ATTACHMENT 1 œ MARKET PERFORMANCE ... - Tourism NT

Strengthening the Position of Alice Springs Tourism 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 

The Sustainable Tourism Services Project Team would like to extend our 

appreciation to those community representatives, industry operators and government 

officers who participated in workshops, attended meetings and provided feedback 

during the preparation of this report. 

We would also like to acknowledge the research support provided by Northern 

Territory Tourist Commission and the Central Australia Tourism Industry Association.


CONTENTS 

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS............................................................................................ II 

1.0 INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................... 1 

1.1 BACKGROUND ......................................................................................................... 1 

1.2 THE PLANNING PROCESS......................................................................................... 1 

1.3 THE ROLE OF THE REPORT....................................................................................... 2 

1.4 DESTINATION DESCRIPTION...................................................................................... 2 

1.4.1 Map 2: Alice Springs in Context of Australia .................................................... 3 

1.4.2 Diagram 1: Contextual Map - Destination Alice Springs .................................. 4 

2.0 CONTEXT ANALYSIS ............................................................................................. 5 

2.2 MARKET PERFORMANCE........................................................................................... 6 

2.3 KEY ISSUES FACING THE DESTINATION...................................................................... 6 

3.0 POSITIONING OVERVIEW...................................................................................... 8 

3.2 BRAND HEALTH....................................................................................................... 9 

3.3 WHERE THE DESTINATION CURRENTLY STANDS (WHAT THE RESEARCH TELLS US) ....... 9 

3.4 COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE / DISTINCTIVE COMPETENCE ........................................... 10 

3.4.1 What makes Alice Springs special? ................................................................ 11 

3.4.2 Core Experiences.............................................................................................. 12 

3.4.3 Personality ........................................................................................................ 12 

3.4.4 Brand Values..................................................................................................... 12 

3.5 COMPETITIVE SETS................................................................................................ 13 

3.6 TARGET MARKETS................................................................................................. 13 

3.8 EMOTIONAL BENEFITS............................................................................................ 14 

3.9 VISION .................................................................................................................. 14 

ACTION PLAN ......................................................................................................... 15 

4.1 LEADERSHIP AND COORDINATION ........................................................................... 16 

4.2 DESTINATION MANAGEMENT................................................................................... 21 

4.3 MARKETING AND POSITION MANAGEMENT............................................................... 25 

4.4 PRODUCTS, EXPERIENCES AND SERVICES ............................................................... 29 

A T T A C H M E N T S ..................................................................................................... 36 

ATTACHMENT 1 – MARKET PERFORMANCE OVERVIEW...................................... 37 

ATTACHMENT 2 – MARKETING COMMITTEE DRAFT TERMS OF REFERENCE... 40 

Taking the Next Steps i


LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS 

ABS Australian Bureau of Statistics 

ASTC Alice Springs Town Council 

ATSIC Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission 

BTR Bureau of Tourism Research 

CATIA Central Australia Tourism Industry Association 

CCI Chambers of Commerce and Industry 

CLC Central Land Council 

CSIRO Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation 

DKA Desert Knowledge Australia 

DKCRC Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre 

IVS International Visitor Survey 

MICE Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions 

NT Northern Territory 

NTTC Northern Territory Tourist Commission 

RCC Regional Chamber of Commerce 

RDBCA Regional Development Board of Central Australia 

RFDS Royal Flying Doctors Service 

RTA/O Regional Tourism Association / Organisation 

STCRC Sustainable Tourism Cooperative Research Centre 

VIC Visitor Information Centre 

Taking the Next Steps ii


EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 

1. Background 

Sustainable Tourism Services was commissioned by the Northern Territory Tourist 

Commission (NTTC) to assist with strengthening the position of destination Alice 

Springs. The project is one of several projects being undertaken by the NTTC in 

order to provide a stronger platform for the future marketing of the Territory as a 

whole and the six priority destinations within it. 

Key project outcomes delivered through this project include: 

I. The identification of key issues impeding the development of tourism in 

the town / region. A copy of the Issues Paper which documents the 

feedback from operators is enclosed as attachment 1 in the 

Background Papers report; 

II. A Context Analysis report which is included as attachment 2 in the 

Background Papers. This report reviews visitation and tourism trends 

in the region and includes a review of past studies and reports on the 

region; 

III. A product/destination audit. A copy of the Product Audit is enclosed as 

attachment 3 in the Background Papers. Ongoing work is required by 

CATIA and operators to identify product and service gaps and 

opportunities. This issue is further discussed in the Action Plan; 

IV. A proposed positioning framework for Destination Alice Springs to 

inform future marketing and promotional activities. A copy of this report 

is included as attachment 4 in the background papers; and 

V. A three year action plan identifying the steps and the key roles to be 

played by the stakeholders (including NTTC and CATIA) to take forward 

the positioning strategy. 

2. Regional Context 

2.1 Destination Description 

The geographic scope of destination Alice Springs is defined by this project as 

including: 

West to Tnorala 

• To include West MacDonnell National Park and Ranges, Simpson Gap, Tnorala 

Gosse Bluff, Finke Gorge National Park, Hermannsburg, Glen Helen, Wallace 

Rockhole and Owen Springs. 

South to Erldunda 

• To include Rainbow Valley, Henbury Meteorite Craters, Hugh River Stock Route, 

Maryvale Station, Chambers Pillar, Ewaninga Rock Carvings and Santa Teresa. 

Taking the Next Steps iii


East to Ruby Gap 

• To include East MacDonnell Ranges, Emily and Jesse Gaps, Corroboree Rock, 

Trephina Gorge, N'Dhala Gorge, Arltunga Historical Reserve. 

North to Aileron 

• To include Gemtree and Harts Range (North East), Tanami Road out to 

Tilmouth Road House (North West). 

The following map provides an overview of where these destinations sit in relation to 

Alice Springs CBD and the wider the Central Australia region. Diagram 1 on page 4 

of this report provides a contextual map of destination Alice Springs and its 

relationship with the marketing of Central Australia, the Northern Territory and 

Australia. 

Map 1: Central Australian Destinations 

Taking the Next Steps iv


3. Planning Process 

The following steps were undertaken by the project team over a four month period in 

the region: 

• Facilitation of seven industry workshops and meetings. 

• Interviews with key industry stakeholders from both the public and private 

sector. 

• Review and analysis of extensive secondary data. 

• Surveys of inbound operators, Tourism Australia and NTTC. 

• Survey of CATIA members and key stakeholders. 

• Site inspections of attractions within Alice Springs / region. 

• Preparation of Context Analysis report for the destination. 

• Preparation and presentation of Key Issues paper. 

• Preparation and presentation of Positioning Paper incorporating findings from 

pre-perceptions and domestic market segmentation research. 

• Review of the findings from the NTTC brand substantiation. 

• In addition to this project, John Morse was appointed by the NTTC to provide 

ongoing specialised advice on Indigenous tourism opportunities in Central 

Australia. John Morse’s feedback to date has been incorporated into this 

document. 

4. Destination Management Planks 

Four destination management planks underpin the action plan. These planks were 

put forward in the industry workshops and identified by the project management team 

as being fundamental to the implementation of the reports recommendations. 

i) Leadership and Coordination 

To build stronger regional partnerships (public and private) which can provide the 

leadership and resources to manage and grow a sustainable tourism industry. 

ii) Destination Management 

To develop the soft infrastructure (business, hospitality and service skills) to grow 

profitable enterprises and the hard infrastructure necessary to underpin the future 

development of the industry (accommodation, attractions, road and transport 

networks, revitalised city centre, international airport, etc). 

iii) Marketing and Position Management 

To develop a marketing implementation strategy which can take forward the 

positioning and branding framework developed by NTTC and the industry. 

iv) Products, Experiences and Services 

To develop, package and present unique products, visitor experiences and 

services which offer a competitive point of difference. 

