A strong program of special events has been credited with a huge surge in the number of visitors to Central Australia.
The Norther Territory News reports that there has been a 35% increase in visitors to Alice Springs in the year up to September 2015.
The chairman of Tourism Central Australia (TCA), Dave Batic, said the industry was showing itself to be ‘buoyant, innovative and resilient’.
“A whole host of major events saw one of the busiest periods the town has seen in a very long time,” he said. “The atmosphere from July to October was electric.”
An advertising campaign in which six Centralians shared their experiences of taking scenic flights, and trying camel riding, quad biking, gliding and hot air ballooning is being credited with attracting many more grey nomads and other visitors to the area .
“I congratulate the resilience, hard work and business smarts of our tourism operators in rising to the challenge and offering visitors an unforgettable Red Centre experience that will stay in their memories long after the red dust has settled,” said TCA general manager, Jaclyn Thorne.
And industry stalwarts say the prospects for next year are even better.
