The NT’s new national park campsite booking system has run into technical difficulties on its very first day of operation,
The Government said high demand had caused the system, which also allows people to book multi-day hikes, to crash for more than an hour. And there were a number of other glitches with the system which was launched yesterday morning.
The NT News reports that some users reported the location on their personal booking profile being automatically changed from Alice Springs to Alabama in the United States.
Others were redirected to the Queensland national parks website through a booking confirmation email.
The new booking system suffered early glitches.
A $1.34 million contract to set up the booking website was awarded to New York-based company, US eDirect almost a year ago.
Parks and Wildlife Commission executive director Sally Egan apologised for the website’s issues.
“We are currently experiencing teething issues that go with introducing new outward-facing systems and we apologise for the system sluggishness,” she said. “US eDirect are working flat out behind the scenes to rectify the issue.”
The NT News reports that the honesty box payment system at designated campsites across the NT has been replaced by a mandatory online prepaid system.
There are also additional camping fees, ranging from $4 per night for a single adult to access basic facilities to $20 per night for a premium campground.
Minister for Parks and Rangers Selena Uibo said changes to the management of Territory parks and reserves will help ‘protect, modernise and improve the parks while bringing the Northern Territory in line with other jurisdictions’.
According to the NT Department of Environment, Parks and Water Security website, the benefits of the new system include staff having access to statistics and reporting on visitor numbers.
The website also listed “visitor certainty and satisfaction” and the ability to “view open/closed parks, available dates and have greater planning options” as benefits.
All designated campsites in the NT must now be pre-booked and paid for in advance, eliminating the possibility of spontaneous camping trips.
Sally Egan acknowledged to the NT News that the system would be a significant adjustment for users, and she said the Parks and Wildlife Commission was doing all it could to ensure a smooth transition.
Free Wi-Fi services will be extended for 12 months at Wangi Falls, Karlu Karlu and Watarrka and a telephone customer service team is available seven days a week during business hours.
“This booking system will take the pressure off trying to rush to your favourite campsite on a Friday after work only to discover it is full and you have to turn around and go home,” Ms Egan said. “It will also ensure Parks receive vital revenue to help maintain them for generations to come.”
Two months in and it’s still not working. Software doesn’t have full functionality on a mobile phone, you need a tablet or more. Rangers have no discretion in allowing camping even if you’ve made all efforts to book. Feedback has been going back up the line of NT Parks and wildlife but they need to hear more from all of you travellers. At a time when we’re trying to grow tourism this is just an embarrassment, speaking as a now ex Territorian and former NT government employee.