Taking the Next Steps v


5. Implementation and Resourcing 

The Action Plan has been designed to deliver practical and achievable outcomes for 

the region over the next three years. The plan will need the collective support, 

leadership and resourcing of NTTC and CATIA, Alice Springs Town Council, 

operators and other key destination partners if the actions are to be taken forward in 

an integrated manner. 

Responsibilities for implementation and ideas for pilot projects, funding and 

resourcing are outlined in the Action Plan. 

6. Priority Actions 

Priority actions to guide implementation are outlined below. A full Action Plan, 

including actions, responsibilities and timelines is available in section 4 of this report. 

6.1 Leadership and Coordination 

I. CATIA need to review and refocus the role and responsibility of the 

organisation in light of the new NTTC marketing campaign and the new 

partnership agreement to be negotiated with NTTC. There is an opportunity 

to use this review to re engage with key community and operator groups. 

II. Subject to the results of the CATIA business plan review marketing and 

product development sub committees need to be established. A clear terms 

of reference will be needed to guide the actions and outcomes of both 

committees. Some example guidelines are included as attachment 2. 

III. A new partnership agreement needs to be negotiated between NTTC and 

CATIA. This agreement is critical to the ability of CATIA to take the branding 

and positioning strategy forward. The agreement will need to clearly address 

the responsibilities of both organisations with regard to marketing, product 

development, visitor information centre management, research, events 

management and all trade initiatives. 

6.2 Marketing and Position Management 

IV. CATIA will need to work closely with NTTC to develop a marketing 

implementation plan which can pick up the new NT Branding framework. This 

is an immediate priority given that destination Alice Springs will go into the 

domestic markets in 2005. 

V. NTTC have developed a new suite of tools that go with the brand refresh. 

These include a new strap line: “Share our Story” along with special fonts, 

graphics, colour palettes and design sheets. CATIA will need to work with 

NTTC to establish ‘The Alice Springs Story’ and to determine how this is 

progressively taken to market. Co-operative advertising opportunities are to 

be phased in from September 1 st , 2005. 

VI. CATIA need to examine the role of the current marketing sub committee of 

the Executive. This sub committee needs to take carriage of the marketing 

implementation plan. A draft terms of reference for this committee is included 

in section 4.3 of this report. 

Taking the Next Steps vi


6.3 Destination Management 

VII. There is an opportunity to work with the Alice Springs Town Council, 

retailers, galleries, Aboriginal communities, tour operators and artists, etc to 

promote the presentation, interpretation and display of Aboriginal arts, crafts 

and artefacts. A mid week open night in the mall, supported by a night 

market, music and community displays can be used to reinvigorate the mall 

and create a critical mass of visitor products. The Town Council, galleries 

and CATIA need to champion this initiative. 

The importance of the connection between Aboriginal art and tourism is not 

well understood – particularly by local galleries. For many people art is a 

comfortable entry point into Aboriginal culture. 

VIII. There is an opportunity to work with NTTC and educational training 

organisations (e.g. Charles Darwin University, CHARTES) to undertake a 

destination training needs audit. Once this is completed a focussed training 

and service delivery program can be developed for Alice Springs. Customer 

service standards are critical to the future positioning of the destination and 

the delivery of the destination experience. 

IX. CATIA need to engage with the Town Council, Parks and Wildlife Service, 

Department of Infrastructure and Planning and the Environment and other 

agencies to develop a ‘whole of destination’ tourism design and infrastructure 

plan. This plan needs to review transport access, signage in tourism 

precincts, architectural design standards, landscape, streetscape and 

townscape initiatives together with pedestrian links. Some of this work is 

already being undertaken but it needs a tourism focus. While a central area 

master plan and design guidelines have been completed these guidelines 

need to be extended throughout the town. 

6.4 Product Experiences and Services 

X. An Aboriginal Tourism Product Development Strategy needs to be developed 

for Alice Springs. This product development strategy needs to build on the 

recommendations provided by John Morse. An outline of key opportunities 

identified by John is included in the Best Practice section of this report. This 

product development strategy would be complementary to the Indigenous 

tourism strategy recently released by the NTTC. 

XI. CATIA needs to work with NTTC, operators, Savannah Guides, Desert 

Knowledge Australia and Desert Park to develop a Desert Guides network for 

Central Australia. Modelled off the Savannah Guide Network, these Desert 

Guides could become a working model for visitor management and 

interpretation and introduce a high level of operator training and 

accreditation. The Desert Guides could be initially based at the Desert Park 

who already have excellent training programs, Indigenous field staff and an 

extensive library of information. 

XII. More work is needed to package up and present a range of 1 to 5 day driving 

experiences throughout the region. This work needs to build on and integrate 

current research concerning the Mereenie Loop Road, and the design work 

covering the Pioneer Path which comprises the Larapinta Drive, Namatjira 

Drive, Lasseter Highway and Luritja Road. 

Taking the Next Steps vii


The linking and cross selling of heritage trail circuits, 4WDrive circuits, 

walking and trekking options needs to be undertaken. These all become 

potential adventure components of a visitor’s stay depending on their time 

and travel itinerary. 

Taking the Next Steps viii


1.0 INTRODUCTION 

1.1 Background 

Sustainable Tourism Services was commissioned by the Northern Territory Tourist 

Commission (NTTC) to assist with strengthening the position of Destination Alice Springs. 

The project is one of several projects being undertaken by the NTTC in order to provide a 

stronger platform for the future marketing of the Territory as a whole and the six priority 

destinations within it. 

Key project outcomes delivered through this project include: 

I. The identification of key issues impeding the development of tourism in the 

town / region. A copy of the Issues Paper which documents the feedback 

from operators is enclosed as attachment 1 in the Background Papers 

report; 

II. A Context Analysis report which is included as attachment 2 in the 

Background Papers. This report reviews visitation and tourism trends in the 

region and includes a review of past studies and reports on the region; 

III. A product/destination audit. A copy of the Product Audit is enclosed as 

attachment 3 in the Background Papers. Ongoing work is required by 

CATIA and operators to identify product and service gaps and opportunities. 

This issue is further discussed in the Action Plan; 

IV. A proposed positioning framework for Destination Alice Springs to inform 

future marketing and promotional activities. A copy of this report is included 

as attachment 4 in the background papers; and 

V. A three year action plan identifying the steps and the key roles to be played 

by the stakeholders (including NTTC and CATIA) to take forward the 

positioning strategy. 

1.2 The Planning Process 

The following steps were undertaken by the project team over a four month period in the 

region: 

• Facilitation of seven industry workshops and meetings. 

• Interviews with key industry stakeholders from both the public and private sector. 

• Review and analysis of extensive secondary data. 

• Surveys of inbound operators, Tourism Australia and NTTC. 

• Survey of CATIA members and key stakeholders. 

• Site inspections of attractions within Alice Springs / region. 

• Preparation of Context Analysis report for the destination. 

• Preparation and presentation of Key Issues paper. 

• Preparation and presentation of Positioning Paper incorporating findings from preperceptions 

and domestic market segmentation research. 

Taking the Next Steps 1


• Review of the findings from the NTTC brand substantiation. 

• In addition John Morse was appointed by the NTTC to provide ongoing specialised 

advice on Indigenous tourism opportunities in Central Australia. John Morse’s 

feedback to date has been incorporated into this document. 

