Year ending June 2015 406,000 Year ending June 2016 447,000 Year ending June 2017 484,000 x TOURISM NT REGIONAL PROFILE Alice Springs and MacDonnell Report Period: Year Ending June 2017 Annual overnight visitor numbers to the region Alice Springs sunset, Credit: Paul and Debra Hoyt/Tourism NT REGION DEFINITION The Alice Springs MacDonnell tourism region comprises the Alice Springs tourism region and the MacDonnell tourism region. The regional boundaries of the Alice Springs - MacDonnell tourism region are defined by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Cat. No. 9503.0.55.001. What makes up the region Alice Springs MacDonnell Alice Springs Town Council East and West MacDonnell National Parks, Tanami Desert, Hermannsburg, Yuendumu, Ti Tree Source note: All information is derived from Tourism Research Australia s National and Visitor Surveys unless otherwise stated. Tourismnt.com.au Page 1 of 9 Publication Date: September 2017 Disclaimer: The Department of Tourism and Culture has taken due care and skill in preparing this information, however does not warrant that it is correct, complete or suitable for the purposes for which it is intended to be used. The Department disclaims all liability associated with the use of this information. For further information email research.tourismnt@nt.gov.au
Mar-08 Jun-08 Sep-08 Dec-08 Mar-09 Jun-09 Sep-09 Dec-09 Mar-10 Jun-10 Sep-10 Dec-10 Mar-11 Jun-11 Sep-11 Dec-11 Mar-12 Jun-12 Sep-12 Dec-12 Mar-13 Jun-13 Sep-13 Dec-13 Mar-14 Jun-14 Sep-14 Dec-14 Mar-15 Jun-15 Sep-15 Dec-15 Mar-16 Jun-16 Sep-16 Dec-16 Mar-17 Jun-17 Overnight Leisure Visitors ('000) Tourist numbers in Alice Springs - MacDonnell? Alice Springs MacDonnell overnight visitor numbers Year Ending June 2017 Origin Domestic a Total b Visitors 121,000 241,000 362,000 122,000 484,000 Holiday 34,000 117,000 151,0000 114,000 265,000 Visiting Friends and/or Relatives 5,000 9,000 15,000 3,000 17,000 Business 62,000 78,000 140,000 4,000 144,000 Visitor nights 308,000 1,467,000 1,775,000 590,000 2,365,000 ALOS c (nights) 2.6 6.1 4.9 4.8 4.9 Expenditure - - $344M $77M $421M a: Domestic = and b: Total = Domestic and c: ALOS Average Length of Stay Recent growth in the region has been driven by international and interstate visitation Visitors stayed an average of 4.9 nights Average spend per trip was $869 Lasseters Hotel Casino, Alice Springs, Credit: Peter Eve/Tourism NT 200 180 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 Alice Springs - MacDonnell Overnight Leisure* Visitor Trend ** *Leisure visitors are on a holiday and/or visiting friends and family ** Change in methodology from 2014 - estimates are not comparable to previous years Two Year Moving Average (Year ending) Tourismnt.com.au Page 2 of 9
WHAT time of year do tourists visit? Visitation by quarter Year Ending June 2017 43% 16% 23% 18% 39% 11% 14% 35% 31% 24% 28% 18% March quarter June quarter September quarter December quarter WHERE do our visitors come from? Domestic and international source markets Year Ending June 2017 Domestic source market overnight visitor numbers State of origin Visitors ( 000) Visitor nights ( 000) ALOS (nights) 121 308 2.5 241 1,467 6.1 NSW/ ACT 43 236 5.5 Victoria / Tasmania 75 421 5.6 Western Australia 17 145 8.4 Queensland 53 480 9.1 South Australia 53 185 3.5 25% 25% source market overnight visitor numbers Country of Origin Visitors ( 000) Visitor nights ( 000) ALOS (nights) 122 590 4.8 USA 24 133 5.5 United Kingdom 20 60 3.0 Germany 19 58 3.0 France 7 39 5.7 Scandinavia 6 44 7.2 Switzerland 6 21 3.7 New Zealand 5 25 4.9 Canada 5 21 4.6 Italy 4 10 2.2 Netherlands 4 12 3.4 5 Bush tucker with rt tours, Credit: Shaana McNaught/Tourism NT Tourismnt.com.au Page 3 of 9
2% 9% 13% 14% 15% 15% 19% 18% 22% 21% 24% 27% 27% 31% 43% 1% 5% 7% 11% 11% 9% 16% 13% 17% 12% 19% 26% 34% 34% 41% 44% WHO are our visitors travelling with? Visitation by travel party type Year Ending June 2017 Over half of international visitors travelled alone or as part of an adult couple. Travelling Alone Adult Couple Family Group Friends and Relatives WHAT age are our visitors? Visitation by age Year Ending June 2017 Business Associates Other visitors tended to be older than international or intra-territory visitors 15-29 30-39 40-54 55-64 65+ Tourismnt.com.au Page 4 of 9
Aircraft Private vehicle or Rental car Motorhome or campervan Railway Bus/Coach Other Transport 4% 3% 3% 7% 7% 5% 15% 33% 32% 41% 48% 61% 68% WHAT transport did they use to get here and around? Visitation by transport Year Ending June 2017 Daily flights operate to Alice Springs from every major city in Australia. By road, access to the region is through the Stuart, Barkly and Lasseter Highways The leisure* drive market in focus Almost a quarter (24%) of all visitors to the region were self-drive leisure travellers in 2016-17, which was an estimated 140,000 visitors. Domestic Source Markets Australians made up 82% of this market, with NT residents representing 29% of the domestic leisure drive market. Visitors from Vic/Tas, NSW/ACT and South Australia accounted for 56% of the market. Length of Stay Over three quarters (76%) of the combined domestic and international leisure drive market stayed for three or less nights. Tourismnt.com.au Page 5 of 9 *Leisure visitors are on a holiday and/or visiting friends and family
