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Katie Woolf spoke with Tourism Top End General Manager Glen Hingley · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Tourism Top End General Manager Glenn Henley, Good morning to you, Glenn.
• 0:04
  Speaker 2: O Katie, good morning, Good morning listening Glenn.
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: How did things go last night and this morning from
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  Speaker 1: your perspective with these half priced flights.
• 0:14
  Speaker 2: Yeah, so we've been talking to a lot of people
• 0:17
  Speaker 2: this morning and some people have secured those airfairs and
• 0:19
  Speaker 2: they've been now looking to book their land content, so
• 0:22
  Speaker 2: that's really good. Equally, there's been a lot of challenge
• 0:26
  Speaker 2: around what people are their confidence and as I think
• 0:31
  Speaker 2: you just heard from Daniel that it's not the virus
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  Speaker 2: that people are concerned about. It is in fact they're
• 0:37
  Speaker 2: concerns around their ability to get home. Yeah, something under
• 0:41
  Speaker 2: what's happening, and that's the big challenge we face. We
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  Speaker 2: in fact, we had team just last week at the
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  Speaker 2: West Australian Cavan Camping Show and it was really interesting
• 0:51
  Speaker 2: talking about over forty five thousand West Australians went along
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  Speaker 2: to that event and they were talking about what they're
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  Speaker 2: going to be doing with their vehicles and in heading
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: north and it was really clear the sentiment that they
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: will do the West Coast, they'll get up and do
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  Speaker 2: the Kimberley. They do want to get across and spend
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  Speaker 2: some time in the top end. Yeah, but they won't
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  Speaker 2: be venturing further than they It will be straight back
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  Speaker 2: to Western Australia. And part of that was because they
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  Speaker 2: don't want to be caught out. Yeah, that's the challenge
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  Speaker 2: that we faced with this process.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, and this is the problem I guess that we've
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  Speaker 1: got at the moment. And I did hear you know,
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  Speaker 1: the national calls as well this morning from your counterparts nationally,
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  Speaker 1: the Tourism Industry Council I believe it's called Australian Tourism
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  Speaker 1: Industry Council Industry Country. Yeah, and I am reading a
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  Speaker 1: letter that you've sent through to us as well. Yeah,
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  Speaker 1: this is what sort of what we're seeing from Aussie's
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  Speaker 1: at the moment is is that not the fear of
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: the virus, but that fear of being caught out and
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  Speaker 1: having to quarantine for fourteen days.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, and as we've seen, that can happen to your
• 1:49
  Speaker 2: mid slide. So that's one of the challenges that are
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  Speaker 2: out there and the sooner to echo Daniel's calls, and
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  Speaker 2: that is the cause by Australian Tourism Industry UNFUL and
• 2:01
  Speaker 2: other organizations on a national level. The faster we can
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  Speaker 2: get this vaccinate, this vaccine rolled out, the better it
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  Speaker 2: will be for everybody. We've always had a very conservative
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  Speaker 2: approach here because community comes first in the top end.
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  Speaker 2: Our customers are equally important, and it's not business at
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  Speaker 2: all costs, not at all, and it hasn't been that
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  Speaker 2: from the get go. And sooner we can get this
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  Speaker 2: vaccine out, then the better it will be and our
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  Speaker 2: economy can start to ride itself again.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, and look, I think that it wouldn't only be
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  Speaker 1: the tourism industry, but there'd be plenty of other industries
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  Speaker 1: sort of feeling the same way as well and just
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  Speaker 1: wanting that to happen so that we can try our
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  Speaker 1: best to live as normally as possible in what is
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: a new COVID world.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah. Absolutely, it goes beyond leisure travelers, right. It's people
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  Speaker 2: wanting to get out into a conference and get face
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  Speaker 2: to face with their clients in business meetings. It's people
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  Speaker 2: wanting to be able to know that they can fly
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  Speaker 2: in manner and poppet of spend time with the kids
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  Speaker 2: in the top end, but and equally that they can
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: go back safe or they can fly out and see
• 3:04
  Speaker 2: their family. So it's affecting all parts of our business.
