Report Period: June 2011/12 - June 2013/14 SUNSET AT MINDIL BEACH, DARWIN OVERNIGHT Visitors Holiday VFR Business Visitor nights ALOS (nights) Domestic 558 225 126 171 2,835 5.1 VFR Visiting friends / relatives ALOS Average length of stay Intra-Territory 167 74 38 36 468 2.8 Interstate 391 151 88 136 2,366 6.0 International 123 88 12 10 2,153 17.5 Total overnight 681 313 138 181 4,988 7.3 Travellers by Purpose The majority of travellers to Darwin and surrounds were visiting the region for a holiday (46%). There were also large proportions of business (27%) and VFR visitors (20%). In addition, some visitors who visited the region for other purposes including employment, education or as a point of transit (7%). 15 TO 29 YEARS INTERSTATE 12% INTRA-TERRITORY 27% INTERNATIONAL 47% 30 TO 39 YEARS INTERSTATE 7% INTRA-TERRITORY 23% INTERNATIONAL 15% 40 TO 54 YEARS INTERSTATE 29% INTRA-TERRITORY 35% INTERNATIONAL 15% 55 TO 64 YEARS INTERSTATE 23% INTRA-TERRITORY 9% INTERNATIONAL 13% 65 YEARS & OVER INTERSTATE INTRA-TERRITORY 7% INTERNATIONAL 9% Most interstate travellers to Darwin were over 40 years of age (82%). Intra-territory travellers were more likely to be younger with half (50%) being under 40. Most international travellers to Darwin were also aged under 40 (62%). Publication date: October 2014 Page 1 of 8 Ph: (08) 8999 3900, Fax: (08) 8999 3888, Email: strategy.tourismnt@nt.gov.au
Overnight visits ('000) Darwin and Surrounds Overnight Visitation 900 800 700 600 500 400 300 200 100 0 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 Rolling Annual Total Interstate International Intra-Territory Trends Whilst the overall trend has been one of decline since 2009, this has been mainly driven by a weaker interstate visitor market, as international and intra-territory visitation remained stable. This trend has begun to turn upwards in the past 12 months. Interstate visitation had been declining in the region since 2011 but the trend reversed in the first half of 2014. Intra-territory visitation for the region has been relatively stable since 2010. International visitation to the region had been declining steadily for the past 4 years though the trend has begun a slight upward turn. New accommodation inventory is expected to help ease demand on accommodation from workers in the mining industry and the tourism industry. 79% 19% 8% 7% 6% 1% 15% 2% 81% 2% 0% 2% 55% 20% 8% 16% 4% 15% [NB: Figures may not add up to 100% as some respondents were not asked this question and some may have used multiple forms of transport]. The method of transport varies for the interstate, intra-territory and international markets. International travellers use a wider array of transport options whilst the clear majority of the interstate fly in to Darwin (79%). Just over four-fifths of intra-territory travellers drive (only). Fly/drive visitors fly into a destination and then hire a car. International and interstate visitors are more likely than intra-territory visitors to do this option. International travellers are more likely to take a bus or tour coach, making this market an important market for the travel tour operators. The drive market of the interstate visitors is very small compared to other regions and represents a potential market opportunity as Darwin currently attracts an estimated 25% of the NT drive market. Publication date: October 2014 Page 2 of 8
OVERNIGHT Visitors Holiday VFR Business Visitor nights ALOS (nights) Domestic 558 225 126 171 2,835 5.1 NT 167 74 38 36 468 2.8 NSW 88 37 17 30 509 5.8 VIC 102 47 24 26 578 5.7 QLD 80 21 26 30 450 5.6 SA 59 21 11 25 513 8.7 WA 47 20 8 17 248 5.2 TAS 7 3 0 4 33 4.5 ACT 8 2 3 4 36 4.2 VFR Visiting friends / relatives ALOS Average length of stay 50% 40% 20% 10% 0% Interstate Intra-Territory Mar Qtr June Qtr Sept Qtr Dec Qtr Seasonality of Domestic Markets Interstate seasonality shows a clear peak season during the September quarter (39%) as visitors travel during the Australian winter. The shoulder season is the June quarter (28%). While in summer other Australian destinations are strong competition with just 16% - 17% of domestic visitors travelling to Darwin and surrounds