1.3 The Role of the Report 

The role of the Action Plan is to provide a framework to establish priority tourism 

development and marketing initiatives and to outline how these can be taken forward. 

1.4 Destination Description 

Alice Springs in located in the geographical centre of Australia. It is a major tourist 

destination and an important service centre for the whole of Central Australia. 

Alice Springs has a population of around 30,000 and is a diverse community. The Central 

Arrernte people are traditional owners of Mparntwe (Alice Springs) and continue to live in 

Mparntwe, observe that law, look after the country and teach children the Arrernte 

language and the importance of culture. 

The vast and unspoiled landscapes of Alice Springs attracted 255,000 holiday visitors in 

2003 and the wider Centre Region receives over 500,000 visitors annually. Uluru, Kata 

Tjuta, Kings Canyon, Palm Valley, the East and West MacDonnell Ranges and Alice 

Springs Desert Park are all places of major interest in the area. In addition to tourism, the 

principal industries of the region include pastoralism, mining and defence. 

The Alice Springs township is situated 462 kilometres from Uluru (Ayers Rock), one of the 

major natural tourism icons of Australian tourism. 

The geographic scope of destination Alice Springs is defined by this project as including: 

West to Tnorala 

• To include West MacDonnell National Park and Ranges, Simpson Gap, Tnorala 

Gosse Bluff, Finke Gorge National Park, Hermannsburg, Glen Helen, Wallace 

Rockhole and Owen Springs 

South to Erldunda 

• To include Rainbow Valley, Henbury Meteorite Craters, Hugh River Stock Route, 

Maryvale Station, Chambers Pillar, Ewaninga Rock Carvings and Santa Teresa 

East to Ruby Gap 

• To include East MacDonnell Ranges, Emily and Jesse Gaps, Corroboree Rock, 

Trephina Gorge, N'Dhala Gorge, Arltunga Historical Reserve 



North to Aileron 

• To include Gemtree and Harts Range (North East), Tanami Road out to Tilmouth 

Road House (North West) 

The location of Alice Springs in the Centre of Australia is outlined in Map 2. Diagram 1 

provides a contextual map of destination Alice Springs and its relationship with the 

marketing of Central Australia, the Northern Territory and Australia. 

1.4.1 Map 2: Alice Springs in Context of Australia 



1.4.2 Diagram 1: Contextual Map - Destination Alice Springs 

Destination 

Australia 

Destination 

Northern 

Territory 

Destination Central 

Australia 

New Road Via West 

MacDonnells 

Destination 

Ayers Rock 

Standley Chasm 

Tnorala Gosse Bluff 

Finke Gorge NP 

Hermannsburg 

Wallace Rockhole 

Owen Spring 

Glen Helen 

To Tnorala 

Aileron 

Gemtree 

Harts Range 

Tanami Road to 

Tilmouth Road House 

N 

Alice residential 

and recreational 

Alice CBD 

(Hotels,Ent., etc) 

To Erldunda 

Rainbow Valley 

Henbury Meteorite Craters 

Hugh River Stock Route 

Maryvale Station 

Chambers Pillar 

Ewaninga Rock Carvings 

Santa Teresa 

Erldunda 

East MacDonnell 

Range 

Emily & Jessie Gaps 

Corroboree Rock 

Trephina Gorge 

N’Dhala Gorge 

Arltunga 

Ruby Gap 

Taking the Next Steps 4 

W 

To Aileron 

S 

E 

To Ruby Gap

Strengthening the Position of Alice Springs Tourism Draft 

2.0 CONTEXT ANALYSIS 

A context analysis report was completed at the beginning of the study. The Context 

Analysis report includes a review of the available literature, an analysis of market 

trends and patterns, a discussion on market performance and identifies key 

implications and challenges for the future management of destination Alice Springs. 

Outlined below is a summary of the key findings from this report. 

2.1 Key findings from the literature review: 

• There is no over arching regional tourism strategy for Alice Springs and there is no 

connection being made between the development of tourism and its relationship 

with the development of a strategic plan for the town centre and the community as 

a whole. 

• There is a plethora of development initiatives which are driven by different sectoral 

groups and different Government Departments. (These are listed in the Context 

Analysis Report) 

• There is a level of consistency in the perception research collected over a ten year 

period. That is that there is good knowledge of Alice Springs as a place but no 

knowledge of its tourism attributes. e.g. there is a lack of awareness on what is on 

offer and people continue to perceive Alice Springs as expensive, hot, dusty and 

hard to get to. 

• The visitation data portrays a soft period from 2001 with some pick up in activity in 

late 2004. It is important to note that this pick up was patchy and tended to differ 

between different products, services and industry sectors. 

• In the last five years the market environment has dramatically changed. Both 

national events (Olympic games, collapse of Ansett) and international events 

(SARS, terrorism etc) have all impacted in various ways on domestic and 

international travel to the destination. There is a lot of ‘noise’ in the data (i.e. there 

are a wide range of events which together impact on the current health of the 

destination). 

• The drive market (international and domestic) are critically important to the NT and 

Alice Springs. Both fly/drive and the dedicated long haul tour market hold a strong 

promise for Alice Springs. 

The following table outlines various visitor segments identified in the literature review. 

Segment Size and yield Growth Comment 

Business/conference Small but attractive Yes Recent market entry 

Interstate Large Yes Position important 

Backpackers Small Yes High Yield 

International package Large Problem Recent downturn 

Intrastate Low No Low Yield recent 

Downturn 

Current target markets as identified by CATIA include: 

• Self Drive 

o Cars and caravaners 

o Domestic fly drive 



o International fly drive 

• Budget / Backpacker 

o International 

o National 

• Packaged holidays (once the traditional mainstay of visitation to Central 

Australia) 

• Group tours (specialised interest, school and educational groups, etc) 

• Business Tourism (meetings, incentives, conventions) 

• Events (sporting events, festivals, etc) 

CATIA will need to revise these market segments in light of the new NTTC target 

market research. Please refer to section 3.5 of this report. 

2.2 Market performance 

There are a number of major trends evident in the statistical data for the study region. 

1. International visitation peaked after the Olympics and has declined and this is 

reflected in all regions in the NT. 

2. Domestic visitation has increased in part due to the reduction in outbound 

travel. 

The aggregate market data for various markets visiting the Centre Region are 

included as attachment 1. 

2.3 Key Issues Facing the Destination 

The following key destination issues were identified through an extensive industry 

consultation process (the issues are discussed in greater detail in the background 

papers). 

It is critical that these issues are addressed, as clearly any new positioning for Alice 

Springs must be complementary with the ability for the destination to meet the travel 

experience promises being made to target markets. These issues will also need to be 

addressed to enable the destination to maximise and grow tourism benefits over 

time. 

These key issues are discussed in more detail in the Key Issues discussion paper. 

(I) Industry leadership and co-ordination 

A more unified approach to destination management and marketing is needed. 

Currently, in Alice Springs, there is an ambiguous relationship between key public 

and private stakeholders. They are not considered to be working together in an 

effective and co-ordinated manner. This includes the relationship (partnership 

agreement) between NTTC and CATIA. 

There is uncertainty as to the role and responsibility of key agencies such as the 

Town Council and CATIA in managing and marketing destination Alice Springs. 



(II) Current and past research / reports 

This study reviewed over 40 past studies and research reports concerning Central 

Australia and Alice Springs. 

There are currently over ten new studies and research initiatives underway including 

the CSIRO Central Australia Tourism Futures project and numerous Territory 

Government planning initiatives. 

This project has provided an opportunity to pull together and align past and present 

research and to gain some collective opinion on how tourism should develop in the 

region over the next 5 years. 