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  Speaker 2: And of course from a tourism perspective, it's just not
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  Speaker 2: the consumer that walks in the door that that our
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  Speaker 2: economy depends on, to all those support industries, that multiplier effect,
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  Speaker 2: if you like, that that tourism has. And when we've
• 3:18
  Speaker 2: seen this situation last week with the expedition ships being blocked,
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  Speaker 2: it's not just a cancelation in the hotels and the
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  Speaker 2: attractions and the tour operators. It's the local produce suppliers
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  Speaker 2: that that that sell to the expedition ships. It's the fuel,
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  Speaker 2: it's the marine mechanics, it's Chris and George and the
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  Speaker 2: great business that they have until now operated down at
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  Speaker 2: the port. The knock on effect once is issuge. We
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  Speaker 2: found that in the last year just how important the
• 3:48
  Speaker 2: ability to travel is. But equally we know now we're
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  Speaker 2: very crystal clear that if we can get this back,
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  Speaker 2: then we can do it. And part of that is yes.
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  Speaker 2: And again, Katie, thanks to your great efforts with with
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  Speaker 2: the Federal Minister for Tourism and was that we had
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  Speaker 2: our AGM this week and everyone took a moment and
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  Speaker 2: you weren't in the room. Unfortunately that you've got a
• 4:10
  Speaker 2: standing ovation from the tourism industry, regale them of your
• 4:14
  Speaker 2: interview with Dantean.
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  Speaker 3: Oh, thank you, you know, and just the great effort
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  Speaker 3: and the support from our media family in once that
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  Speaker 3: you had seen that in order to be able to
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  Speaker 3: get that and get down on the list.
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  Speaker 2: It's important ones on the list. So these flights as
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  Speaker 2: you've really got to choose your dates to be able
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  Speaker 2: to travel people coming into the top end. That just
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  Speaker 2: got to be flexible. Yeah, the good deals, yeah, but
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  Speaker 2: they're there.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, And this is the thing, and you know, I
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  Speaker 1: guess everybody's trying their best to be and we all
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  Speaker 1: want to make sure that we're supporting our tourism industry.
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  Speaker 1: But Glenn, how are we looking this weekend as we
• 4:51
  Speaker 1: lead into Easter for our wonderful tourism operators in the
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  Speaker 1: top end.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, a lot of lot of phone calls, lot of
• 5:00
  Speaker 2: people have deferred their bookings. And that's the real that's
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  Speaker 2: the real challenge that we've got that we're asking visitors
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  Speaker 2: to the top end. So a lot of caravan parks
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  Speaker 2: that were people were driving in Fine, those people are
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  Speaker 2: already in the territory and that's okay. But in terms
• 5:16
  Speaker 2: of people flying in to pick up a rental vehicle,
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  Speaker 2: we are seeing and hearing anecdotally people looking to push
• 5:25
  Speaker 2: back their stay. That said, for local territories, that might
• 5:29
  Speaker 2: create some opportunities, some last minute opportunities, So keep keep
• 5:32
  Speaker 2: an eye out on whatever platform you book your local
• 5:35
  Speaker 2: accommodation through to see what's available. Should there be some cancelations,
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  Speaker 2: there might be some last minute deals to be done.
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  Speaker 2: But yeah, and again it's we're still depending on getting
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  Speaker 2: the figures through from Queens and this morning as to
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  Speaker 2: what that means. But we can see what a challenge
• 5:54
  Speaker 2: it has. We see in the Byron Bays Byron Bay
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  Speaker 2: Blues Festival just what's huge economic loss that's been by
• 6:03
  Speaker 2: virtue of the hotspot that crept into Byron Bay. And
• 6:06
  Speaker 2: we've got an almighty lineup of events and team major
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  Speaker 2: events have done a great work in securing the supercars.
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  Speaker 2: We've got Darwin Festival coming up, We've got Based in
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  Speaker 2: the Grass coming up, We've got a whole range, We've
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  Speaker 2: got the Hawks playing the Suns in May. These will
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  Speaker 2: bring visitors to the territory to the top end that
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  Speaker 2: will bring jobs for locals and the sooner we can
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  Speaker 2: get vaccine rolled out so we can move forward with
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  Speaker 2: these major events that bring people to the top end.
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  Speaker 2: The sooner we can get our convention CenTra and all
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  Speaker 2: our other meeting rooms around around Darwin full of meetings
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  Speaker 2: again as people are coming up and we start to
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  Speaker 2: do commerce again as we knew it and better than before.
• 6:50
  Speaker 1: Absolutely, Hey, I do want to just ask you very quickly, Glenn.
