Independent research has highlighted the pivotal role that events and festivals play in attracting visitors to the Northern Territory, revealing the significant economic benefits delivered by six Northern Territory Major Events Company (NTMEC) events in 2021-22.
Events included Red CentreNATS 2021, Million Dollar Fish Season 7, Parrtjima – A Festival in Light 2022, the Territory’s 2022 NRL game, BASSINTHEGRASS 2022 and the 2022 Darwin Triple Crown Supercars Indigenous Round.
Collectively, they were responsible for generating 276,239 visitor nights and delivered a gross expenditure stimulus of $117.7 million. Combined, the six recorded 135,441 total event attendances, and 55,530 attendees said they were motivated to travel to the host region specifically for the event.
Parrtjima 2022 installation Eagles Eye Bush Tobacco Dreaming by Jeannie Nungarrayi Egan.NTMEC Head of Events and Operations Coryn Huddy said the results confirmed that events continue to be a key motivator for many visitors booking a trip to the Territory.
“We are passionate about delivering unique event experiences, and pride ourselves on a diverse portfolio of world-class events that create a compelling reason for people of all ages to visit the Territory,” he said.
Huddy said the team at NTMEC looked forward to building upon the successful results in 2023.
“We are proud to help drive such positive results for the Territory, and cannot wait to deliver a range of exciting event experiences next year for Territorians and visitors,” he said.
The independent research showed considerable support for NT government to continue investing in events. An average of 95.2 per cent of survey respondents agreed it was a good investment, while 94 per cent agreed the event they attended provided a positive impact on the local community.