(III) Competitive environment (as seen by key operators) 

Within Australia: Western Australia, Kimberley and Broome, North West 

Queensland, Tropical North Queensland, Broken Hill, Yulara, 

South Australia 

Outside Australia: New Zealand, South Africa, China, South America, South East 

Asia (culture and adventure tourism) 

Yulara was generally identified as a competitor to Alice Springs tourism rather than 

an asset or competitive advantage to link with. 

The NT interstate segmentation research found that interstate visitors compare to 

some degree a trip to the NT to a trip to an overseas destination. This has important 

implications for how the NT holiday experience is presented to key target markets. 

NTTC consumer research is outlined in section 3.6 of this report 

(IV) Destination Life Cycle 

Many operators feel that Alice Springs has been in a state of inertia over the past 2 

years. Alice Springs is not keeping pace with more competitive destinations such as 

Cairns and Broome. This includes the look and feel of the destination together with 

the types of products and visitor experiences offered. 

(V) Heritage Tourism 

Alice Springs has a rich European and Indigenous heritage and a unique natural 

desert environment however these product strengths are not being presented to their 

full potential. This issue is discussed in section 4 of this report. 

(VI) Indigenous tourism 

Research continues to highlight the recognition of Indigenous people and culture as 

core components of a travel experience to the NT. There is an opportunity to 

establish Alice Springs as a national and international centre for Indigenous art and 

craft. 

(VII) Experiential tourism 



Visitors want hands-on unique experiences, as opposed to merely a place to spend 

time. They want to engage with local people and feel that they have interacted with 

the unique Central Australian environment. The Issues Paper found that Alice 

Springs needs to substantially expand and improve the types of natural and cultural 

experiences offered to visitors. 

Alice Springs has a unique story to be told however there is no call to action and no 

marshalling point to promote local and regional experiences to visitor markets. There 

is an opportunity to promote clusters of complementary tourism experiences and 

services throughout the region. The Amazing Alice group is a best practice example 

of local operators coming together to promote and present local experiences to visitor 

markets. 

(VIII) Visitor services 

There was wide concern about the need to upgrade and refresh existing visitor 

services including shopping hours and the presentation and activities offered in the 

mall. The need for training of staff to improve customer services was identified during 

our meetings with operators. 

3.0 POSITIONING OVERVIEW 

The positioning paper provides recommendations on the core elements that should 

underpin a strategy to strengthen the current positioning of destination Alice Springs. 

While it examines the brand architecture, or key elements which will need to make up 

a new marketplace position for Alice Springs, the paper does not seek to finalize the 

creative expression of the Alice Springs brand. That is the task of the advertising 

agency in co-ordination with NTTC and CATIA. 

Developing and implementing a new brand takes time, resources, commitment, 

stakeholder sign-on and the necessary leadership to outsmart, rather than outspend, 

the competition. It is about a systematic process of building equity in the destination 

brand to achieve a long term vision for sustainable tourism outcomes for Alice 

Springs. It’s also about the development of mid term strategies and delivering some 

short term successes to build industry confidence. 

3.1 Crafting a Vision for Destination Alice Springs 

The following core industry values and desired destination outcomes were put 

forward by operators at the workshops. These values and outcomes underpin the 

final vision statement for the destination. 

(I) Industry Values (destination values from a tourism industry perspective. 

These values are also important to the target markets – the emotional attachment 

visitors have with a destination is a function of the empathy visitors have with the 

values represented by the destination). 

• Community wellbeing (safe, healthy) 

• Integrity: (maintenance of our sense of place and our lifestyle) 

o Professionalism 



o Honesty / openness (open dialogue, warm, friendly and approachable) 

o Equity and fairness 

• Value for money (achieving a return on investment for visitors and operators) 

• Authenticity (delivering genuine experiences) 

(II) Outcomes (tourism destination outcomes) 

1. To establish Alice Springs as a revitalised tourism destination 

2. Strong community partnerships which have ownership and commitment 

3. A competitive and innovative tourism industry 

4. Efficient, viable tourism enterprises 

5. High quality unique visitor experiences which are enjoyable, enriching and 

rewarding 

6. Cultural / ecological / economic sustainability 

7. Keeping Alice Springs an enjoyable place to live, work and have a family To 

connect our visitors with our country and our spirit 

8. To establish a beneficial partnership with Uluru 

9. Priority deliverables include: 

• To achieve Australian Heritage Listing and World Heritage listing for the 

West MacDonnell’s 

• To establish Alice Springs as a national and international centre for 

Indigenous art and craft 

3.2 Brand Health 

Although dedicated creative work was undertaken in 1998 to prepare a brand 

positioning for CATIA: “The Heart. The Soul. The Centre.” No dedicated marketing 

campaign was ever developed and no funds were found to take this positioning to 

market. Not surprisingly the project team found no brand awareness of the previous 

campaign. 

Developing, launching and implementing a new brand campaign will require efficient 

and effective media exposure and strong budgets if it is to succeed. This includes 

investment in web-based destination branding for the increasing techno-literate 

domestic and international marketplace. 

Currently marketing plans can not be related to the evaluation data available. There 

is a need to link segmentation, targeting, positioning and evaluation research at a 

regional level. 

3.3 Where the Destination Currently Stands (what the research tells us) 

Uniqueness of brand association (unclear): 

It is the epicentre of Australia and it has some nostalgic flavour reminiscent of the 

book “A town like Alice”. 

Strength of brand association (poor awareness): 



The widespread incorrect association between Alice Springs and Ayers Rock might 

imply weak brand association. There is no awareness of the attractions or services 

offered by Alice Springs. It is not thought of as a tourism destination. Consumers 

indicate that they would be likely to visit Alice Springs but only as a base for 

exploring, or a ‘drive through’ destination. 

Favourability of brand association (mixed market messages): 

From 1997 up to April 2004 (Strategic Research: NTTC April 2004) research 

indicates common perceptions of Alice Springs as being hot and dusty, remote and 

plagued with flies. More recent perceptions of Alice Springs from current visitors 

include a cosy town, modern and underrated. 

Types of brand association (current perceptions): 

The types of brand association can be further subdivided into attitudes, benefits and 

attributes. The pre-perceptions research in October 2004 found that for Alice, these 

are: 

• Attitudes: Located in the heart of Australia but isolated in the middle of the 

desert. 

• Benefits summarize the experience the destination provides and could be 

currently considered as: 

o Functional: A modern service centre (like any other town) 

o Experiential: Oasis in the desert 

o Symbolic: The real heart of Australia, the red centre 

• Attributes 

o Non product related: 

- Price: perception of being expensive and low value 

- Packaging: market feedback indicates that current packages lack 

innovation and in the most part have been unchanged for a number of 

years. Packaging to a large extent is dictated by inbound operators. 

- User imagery: User imagery ranges from real adventure through to too 

contrived and touristy. User imagery is not clear in the current research. 

What is clear is the poor perceptions of the tourism experiences offered by 

Alice Springs. 

3.4 Competitive Advantage / Distinctive Competence 

An examination of unique destination characteristics is discussed in the positioning 

paper. From this discussion the following special destination features have been 

identified. 



3.4.1 What makes Alice Springs special? 

Competitive Advantage 

Symbolic Centre of Australia 

(mythology) 

What separates Alice Springs from other 

destinations? 

This is unique to Alice Springs. Alice is the capital of 

Central Australia. It is the regions service centre and 

tourism axis. 

Landscapes / Indigenous story lines This is unique to Alice Springs. The colours of Namatijira 

Country (MacDonnell Ranges). Indigenous story lines and 

interpretation is needed to link the town with its 

landscape. 