during the December and March quarters. Intra-territory travel is stable through June to December quarters. OVERNIGHT Visitors Holiday VFR Business Seasonality of International Markets International seasonality shows a peak season during the September quarter (44%) as visitors travel to Australian during the northern hemisphere autumn and winter. The lower seasons of March quarter (13%), June quarter (17%) and December (26%) are fairly even, with the wet season and build up being a quiet for international visitors in Darwin and surrounds though there is a slight increase during the December quarter. Publication date: October 2014 Page 3 of 8 Visitor ALOS (nights) nights International 123 88 12 10 2,153 17.5 Germany 17 15 0 0 241 14.3 United Kingdom 16 13 2 1 293 18.2 USA 11 6 1 2 113 10.2 France 11 10 0 0 130 11.9 New Zealand 9 4 2 1 103 11.0 Italy 5 5 0 0 50 9.2 Other Europe 24 20 2 1 324 13.6 North East Asia 7 4 1 1 339 48.5 South East Asia 7 3 1 1 162 23.3 Rest of World 16 8 3 2 398 25.2 50% 40% 20% 10% 0% Mar Qtr June Qtr Sept Qtr Dec Qtr
Darwin The vast majority of international visitors to the Darwin region entered and exited via Sydney. Darwin was the second most used port of entry and exit. Melbourne,Perth and Brisbane were also used as an entry and exit option for some international travellers. A small number (3%) exited via Cairns. This indicates that visitors to Darwin disperse thoughout Australia and they are most likely to contain their visit to other Australian capital cities. Publication date: October 2014 Page 4 of 8
Interstate visitors to the Darwin region were likely to stay in the Darwin region. Those interstate travellers that did extend their trip tended to stay within the Top End (25% to Kakadu and 26% to Katherine). International visitors to Darwin were most likely to have also visited Alice Springs (43%) followed by Uluru (35%) demonstrating the importance of air access routes for international travellers. International travellers were also likely to visit other regions in the Top End with 31% visiting Kakadu and visiting Katherine. [N.B. Figures used in map relate to overnight visitors to the Darwin region and icludes other regions also visited in the NT]. Publication date: October 2014 Page 5 of 8
2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 01-02 02-03 03-04 04-05 05-06 06-07 07-08 08-09 09-10 10-11 11-12 12-13 13-14 No. of People No. of ships Aviation Ten airlines fly to and from Darwin Airport - Qantas, Qantas Link, Virgin Australia, Jetstar Airways, Silk Air, Malaysian Airlines, Philippine Airlines, TigerAir, Air North and Skywest. Silk Air, Malaysian Airlines and Philippine Airlines run only international routes, while Qantas, Qantas Link, Virgin and Skywest operate domestic routes. Air North and Jetstar currently operate both international and domestic flights. Changes to the routes that occurred in 2013 include Philippines Airlines commencing Darwin - Manila flights in June 2013, Air Asia Indonesia recommenced its flights between Darwin and Denpasar in August 2013, Malaysia Airlines also returning with Darwin - Kuala Lumpar route became available in November 2013. Accommodation The Darwin region reported a room occupancy rate of 79% for the 2013 financial year. This was based on 271,400 room nights occupied. Takings for this period are reported to be $183 million equating to revenue per available room night (RevPar) of $128. The peak season for the Darwin region is during the September Quarter with a room occupancy rate of 90%. Takings for this period are reported to be $58 million equating to revenue per available room night (RevPar) of $166. Room numbers have increased by 211 between March 2012 and June 2013. (For further information on accommodation in Darwin, please visit: www.tourismnt.com.au/research/accommodation-reports). $180 $160 $140 $120 $100 $80 $60 $40 $20 $0 Revenue per available room ($) Mar 12, Jun 12, Sep 12, Dec 12, Mar 13, Jun 13, (Rooms (Rooms (Rooms (Rooms (Rooms (Rooms =3,428) =3,390) =3,434) =3,575) =3,632) =3,639) 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 20% 10% 0% 80000 60000 40000 20000 0 Pax and Crew No. of Ships 50 