical is
• 7:33
  Speaker 1: it for the tourism industry that we are able to
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: resume international travel at some point.
• 7:42
  Speaker 2: In twenty nineteen, over twenty percent of our visitors were international,
• 7:45
  Speaker 2: of course, and we know that internationals stay longer, spend more,
• 7:49
  Speaker 2: and by virtual of that employ more Territorians. So it's
• 7:53
  Speaker 2: a really critical path that we're looking for. We're looking
• 7:57
  Speaker 2: for better certainty from the government. We're also understanding that
• 8:00
  Speaker 2: there's a lot of things in play. We're only as
• 8:03
  Speaker 2: fast as our slowest community, whether that be in the
• 8:08
  Speaker 2: city or regionally in terms of vaccination. So whilst this
• 8:13
  Speaker 2: common topic of eighty percent target, it's about vaccination equity
• 8:19
  Speaker 2: and so it's I think from a tourism industry perspective.
• 8:22
  Speaker 2: I was out in Kakudu the week before, I was
• 8:24
  Speaker 2: at Timber Creek last week, and a lot of our
• 8:27
  Speaker 2: tourism operators out there, caravan parks, wayside inns, are all
• 8:31
  Speaker 2: really conscious that they're in close proximity to communities, to
• 8:36
  Speaker 2: areas of the territory that have very low vaccination rates
• 8:39
  Speaker 2: so far, and so playing this through, we can see
• 8:42
  Speaker 2: through this that unless those targets are achieved across the territory,
• 8:49
  Speaker 2: then our challenges we can't see how we can genuinely
• 8:52
  Speaker 2: be opening soon. And we're certainly calling on politicians to
• 8:56
  Speaker 2: get rid of the bipartisan approach and really work together.
• 9:02
  Speaker 2: Recently we also met with the Federal Minister of Northern
• 9:05
  Speaker 2: Australia in which you know, we suggested that the federal
• 9:08
  Speaker 2: government appoint are Northern Australia's are to sit down as
• 9:10
  Speaker 2: a central command to be working really closely with the
• 9:14
  Speaker 2: territory government, with ar Chose and community groups that represent
• 9:18
  Speaker 2: all vulnerable Territorians to make sure that not only do
• 9:22
  Speaker 2: we keep sending out media releases hoping saying that we
• 9:26
  Speaker 2: hope everyone gets vaccinated and everyone's had the chance for
• 9:29
  Speaker 2: a vaccine, that the education and the information and the
• 9:33
  Speaker 2: incentives are they're in place, because either way, people aren't
• 9:38
  Speaker 2: going to be able to go back to Bali for
• 9:40
  Speaker 2: a holiday. Europeans aren't going to be able to come
• 9:44
  Speaker 2: to the territory for a holiday and spend money. We're
• 9:46
  Speaker 2: going to be caught in this and I think we're
• 9:49
  Speaker 2: certainly looking for actions now to ensure vaccine equity and
• 9:54
  Speaker 2: all communities across the territory in Northern Australia for that matter,
• 9:58
  Speaker 2: greater collaboration with the federal government, Chose, n T government,
• 10:01
  Speaker 2: land councils and other organizations representing all territories, all territorians,
• 10:07
  Speaker 2: because here it can easily get into a conversation about
• 10:11
  Speaker 2: our most vulnerable Aboriginal territories. It's one third of our territorians,
• 10:16
  Speaker 2: seventy five thousand Territorians are original people, but there's another
• 10:20
  Speaker 2: ten to fifteen thousand people that are highly vulnerable as well,
• 10:23
  Speaker 2: and we can't forget that. I think the other one
• 10:26
  Speaker 2: is to have a plan for our visitor economy. If
• 10:28
  Speaker 2: we don't achieve these visitor ones and these vaccination equity.
• 10:32
  Speaker 2: If we don't have that, then businesses with their houses
• 10:36
  Speaker 2: mortgaged against their business and trying to get certainty of
• 10:39
  Speaker 2: their staff that they've still got on ouches are great,
• 10:41
  Speaker 2: But what happens after February next year? And we all
• 10:45
  Speaker 2: know it takes time for people to plan holidays from
• 10:48
  Speaker 2: far away alone from Sydney and Melbourne.
• 10:50
  Speaker 1: Gen we are fast running out of time. But I
• 10:52
  Speaker 1: do want to ask you. I know that these quantus
• 10:54
  Speaker 1: flight as well from London to day and direct I'm assuming,
• 10:57
  Speaker 1: would be quite the game changer if we're able to
• 11:00
  Speaker 1: make it happen. I mean, do you think that this
• 11:04
  Speaker 1: is a reality here given the fact that we do
• 11:07
  Speaker 1: still have these issues in terms of our vaccination rates
• 11:11
  Speaker 1: and the Northern Territory not looking as though it's going
• 11:13
  Speaker 1: to open those international borders.
• 11:17
  Speaker 2: I think the devil's in the detail, Katie. I think
• 11:19
  Speaker 2: as you allude to in that, I think having a great,
• 11:24
  Speaker 2: big Quantus plane direct from London land in Darwin, the
• 11:27
  Speaker 2: likelihood of people being able to get on that plane
• 11:29
  Speaker 2: or get off that plane until we've got vaccination equity
• 11:33
  Speaker 2: across the territory is a big ask and we will
• 11:36
  Speaker 2: hope that that would happen. Wouldn't it be great if
• 11:39
  Speaker 2: Darwin could become the Singapore hub for Australia, that Quantus
• 11:43
  Speaker 2: could lead the way in bringing people from Europe transit
• 11:46
  Speaker 2: here and darn, which means people would get off, spend
• 11:49
  Speaker 2: their money, they take extended holidays that experience what a
• 11:52
  Speaker 2: great place it is, and then make their onward trip
• 11:55
  Speaker 2: later on to South Australia or onto the East Coast.
• 12:01
  Speaker 2: And equally, as territorians, we'd be able to jump on
• 12:04
  Speaker 2: a plane and go to Europe. Yeah, that'd be awesome.
• 12:07
  Speaker 1: It'd be game changer, it.
• 12:09
  Speaker 2: Would be absolutely But I think there's a there's a
• 12:11
  Speaker 2: lot of little things in this that. We certainly hope
• 12:15
  Speaker 2: that the territory government with the federal government can work
• 12:19
  Speaker 2: through because one of the keys in this is making
• 12:22
  Speaker 2: sure that all Territorians are vaccinated, because if that doesn't occur,
• 12:27
  Speaker 2: then we're just kicking the can down the road as
• 12:29
  Speaker 2: to when we truly open as a destination because it's
• 12:33
  Speaker 2: considered safe for all territorians.
• 12:36
  Speaker 1: Well, Glenn Hingley, Tourism top Ends, General Manager. It's always
• 12:40
  Speaker 1: good to speak with you. I really appreciate your time
• 12:42
  Speaker 1: this morning. And let's see how quickly those vouchers go
• 12:46
  Speaker 1: off tonight eight o'clock.
• 12:48
  Speaker 2: Everyone, don't forget territory vouchers and Territory vouchers dot NT,
• 12:51
  Speaker 2: dot gov, dot AU get online.
• 12:54
  Speaker 1: Good stuff. Good on you, Glenn, Thanks so much. We'll
• 12:56
  Speaker 1: talk to you again so