Independent research has highlighted the vital 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.
Collectively, these events were responsible for generating 276,239 visitor nights and delivering a gross expenditure stimulus of $117.7 million. They also supported the equivalent of 614 full-time jobs.
These events include 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.
Combined, the six events recorded 135,441 total event attendances, with 55,530 attendees stating they were motivated to travel to the host region specifically for the event. Attendee satisfaction was also high for each of the events, at 8.4 out of 10, on average.
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 Northern 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,” Huddy said.
“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.”
NTMEC is supported by the Northern Territory Government (NTG), and the independent research showed considerable support for NTG 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.