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  Speaker 1: I know that it is being reported this morning on
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  Speaker 1: the ABC Ubia is going to be closed by traditional owners.
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  Speaker 1: We know that it would usually be closed at this
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  Speaker 1: time of the year anyway, but there are some concerns
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  Speaker 1: that it may not open due to the concerns of
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  Speaker 1: traditional owners. You know, with the management of Kakado. What
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  Speaker 1: are you hearing at this stage and what kind of
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: impact would that have, So.
• 7:21
  Speaker 2: Katie I, so, firstly, we hope it doesn't come to this.
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  Speaker 2: And I was on last late night calls last night
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  Speaker 2: with the folks of Parks Australia based here in the
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  Speaker 2: Top End, who believes that they were having meetings as
• 7:36
  Speaker 2: this was going to air and they were out of
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  Speaker 2: range yesterday with traditional owners and they were of the
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  Speaker 2: view that they were being able to progress the concerns
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  Speaker 2: of traditional owners, which is really important. It's one thing
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  Speaker 2: to listen and to another thing to do something about us. Yes,
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  Speaker 2: and they felt so in that call last night that
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  Speaker 2: they felt that that which is out there hopefully won't
• 7:59
  Speaker 2: be the and they're able to move forward and be
• 8:05
  Speaker 2: able to listen and action and to get it happening.
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  Speaker 2: You know, there's a new team at Parks Australia. We're
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  Speaker 2: doing everything we can as a tourism industry to work
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  Speaker 2: closely with them but also encouraging them to listen to
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  Speaker 2: the concerns and work with traditional owners. And from a
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  Speaker 2: tourism industry perspective, some of our biggest tourism businesses in
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  Speaker 2: around Kakadu are employed by Aboriginal people, are sorry owned
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  Speaker 2: by Aboriginal people or employee Aboriginal people. So it's really
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  Speaker 2: key from a tourism perspective where it won with traditional owners.
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  Speaker 2: And so the late night call I had last night,
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  Speaker 2: which went for just over an hour, was to allay
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  Speaker 2: concerns and was to that which trying to identify where
• 8:47
  Speaker 2: that might have come from and also to be able
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  Speaker 2: to understand if there is something that they were unaware
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  Speaker 2: of that they could get onto that morning. I'm expecting
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  Speaker 2: another call by lunchtime today on a hook up out
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  Speaker 2: to Jabru to get an update on what's happening there right.
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  Speaker 1: Well, please let us know Glenn when you do have
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  Speaker 1: more information. But as I've said, my understanding is that
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  Speaker 1: it is closed at the moment any way, and it
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  Speaker 1: does close at this time of the year, but no
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  Speaker 1: doubt there'll be plenty of hopefully very constructive discussions to
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  Speaker 1: ensure that it can open.
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  Speaker 2: Well, there's a great cruise operating where you get picked
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  Speaker 2: up at Midilla Creek where the road is closed, and
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  Speaker 2: we'll take you through the Wetlands Adventure and you can
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  Speaker 2: get out to Uba a gorgeous little tour which is
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  Speaker 2: run by a great Aboriginal corporation business out there. So yes,
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  Speaker 2: you can get to Abre, but you can't get there
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  Speaker 2: on your own vehicle because you can't get through Midulla Creek.
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  Speaker 1: Fair enough, Well, Glenn, it is always good to catch
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  Speaker 1: up with you mate. Thank you so very much for
• 9:44
  Speaker 1: your time this morning, and we'll talk to you again
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  Speaker 1: very soon.
• 9:47
  Speaker 2: Do you have a great listeners, have a great easter
• 9:49
  Speaker 2: to get out around the top end.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, good idea.
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  Speaker 1: Glenn Hingley there tourism top end general manager and as
• 9:55
  Speaker 1: you heard from Glenn, you know there may be some cancelations.
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  Speaker 1: So if you've sort of thought to yourself at different times,
• 10:01
  Speaker 1: I wouldn't mind spending a weekend in the city at
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  Speaker 1: the waterfront or you know, one of the other wonderful hotels,
• 10:06
  Speaker 1: or going out somewhere, maybe down to Catherine or wherever. Really,
• 10:11
  Speaker 1: now it might be a good time to jump online
• 10:13
  Speaker 1: or give them a call and check it out. You
• 10:15
  Speaker 1: might actually find yourself a great price and go and
• 10:18
  Speaker 1: see the Northern Territory for your Easter weekend.