Indigenous art and craft This is a competitive advantage for Alice Springs. There 

is an opportunity to establish Alice Springs as an 

international centre for Indigenous art and craft. 

Desert Park (desert guides) This is unique to Alice Springs and could be linked to a 

desert guides network. 

Ayers Rock (trails / tracks / loops) The central region has two core draw cards: Alice Springs 

/ MacDonnell Ranges and Ayers Rock (including Olgas 

and Kings Canyon). These need to be sold as an 

integrated package for drive and fly markets. 

Events – Henly on Todd, Desert 

Mob, Camel Cup, Masters Games, 

etc. 

Activities- golf, air balloons, 

Bojangles 

Alice has unique events which are known Australia wide. 

They are quirky and original. Night activities need to be 

further developed. 

Adventure (soft and hard) Alice could become the adventure “centre” for Central 

Australia (a similar role that Queenstown plays in New 

Zealand). 

Characters (spirited nature of local 

personalities) 

Local product champions (past and present) need to be 

presented. Afghan Cameleers, pastoralists, RFDS, 

operators, Indigenous artists, etc. 

Business Conventions market offers real opportunities (Alice 

Springs is a unique outback location for conferences). 

Rail / air / road The Ghan, option for International Airport, explorer 

highway. Alice has excellent access. 

History – sense of place A Town Like Alice, RFDS, School of the Air, etc. Alice has 

a unique outback history. 

It is important to note that claims of unique outback culture and heritage, friendly 

locals and pleasant natural environments can generally be substituted in various 

competitive destinations. If Alice Springs is to claim these attributes or qualities as 

unique it will need to offer new and improved travel experiences which differentiate it 

from its competitors. 



3.4.2 Core Experiences 

Four core experiences were identified as delivering the key appeals of destination 

Alice Springs. While all of these core experiences can be delivered, some will require 

assistance in product development and packaging. These issues will need to be 

addressed in the 3 year action plan. 

Desert Environment/ 

landscapes 

• Landscapes of 

Central Australia 

• Colours of 

Namatijira country 

• Desert Park 

• Indigenous story 

lines and 

connections 

• Desert cuisine 

• Flora / fauna 

Indigenous art and 

craft 

• Galleries 

• Aboriginal 

communities 

• Art styles of Central 

Australia 

• Characters 

• Story lines and 

connections with 

people and country 

• Events /festivals 

• Hermannsburg, etc. 

Outback heritage Outback adventure 

• Royal flying doctor 

• School of the air 

• Telegraph Station 

• Events (Henly on 

Todd) 

• A Town Like Alice 

• Afghan Cameleers 

• Pastoralists 

• Mining history, etc. 

• Outback characters 

and personalities 

• MacDonnell 

Ranges 

• Mereenie Loop 

• Desert Guides 

• Camping 

• Climbing 

• Trekking 

• Outback base 

camp 

• Outback tours 

3.4.3 Personality 

Brand personality is used here to describe the characteristics (tangible and 

intangible) of the destination as if it possessed a personality. In other words if Alice 

Springs was a person, how would it be described? 

• Independent / passionate 

• Colourful 

• Rugged 

• Dependable 

• Larger than life (in your face) 

• Unorthodox 

• Welcoming / warm 

• Resourceful 

3.4.4 Brand Values 

Brand values are used to validate and shape destination positioning. 

• Spiritual 

• Discovery 

• Adventurous 

• Integrity / untouched 

• Openness 

• Creativity 

• Genuine 

• Learning / participation 



It is important to note the level of compatibility between operator values and 

destination brand values. 

3.5 Competitive Sets 

There is no single set of competitive destinations for a place. Looking at Alice 

Springs, the performance of the town is related - from a micro to a macro level - to 

the performance of the Centre Region vs the other NT regions, the performance of 

the NT vs the other states of Australia and finally to the ability of Australia to compete 

in the international market place. 

In the domestic market, Alice Springs must differentiate itself from both Uluru and 

other inland towns. In the international markets it is more synergistic and should use 

Uluru as part of its destination marketing. 

The following non-NT destinations is the competitive set that Alice Springs operates 

within for the people in the NTTC priority segments who also consider travelling to 

Alice Springs (ranked by % of people who are more likely to consider than interstate 

travellers overall): 

3.6 Target Markets 

The following target markets are recommended on the basis of growth potential, 

increased yield, compatibility with domestic market segmentation research and 

current market trends. 

1. Business Tourism (meetings, incentives, conventions) 

2. International and domestic fly / drive (FIT) 



3. Special interest / niche markets (Sports, events, ecotourism, adventure, 

cultural, etc) 

4. International backpackers 

5. Group tours (school and educational groups) 

6. Rail passengers – this has been identified as an opportunity by CATIA/NTTC, 

particularly since the introduction of the extra Ghan services 

Five priority market segments based on life stage attributes have been identified by 

NTTC research. The common theme running through these market segments is ‘the 

spirited traveller’: 

• New Lease on Life: 55+, $2807 ave spend, Partner/single/tour group 

• Looking for Inspiration: 40-54 no kids, $3272 ave spend, single/ partner/ 

friends, long trips 

• Great Outdoors: 40-54 kids, $2183 ave spend, Family/partner 

• Ready, Set, Adventure: 30-39, $1770 ave spend, Family/partner 

• Young and Restless: 18-29 no kids, $1615 ave spend, Partner/group of friends 

• All seeking transformation through a spirited experience 

More work is needed to marry the life stage attributes with target markets and to reeducate 

industry about targeting these new market segments. 

3.7 Unique Selling Proposition 

A unique oasis town situated in the heart of Australia. An adventure destination and 

international centre for Indigenous art and craft. The activity hub to explore the world 

famous MacDonnell Ranges and Uluru. 

3.8 Emotional Benefits 

• You will be in awe of the ridgeback mountain ranges of the West MacDonnell’s 

and the spectacular colours of the desert. 

• You will become a living part of a Namatjira canvas. Alice Springs is a surreal, 

spiritual and uplifting experience. 

• You will travel through an ancient landscape and learn about a part of 

Australia that is rich in stories from the Aboriginal dreamtime. 

• You will meet and be embraced by genuine outback characters larger in life 

than the Red Centre itself. They will guide you through the desert landscape. 

3.9 Vision * 

A progressive and thriving oasis town fringed by unique and fascinating desert 

environments and renowned for its outback lifestyle, its cultural diversity and its world 

class tourism attractions, services and experiences. 

* It is important to note that the vision statement is a tourism vision for the destination – it’s an industry 

view on where tourism as an industry sits within the Alice Springs community. 


Strengthening the Position of Alice Springs Tourism ACTION PLAN 

ACTION PLAN 



4.1 Leadership and Coordination 

AIM: To build stronger regional partnerships (public and private) which can 

provide the leadership and resources to manage and grow a sustainable tourism 

industry. 

Issues: Industry Comments: 

� While some goodwill exists, key public and 

private stakeholders are not considered to be 

working together in an effective and coordinated 

manner. Strong public / private partnerships are 

integral to building successful tourism 

destinations. 

� In the opinion of some operators there is a lack 

of leadership which can be traced to an 

uncertainty as to the role of key agencies in 

developing local tourism – is CATIA responsible 

for bringing tourists into the region or just 

assisting operators? How does the NTTC 

reconcile its responsibilities towards Alice, the 

Rock, Darwin/Kakadu? What is the role of the 

Town Council –to keep the streets clean or to 

assist in marketing the town? 

� Alice Springs does not have a regional tourism 

strategic plan that addresses planning, 

development and marketing outcomes for the 

greater Alice Springs region. There is a plethora 

of development and planning initiatives which 

are driven by different sectoral groups. 

