Tourism in Australia's Tropical Savannas

Tourists boat down Katherine Gorge, Nitmiluk Exploring caves in the savannas

Australia's tropical savannas are a very popular tourist destination. Most visitors come to the savanna region to experience nature and visit natural places such as Kakadu National Park, Cape York or the Kimberley — and seasonal influx of tourists to the savanna contributes to the temporary population.

The Top End region alone welcomes approximately 904,000 visitors each year, generating an annual income of $982 million¹.  As the table below shows, 74% of visitors to the Top End area are from interstate, staying an average of six days and spending $1123 per person.  However, just 46% of domestic visitors are on holiday, leaving 54% of domestic travellers who visit the Top End for other reasons, such as business trips or visiting relatives.

The remaining International visitors stay an average of 11 days and spend about $858.  Most of these visitors are on holiday.

Tourism NT has identified five new key niche markets for marketing the tourism industry overseas, all focused on appreciation of the natural and cultural values of the Northern Territory.  These include Aboriginal Art Trails, Birdwatching, Aboriginal Music Schools, Environmental Conservation and Wildlife Volunteer Tips³.  This is an indication of the high value of markets which promote conservation of the natural features of the savanna landscape.

In the Kimberley region, visitor surveys found that the three primary motivations for visiting the region were to experience the scenic features, landscape and nature of the North Kimberley as well as drive the Gibb River Road and experience remoteness and wilderness⁴. Approximately 38,000 people visited the North Kimberley in 2003/4.

Across the border, the North Queensland, Central Queensland, Outback and Townsville regions welcome approximately 1.1 million international visitors and 4.2 million domestic visitors, generating an annual income of about $3,814 million⁵.

‘The Top End & Katherine Area’ includes Darwin, Kakadu, Arnhem, Katherine and Daly tourism regions.

Source: Tourism NT (2007) Northern Territory Regions Snapshot 2006–07²

References

1. Tourism NT (2007) Regional Snapshot http://www.tourismnt.com.au/nt/system/galleries/download/NTTC_Research/Regional_Snapshots_04-06.pdf

2. Tourism NT (2007) Northern Territory Regions Snapshot 2006-07 http://www.tourismnt.com.au/nt/system/galleries/download/NTTC_Research/Regional_Snaphot_FY05-07.pdf

3. Tourism NT (2007) Niche Markets, August 2007, http://www.tourismnt.com.au/nt/system/galleries/download/Industry/Niche_News_Aug07.pdf

4. Greiner, R., Larson, S., Herr, A. and Pinger, P. (2005) Independent travellers in the North Kimberley: Benefits, impacts and management challenges. CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, Townsville and Tropical Savannas CRC, Darwin.

5. Tourism Queensland (2007) Snapshot http://www.tq.com.au/shadomx/apps/fms/fmsdownload.cfm?file_uuid=19C31C1B-A274-F420-7372-ED5FFF860525&siteName=tqcorp_06