40 30 20 10 0 Cruise Since 2001/02, the number of ships has increased from 13 to 38 and the number of people stopping (passengers and crew has increased from 9,636 to 39,309. After a steady increase in passengers and ships between 10/11 and 11/12, numbers have been decreasing. Tourism Top End Visitor Information Centre The Tourism Top End Visitor Information Centre measures visitors who enter the visitor information centre each month. There has been a 6.9% growth in visitation per annum since June 2007 to 208,000 visitors in the YE June 2014. However, there has been a 6.9% decline in visitor numbers over the last 12 months. 300000 200000 100000 Publication date: October 2014 Page 6 of 8
Index In the June quarter 2014 40% of Darwin operators reported an increase in visitation for the quarter compared to the same quarter in 2013. A further 24% of operators reported that visitation had stayed the same, while 36% reported a decrease. While it is important that the majority of operators report an increase, the results of this poll demonstrate that increases in visitation to the region does not mean that all operators will benefit. Darwin and Surrounds Performance 75% Decrease Large Decrease Remained the Same Increase Large Increase 25% 8% 9% 3% 47% 26% 33% 18% 7% 5% 3% 10% 13% 32% 23% 26% 21% 14% 34% 32% 42% 24% -25% 16% 11% 23% 19% 27% 38% 17% 23% 28% 25% 5% 10% 7% 6% -75% Sep qtr 12 Dec qtr 12 Mar qtr 13 Jun qtr 13 Sep qtr 13 Dec qtr 13 Mar qtr 14 Jun qtr 14 Operators in the accommodation sector have been reporting positive visitation for the last 12 months reflecting strong visitation to the region, while the leisure dependent tour/ transport sector and attractions sector have been notably softer. However, the June quarter 2014 data shows and index score of 100 for attractions which means that an equal number of operators from this sector had a positive years as those who didn t. Darwin and Surrounds Performance by Sector 150 100 50 133 125 97 81 70 122 100 113 57 50 121 77 97 115 121 106 100 91 89 96 85 75 Attractions Touring/Transport Accommodation 0 Sep qtr 12 Dec qtr 12 Mar qtr 13 Jun qtr 13 Sep qtr 13 Dec qtr 13 Mar qtr 14 Jun qtr 14 Publication date: October 2014 Page 7 of 8
YE Dec 05 YE Jun 06 YE Dec 06 YE Jun 07 YE Dec 07 YE Jun 08 YE Dec 08 YE Jun 09 YE Dec 09 YE Jun 10 YE Dec 10 YE Jun 11 YE Dec 11 YE Jun 12 YE Dec 12 YE Jun 13 YE Dec 13 YE Jun 14 Youth visitors are defined as international visitors aged 15-29, visiting for the purpose of holiday that are not part of a family or school travel group. Youth visitors to the region made up over two in five (43%) of all international holiday visitors to the region. 30.0 20.0 10.0 Avg. length of Stay 0.0 Over half arrived in Australia on a working holiday visa (53%). The majority of youth visitors are European (71%) On average youth visitors to the region spent 19 nights in Darwin and Surrounds. Those who are on a working holiday in the region spent 80 nights in the region. Youth visitors to the region were highly likely to visit multiple places during their visited with the majority (89%) having four or more destinations within Australia. The most frequented states included NSW (76%), QLD (70%) and VIC (54%). The most popular destinations for youth visitors to visit in the NT included Litchfield (52%), Kakadu (52%), Uluru (48%), Kings Canyon (31%) and Nitmiluk (26%). The most memorable experience for Youth visitors to the region were Australia s Natural Environment and Wildlife (39%), followed by Rural and Outback Experiences (20%) and the Diverse Costal and Beach Experiences (18%). Youth visitors to the region enjoyed Outdoor & Nature Activities, Social Activities and Local Attractions and Tourist Activities. The main activities undertaken include: Go to the beach Visit national parks Bushwalking Eating out Sightseeing Pubs and clubs Shopping Go to markets Visit Wildlife Parks Go on a Guided Tour Taking a charter on Ferry or Boat Outdoor & Nature Activities 91% 87% 76% Social Activities 92% 91% 85% 80% Local Attractions and Tour Activities 75% 69% 61% 60% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Publication date: October 2014 Page 8 of 8