� Local Product champions (successful tourism 

operators) play a key role in driving market 

innovation. The energy and business skills of 

the operators needs to be harnessed. 

-TA Branding 

-NTTC Branding 

-NTTC Research 

STRENGTHENING THE 

POSITION OF ALICE 

SPRINGS 

- Indigenous 

Tourism Plan 

- Council 4 year plan 

OCT 

2004 

New Research 

Domestic Market 

Segmentation Research 

NOV 

2004 

Council 4 year strategic plan 

NT 

Branding 

Research 

JAN 

2005 

� “My concern is the lack of communication 

and team work between our key decision 

making bodies CATIA / Executive, NTTC, 

Town Council.” 

Government Representative 

� “Ayers Rock / Uluru products and associated 

marketing are corporately driven and have 

focus. Alice Springs is fragmented.” 

Accommodation Operator 

� “The NTTC-RTA-Operator model is good but 

out of tune” 


� “We need to bring together the key players in 

the Local Government and tourism and the 

community to commit to tourism and to aim 

high!” 

Tour Operator 

� “We need to establish for the first time a set 

of benchmarks against which we can 

measure our performance against the agreed 

positioning of Alice Springs. We need to map 

out a plan of action for the next 10 years.” 


Charting a Way Forward 

Tourism Australia 

Brand Development (ongoing) 

Indigenous 

Tourism Strategy 

Launch of NT 

Brand Campaign 

APRIL 

2005 

Desert Knowledge 

Project 

JAN 

2006 

Milestones to be 

mapped including: 

-TA Branding 

-NTTC Branding 

-NTTC Research 

STRENGTHENING 

THE POSITION OF 

ALICE SPRINGS 

- Indigenous 

Tourism Plan 

- Council 4 year plan 



ACTIONS RESPONSIBILITY TIMING 

4.1.1 CATIA need to review and refocus the role and 

responsibility of the organisation in light of the new 

NTTC marketing campaign and the new partnership 

agreement to be negotiated with NTTC. There is an 

opportunity to use this review to re engage with key 

community and operator groups. 

4.1.2 Subject to the results of the CATIA business 

plan review marketing and product development sub 

committees need to be established. A clear terms of 

reference will be needed to guide the actions and 

outcomes of both committees. Some example 

guidelines are included as attachment 2. 

4.1.3 A new partnership agreement needs to be 

negotiated with NTTC. This agreement is critical to the 

ability of CATIA to take the branding and positioning 

strategy forward. The agreement will need to clearly 

address the responsibilities of both organisations with 

regard to marketing, product development, visitor 

information centre management, research, events 

management and all trade initiatives. 

4.1.4 New partnership agreements need to be 

negotiated with key regional stakeholders such as the 

Town Council. 

4.1.5 There are a host of major federal and Territory 

grant funds available which can be used to finance 

implementation of action plan initiatives. A database of 

grant funds needs to be established and prioritised. 

Support from NTTC will be needed to actively resource 

these funds. 

4.1.6 Work with CSIRO / Desert Knowledge / NTTC / 

STCRC to develop a research program which can 

demonstrate to the Town Council and the local 

community the economic and social contribution that 

tourism brings to the Alice Springs region. 

4.1.7 Establish a leadership role and position Alice 

Springs as a driving force behind the Desert Knowledge 

Australia cross border networks study. Alice should be 

positioned as the tourism axis and service centre for 

Outback Australia. A high percentage of Australia’s 

great outback drives cross or potentially link with the 

wider Central Australia region. 

PILOT PROJECTS 

1. CATIA Business Plan Review 

2. Town Council Partnership Agreement 

3. Funding Database 

* Lead Agency 

CATIA Board * Immediate. To be 

completed by Aug 

2005. 

To co inside with 

NTTC partnership 

agreement. 

CATIA Board* Aug 2005 

NTTC* 

CATIA* 

CATIA* 

Town Council 

CATIA 


CATIA* 

NTTC 

CSIRO 

DKA / DKCRC 

STCRC 

CATIA 


Operators 

Desert Knowledge 

Australia* 

To be completed by 

Aug 2005 

To have commenced 

by Nov 2005 

July 2005. To be 

updated every 6 

months. 

To be commence by 

October 2005. 

To be completed by 

May 2006 

May 2005 



BEST PRACTICE DISCUSSION 

Building a Strong Tourism Framework for Alice Springs Industry 

One of the key concerns raised during interviews and meetings was the need for all key stakeholders to 

more effectively work together to promote, manage and market destination Alice Springs. Outlined below 

is a simple tourism framework model. 

CONSUMERS 

INDUSTRY OPERATORS 

OTHER INDUSTRY SECTORS LOCAL GOVERNMENT 

CATIA 

NORTHERN TERRITORY TOURIST COMMISSION 

NT GOVERNMENT TOURISM AUSTRALIA 

CONSUMERS 

This framework diagram indicates that tourism is built around a core base of industry operators, local 

government authorities and local tourism organisations who work with the community to service visitor 

needs at the local level. 

Regional Tourism Associations such as CATIA provide the overarching strategic platform to co-ordinate 

industry, local government and community efforts in destination marketing activities. 

The NTTC are responsible for guiding the marketing, planning and development of tourism at the Territory 

level. 

The Importance of Partnership 

The success of local and regional tourism hinges on partnership: 

- Local government representing the community is a key partner 

- Business is the main economic driver, providing the product and creating opportunities. Both 

public and private sectors, have to work together to achieve the best outcomes for the community. 

- An effective mechanism for bringing the partners together is provided by the Regional Tourism 

Association. 

Partnership implies mutual respect and understanding. In this regard, it is essential that local government, 

the private sector and Regional Tourism Associations create and maintain open channels of 

communication. This encourages all members of the partnership to facilitate common objectives and 

actions that reflect the vision for the region’s tourism development. 

By fostering partnerships, the dynamic nature of tourism can be more effectively addressed and the 

framework for community participation enhanced. 




Roles and Responsibilities for Successful Industry Partnerships 

Stakeholder Responsibility 

Central Australian Tourism 

Industry Association (CATIA) 

Regional Tourism Operators 

(CATIA Members) 

Northern Territory Tourist 

Commission (NTTC) 

CATIA provides membership, marketing and visitor information 

services. The operations and administration of the organisation are 

carried out by a team of full-time staff under the direction of a 

General Manager, who reports to the Executive Committee. The 

Executive Committee is comprised of elected and appointed 

representatives from the tourism industry (who are CATIA members), 

as well as local government and statutory authorities. 