HOW do s get here? The majority of international visitors entered Australia through Sydney (38%) before making their way to the region. The next most popular port of entry was Melbourne, with accounted for 29% of visitors. Ports of entry/exit used by international visitors who visited Alice Springs - MacDonnell year ending June 2017 DARWIN: ENTRY = 6% EXIT = 6% CAIRNS: EXIT = 6% ENTRY = 2% Alice Springs BRISBANE: EXIT = 13% ENTRY = 11% PERTH: ENTRY = 9% EXIT = 9% ADELAIDE: ENTRY = 3% EXIT = 3% SYDNEY: EXIT = 46% ENTRY = 38% MELBOURNE: EXIT = 17% ENTRY = 29% Other ports of entry and exit include the Gold Coast which accounted for less than 1%. Tourismnt.com.au Page 6 of 9
WHERE else do they go in the Territory? Alice Springs MacDonnell holidaymakers visiting the regions Year Ending June 2017 GREATER DARWIN 24% Intra-territory 1% 28% KAKADU & ARNHEM LAND 6% Intra-territory 13% KATHERINE & DALY 22% Intra-territory 4% 15% BARKLY 19% Intra-territory 4% 12% LASSETER 59% Intra-territory 4% 76% ALICE SPRINGS & MACDONNELL WHERE did they go in the Region? Statistical Area Level (SA) Annual visit (2 year average) Proportion of region Alice Springs (SA1) 424,000 91% Sandover - Plenty (SA2) 47,000 1 Tanami (SA2) 35,000 8% Yuendumu Anmatjere (SA2) 18,000 4% Alice Springs MacDonnell Total 466,000 - Tanami Yuendumu - Anmatjere Sandover - Plenty Tourismnt.com.au Page 7 of 9
Hotels Rented house/apart ment Backpacker or hostel Commercial Caravan park or camping Non Commercial Caravan or camping Friends or relatives property Other 2% 1% 2% 2% 2% 8% 1 7% 13% 12% 1 12% 11% 21% 21% 18% 45% 54% 61% WHERE did they stay? Visitation by accommodation type used Year Ending June 2017 Hotels account for more than 4 of accommodation used across all traveller types. *Other accommodation includes other non-commecial properties such as free camping or roadside reststops and not stated. What activities did they do? Eating out at cafes or restaurants, Credit: Peter Eve/Tourism NT Sightseeing, Credit: Shaana McNaught/Tourism NT Bushwalking, Credit: Allan Dixon/Tourism NT Visiting national parks, Credit: Sarena Hyland/Tourism NT Tourismnt.com.au Page 8 of 9
Thousands 289 300 307 434 473 479 Visitors ('000) Alice Springs Accommodation 1157 ROOMS IN ALICE SPRINGS At the end of June 17 72% Industry sector news AVERAGE OCCUPANCY $117 AVERAGE ROOM RATE $85 REVENUE PER ROOM AVAILABLE Alice Springs Attractions Attractions in Alice Springs MacDonnell showcase the region s pioneering history, natural wonders, amazing wildlife and Aboriginal culture and are quintessential to any visit to the area. Attractions including the Alice Springs Desert Park and Alice Springs Telegraph Station have proved even more popular in the year ending June 2017 compared to the previous year. In particular, visitation on the previous year at the Telegraph Station. 300 250 Alice Springs Desert Park Telegraph Station 243 200 189 192 150 100 50 64 64 71 - YE Jun 15 YE Jun 16 YE Jun 17 Source: STR Global Destination Reports Accommodation Year Ending June 2017; Alice Springs Hotel accommodation with 10+ rooms. Source: NT Parks and Wildlife Commission, Alice Springs Desert Park and Alice Springs Telegraph Station Visitors figures Year Ending June 2017. Airport traffic data shows an increase in inbound passengers and seats 500 450 400 350 300 250 200 150 100 50 0 Inbound Revenue Passengers ('000) Inbound Seats ('000) YE Jun 15 YE Jun 16 YE Jun 17 More information on the surveys: Visitor number, night and spend estimates are derived from Tourism Research Australia s (TRA) National and Visitor Surveys (NVS and IVS). These surveys are based on sample rather than census, and as such, are subject to sampling variability. When using these estimates at the destination level, this variability increases. Confidence intervals and sample for the region are highlighted in the table below. Year ending (YE) June 17 95% Confidence Interval Sample Visitor size Visitors nights 117 +/-31% +/-58% 137 +/-22% +/-27% 653 +/-9% +/-34% Source: Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics Image credit: Peter Eve/Tourism NT Where available, Tourism NT has provided information from other sources to be used in conjunction with the NVS and IVS estimates. It is recommended that other information sources are also used such as population statistics from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, feedback from local operators, information from local Visitor Centres, data from local councils, Tripadvisor etc. PLEASE NOTE: In January 2014, the NVS methodology was improved to bring the survey sample more in line with the Australian population. Consequently, domestic estimates for 2014 onwards are not comparable to estimates for 2013 and prior. More information on the change to the NVS methodology is available here. Tourismnt.com.au Page 9 of 9