00:00 In the rich sands of the Red Centre, a tourism sector is still fighting to bounce back.
00:08 There's been no consistency for the last three years and it's been a real battle for everybody.
00:15 For Urmina Station Homestead, 30 minutes out of Alice Springs,
00:19 international visitation dried up over COVID and has barely returned,
00:24 while the domestic drive market is still lagging behind.
00:28 It's like they don't want to spend the same amount of money coming to the middle of Australia
00:33 as they could to go overseas.
00:35 This year's tourism season has been described as a tale of two stories.
00:40 Tour groups are up with some operators along the Stuart Highway,
00:44 like the Devil's Marbles Hotel, reporting a record year.
00:48 But those linked to the drive market, including caravan parks,
00:52 have seen bookings plummet down to 50% compared to last year.
00:57 Tourism Central Australia says the industry is still struggling to bounce back after COVID
01:02 and cost of living pressures, soaring airfares and crime concerns are only slowing progress.
01:08 We're in the millions of dollars here in terms of impact to the regional economy.
01:13 The NT's newly appointed tourism minister
01:16 claims the government is working to revitalise the industry.
01:20 There's marketing ploys in place,
01:22 they're working diligently and they're working hard to continue to attract the drive market.
01:27 But others say more needs to be done, with calls for tourism vouchers to return.
01:33 Wouldn't it be fantastic to give incentive to Australians to come and visit their fabulous,
01:38 local, amazing environments?
01:41 We will consider all options. I will look at this with a fresh set of eyes.
01:45 A new minister left with plenty of work to be done.
01:48 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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