� Marketing and promotion 

� Media/travel trade promotions and familiarisations 

� Membership and fundraising 

� Product development advice 

� Literature production 

� Training and awareness 

� Lobbying and submissions 

� Administration 

� Product development 

� Product packaging 

� Cooperative marketing 

� Overall positioning and branding 

� Cooperative marketing 

� Image-based positioning campaigns 

� International and domestic marketing 

� Media and trade familiarisations 

� Direct marketing initiatives 

� Research and policy 

� Product development 

� Product packaging 

� Product distribution 

� Training and awareness 

Local Government � Provision of tourism and visitor infrastructure/facilities 

� Maintenance and development of public spaces 

� Maintenance of key tourism roads 

� Marketing of local area and the region 

� Community services 

Visitor Information Centre 

(CATIA) 

Retail / Business 

Organisations / Communities 

Parks and Wildlife Service of 

Northern Territory 

Regional Development 

Boards 

� Provision of visitor services / information 

� Local/regional marketing and event coordination 

� Booking services 

� Interpretation 

� Local/regional events development and organisation 

� Liaison with local government and local businesses 

� Management and marketing of National Parks and Reserves 

� Maintenance of National Parks road networks 

� Provision of visitor services 

� Conservation of environmental, cultural and heritage assets 

� Visitor services 

� Tourism investment 

� Setting focus and priorities for the region 




Department of Infrastructure, 

Planning and Environment - 

Division of Transport 

� Management and maintenance of the regional road network 

� Provision of driver safety facilities 

� Tourism signposting 

� Aviation 

Regional Media � Regional TV, Radio and press publicity 

� Generating a positive community awareness of tourism in the 

region 

NT Museums and Art � Marketing and promoting museums and art to visitor markets 

Local Communities 

(Including Indigenous 

communities) 

Northern Territory Major 

Events Company 

� Open dialogue to ensure that there is a continuing 

sustainable approach towards the development of tourism in 

the region 

� Jobs, employment, training 

� Identification and attracting major events 

� Events development and organisation 

Best Practice Review of RTOs in Australia and New Zealand: 

While the structure and focus of RTOs can differ from one region to another they generally share the 

following core business priorities: 

� Maintaining and promoting an effective Brand/image for the region for use by all stakeholders 

� Developing and managing cooperative advertising and public relations campaigns in conjunction 

with industry and other stakeholders 

� Operation of a marketing team to plan and implement campaigns and undertake sales and 

promotional activities. 

� Operate an administration team, including finances, human resources, membership, etc. 

� Operate a Visitor Information Centre or interpretation centre 

� Conduct and/or interpret market and other research 

� Maintain effective partnerships and relationships with a wide variety of stakeholders and industry 

organisations and sectors, necessary to increase business opportunities and results 

It would be expected that the above would be broken into departments or units for operational purposes 

and that each department/unit would have detailed strategies, actions plans and budgets, approved by the 

Board of Directors, which would govern the activities and expenditure of the organisation. These action 

plans would include KPIs which Management and the Board would use to review the effectiveness of the 

organisation on a regular basis. There should also be KPIs for the organisation overall, which would be 

used to provide external parties – major funding providers, stakeholders, and others, with reports of 

results and achievements. 



4.2 Destination Management 

AIM: To develop the soft infrastructure (business, hospitality and service skills) to 

grow profitable enterprises and the hard infrastructure necessary to underpin the 

future development of the industry (accommodation, attractions, road and transport 

networks, revitalised city centre etc) 

Issues: Industry Comments: 

� Improved hospitality and service standards were 

recognised in stakeholder interviews and visitor 

research as being critical to the future health of the 

destination. 

� The role of the Alice Springs Town Council is critical to 

place management and the look and feel of the 

destination. 

� Visitor services are a fundamental component of any 

holiday experience. They include activities (things to 

do and see), service issues (hospitality and 

friendliness), amenities (toilets, visitor information, etc) 

and a wide range of issues associated with the look 

and feel of the destination. This includes landscaping, 

safety, security, etc. 

� There was wide concern about the need to upgrade 

and refresh visitor services in the city centre and mall. 

� Visitor signage, interpretation material and themed 

drive and walking trails all play an important role and 

need to be brought together in an integrated strategy. 

� Tourism must link with all other industry sectors to 

create a service environment which promotes 

increased length of stay, delivers a quality visitor 

experience and achieves higher spend (yield) for 

operators. In other words the whole destination is 

responsible for delivering the experience for visitors. 

� Customer satisfaction and service standards need to 

be monitored to track our competitiveness over time. 

� Opportunities exist for diversification through the 

development of an international airport and product 

linkages with existing industries such as the arts, 

defence, mining, pastoralsm, education and retailing. 

� Indigenous residents make up almost a third of the 

population but do not have a corresponding 

participation rate in tourism. There is an opportunity to 

promote the Indigenous cultural experience and assist 

with training and product development. 

� It is important to protect and enhance the desert 

landscapes which make Alice Springs so special. 

Strong partnerships between Desert Knowledge 

Australia, Town Council, operators, park agencies, 

Lhere Artepe Aboriginal Corporation and Tangentyere 

are critical to sustaining the natural environment. 

� “We need freshening up. There is a 

sameness creeping into travel products / 

tours, tired accommodation 

infrastructure and declining service 

standards” 

Tour Operator 

� “Cairns and Broome have a freshness 

about them. Alice needs vitality, not just 

a coat of paint. It is the people who give 

a place its vibrancy.” 

Tour operator 

� There are no public toilets that locals 

and visitors are happy to use within the 

city. There are no lockers for travellers. 

These are very basic things for a visitor 

destination to have.” 

Tour Operator 

� “If visitors are out all day touring, retail 

and personnel services need to be open 

at night.” 

Retail/hire/arts 

� “The new and small tourism businesses 

in town often lack tourism business 

acumen. Some have a lack of 

understanding of how the tourism 

system works.” 


� “Destination management – Who’s 

responsibility is it? It’s everyone’s 

responsibility. The local council is critical 

to destination management. They hold, 

control and manage many of the assets 

in and around Alice Springs.” 

Aboriginal Representative 

� “Lots of people walk across the river to 

the Alice Springs Resort and Casino 

area. We need much more lighting of 

pathways.” 

Tourist Attraction 

� “We need to make much more of the 

Todd River. The Todd River can provide 

a sense of place and time. The river was 

an important vision in the Alice in Ten 

project.” 

Local Business Operator 




4.2.1 John Morse will be preparing a dedicated strategy to 

address opportunities for Aboriginal tourism within Alice 

Springs and the Northern Territory. Alice Springs has the 

potential to position itself as a National and International 

Centre for Indigenous Art. A dedicated planning strategy is 

needed to bring this opportunity to fruition. This process will 

take time and considerable resources. 

4.2.2 One of the major recommendations from the 

operator’s forum was the World Heritage listing of the 

MacDonnell Ranges. This initiative is also supported by the 

Executive Regional Coordination Committee. The Northern 

Territory Government and the Australian Government will 

ultimately need to take a leadership position on this major 

initiative. 

4.2.3 CATIA need to engage with the Town Council, Parks 

and Wildlife Service, Department of Infrastructure and 

Planning and the Environment to develop a ‘whole of 

destination’ tourism access and infrastructure plan. This plan 

needs to review transport access, signage in tourism 

precincts, architectural design standards, landscape, 

streetscape and townscape initiatives and pedestrian links. 

Some of this work is already being undertaken but it needs a 

tourism focus. While a central area master plan and design 

guidelines has been completed these guidelines need to be 

extended throughout the town. Individual precinct plans need 

to be developed. 

4.2.4 Work with the Town Council, retailers, galleries, 

Aboriginal communities, tour operators and artists, etc to 

promote the presentation, interpretation and display of 

Aboriginal arts, crafts and artefacts. A mid week open night 

in the mall, supported by a night market, music and 

community displays could be used to reinvigorate the mall 

and create a critical mass of visitor products. The town 

council, galleries and CATIA need to champion this initiative. 

4.2.5 Establish clean, safe public toilets within the city 

centre / mall. This centre could house changing / shower 

rooms, locker facilities and be established alongside the 

Visitor Information Centre or other facility. 

4.2.6 There is an opportunity to work with NTTC and 

educational training organisations (e.g. Charles Darwin 

University) to undertake a destination training needs audit. 

Once this is completed a focussed training and service 

delivery program can be developed for Alice Springs. 

Customer service standards are critical to the future 

positioning of the destination and the delivery of the 

destination experience 

4.2.7 Action should be taken to establish an Alice Springs 

international airport. Alice Springs is already attracting 

international air charters and this will cement its position as 

the international air hub in Central Australia. 

