The Territory's tourism industry is feeling more pain from the Territory's crime crisis than from COVID-19, a new survey from Tourism NT has found.
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The survey of industry sentiment for the March quarter of this year asked tourism operators to rate the outlook for their business over the next 12 months.
More than 50 Territory operators rated their outlook 72 out of 200, a score lower than before and after COVID-19, which saw interstate and overseas tourism effectively cancelled.
The figure is also the lowest in the history of the report, which has been measuring industry sentiment each quarter for the past 12 years.
"This survey shows we've hit rock bottom," Shadow Minister for Tourism, Marie-Clare Boothby, said.
"Our tourism operators are feeling worse about their future than ever before.
"Industry sentiment is lower than after COVID-19, with tourism operators citing crime as the major factor for their concerns."
In the Top End, businesses rated their outlook 77 out of 200, the second lowest sentiment ever while operators in the Centre reported an outlook of just 50 out of 200, which is by far the lowest sentiment on record.
The report stated: "The most commonly cited concerns by tourism operators include anti-social behaviour and crime, along with negative media coverage impacting on bookings to the NT."
Bill Wilcox from G'day Mate Tourist Park in Alice Springs said the negative media publicity around the Todd Tavern riot in March caused significant damage to his business.
"Our bookings stopped overnight. Our situation is dire and we don't know if we'll survive the off-season. The Government hasn't done enough to improve the perception of Alice Springs," he said.
But for Katherine - which heavily relies on drive tourists who travel via Alice Springs from southern states - the Central Australian crisis spells disaster too.
"Ever since the crime in Alice was all over the media, we've had many cancellations," a Katherine tourist park operator who didn't want to be named, said.
"There's been hundreds of cancellation. We ask people why they don't want to come after they'd already made a booking, and they all say the same: Crime."
Ms Boothby took aim at the Government for failing the Northern Territory and its tourism businesses.
"The Labor Government has wrecked the Territory's reputation as a safe place for tourists to visit by failing to manage crime over the past eight years and now they are failing to support events that could generate some positive publicity. It's no wonder our (...) tourism operators are worried about their future," she said.