4.2.8 Alice Springs does not have a visitor focal point or 

gateway centre to introduce visitors to the significant 

experiences available within the region. An interpretation 

centre is needed as a call to action for all visitors. A place 

where people plan their journeys / tours / walks. The 

interpretation centre could be located at the Airport or could 

be established within the CATIA VIC or at the Desert Park. 

* Lead Agency 

NTTC * 

CATIA 

Lhere Artepe 

Tangentyere Council 

Aboriginal 

communities 

Town Council 

NT Parks and Wildlife 

Service* 


Australian 

Government 

CATIA 

CATIA* 

NT Parks and Wildlife 

Service 

Dept. of Infrastructure, 

Planning and 

Environment 

Indigenous Groups 

Town Council 

Town Council* 

Galleries 

CATIA 

Retailers 

Indigenous Groups 

CCI 

Red Hot Arts 

Town Council* 

CATIA 

CCI 

CATIA 


Town Council 

Charles Darwin 

University 

CCI 

RDBCA* 

CATIA 


Airport 

CATIA* 

Operators 


Desert Park 

Airport 

October 2005 

Implementation 

over 3 years. 

To commence 

Immediately 

Discussions to 

commence in Nov 

2005. 

Ongoing work will 

be required. 

Open nights 

could be held 

every fortnight or 

once a month to 

start with. 

To be launched in 

2006 

Introduce training 

by August 2006 

Immediate 

Commence 

review March 

2006 




1. Develop Indigenous art night in the Mall 

2. Hospitality Service and Training Audit 

3. Benchmark Visitor Satisfaction 

Best Practice Example: Queensland Tourism Industry Audit 

In June 2003, the Queensland Government approved a special Tourism Support Package to assist the 

tourism industry to recover from the downturn caused by the Iraq War and Severe Acute Respiratory 

Syndrome (SARS) and to reduce the vulnerability of the tourism industry’s to major external events. Under 

the initiative, the Queensland Tourism Industry Council (QTIC) employed a dedicated officer to strengthen 

the state’s tourism industry. Specific goals were to: 

• improve industry/government capacity to deal with future crises; and 

• Improve operators’ capacity to build sustainable and competitive businesses. 

The project delivered on the following six core functions: 

1. Assess current government support programs for their applicability to tourism businesses; provide 

advice to relevant government agencies on related accessibility issues. 

a) Assess current government support programs for their applicability to tourism 

businesses. 

b) Provide advice to relevant government agencies on related accessibility issues. 

2. Liaise with industry through QTIC’s Associations Council, Regional Tourism Organisations, other 

QTIC networks and tourism operators to ascertain industry employment and training needs and 

opportunities. 

3. Contribute ongoing industry input into the range of government support programs and facilitate 

structured industry engagement. 

4. Prepare and provide suitable industry resources to improve access to support programs, including 

telephone advice, workshops and collateral material. 

5. Coordinate region-specific employment and training support and assistance measures to assist 

businesses and employees through difficulties resulting from external adverse events. 

6. Apply available research and industry information to devise structures and programs for future 

crisis situations. 

The project was able to deliver a broad range of outcomes for the tourism industry including: 

� Successful delivery of three RSA / Wine Service Program pilots projects. A full suite of programs 

were launched for each sector. The HMAA was the first to respond, with significant interest, followed 

by the wine industry sector. 

� A series of tour programs were designed with COTAH, Australian Day Tours and the Wine Industry 

Association. 

� As a result of discussions held during the Mackay Tourism Conference and Careers Event, the 

Mackay HMAA are considering a range of training programs. These will include customer service, 

interview and induction techniques, procedures writing, time management, problem solving, 

delegation and telephone techniques. The local Thrifty car rental is looking for QTIC to provide a 

series of workshops, commencing with customer service. 

� Changes to COTAH’s curriculum were proposed to encourage awareness of Queensland’s wine 

product. 

� A strategy was put in place to promote Queensland’s wine product through TAFE and Restaurants. 

� QTIC received a Small Business Enterprise Culture Program (SBECP) grant for six regional 



mentoring programs. 

� QTIC received a grant from DSDI for a skills audit. This was conducted in 14 regional tourism regions 

over 12 industry sectors. 

� TAFE, Industry, Sectors Associations, DSDI now working ‘more’ closely together to maximise 

opportunities and minimise resource program and duplication. 

� QTIC has further expanded relationships with TAFECOTAH and TAFE in the City. Bremmer, Mt Isa, 

Cairns and Sunshine Coast TAFE’s are aware of QTIC programs and are supportive of several. 

� The Business Support Manager has served on several committees and working groups including 

Education, Training and Wine Industry Development and the Backpacker Industry. 

� A QTIC ‘Training Train Initiative’ is now fast tracking to become a whole of government opportunity. 

Strongly supported by DET and QR, this program will target small business operators in the outback 

and coastal regions where there is a need for leadership development and business building 

strategies. 

� Website collateral from ‘Business Development Online’ has been added to a series of PowerPoint 

Presentations from several conferences and seminars for use as an ‘educational tool’. 

� Industry sector help sheets were created to complement a wide range of industry related collateral 

including templates (not available from DET, DSDI or other sources thereby reducing the risk of 

duplication). 

� A master list of 166 grants, sourced from 3220 programs went online to assist operators with 

‘selection options’. 

� Regular monthly e-news bulletins were issued advising of grants and other relevant information. 



4.3 Marketing and Position Management 

AIM To develop a marketing strategy which can take forward and implement the 

positioning and branding framework developed by NTTC / CATIA. 

Issues: 

Positioning Destination Alice Springs – Mapping a Way Forward 

Five core steps underpin the positioning and 

branding work. 

1. Defining what experiences Alice Springs 

has to offer. The core experiences are 

outlined in section 4.4 of this report. 

2. Identifying desired target markets. This is 

the ‘Open Mind’ audience segmentation 

research which is outlined on page 13 of 

this report. These segments need to be 

aligned with the experiences offered in 

section 4.4. 

3. Defining how, when and where to best 

communicate with target markets. This is 

the marketing plan which CATIA must 

develop with NTTC over the next 3 months 

to guide market development for the next 3 

- 5 years. 

Brand Framework: 

VALUE 

POSITIONING 

STRATEGY & 

STRUCTURE 

TARGET 

AUDIENCES 

BRAND 

ARCHITECTURE 

4. Making sense of what is unique and special 

about Alice Springs so we can collectively 

market it better. This is the NTTC Brand 

Strategy document to communicate Alice 

Springs offerings. More work is now required 

to develop up and present the ‘Alice Springs 

Story’ 

5. Defining how the Brand Strategy should be 

expressed to resonate with target markets. 

NTTC is currently producing a marketing tool 

kit which will provide a framework to assist 

Alice Springs to deliver the brand to market. 

ENVIRONMENT SCAN 

&COMPETITION 

PRODUCT 

ATTRIBUTES 

The above diagram outlines the process taken to underpin the brand architecture of 

Alice Springs. Each of the above elements are discussed in section 2 and 3 of this 

report 




4.3.1 CATIA will need to work closely with NTTC to develop 

a marketing implementation plan which can pick up the new 

NT Branding framework. 

4.3.2 NTTC has developed a new suite of tools that go with 

the brand refresh. These include a new strap line: “Share our 

Story” along with special fonts, graphics, colour palettes and 

design sheets. CATIA will need to work with NTTC to establish 

‘The Alice Springs Story’ and to determine how this is 

progressively taken to market. Co-operative advertising 

opportunities are to be phased in from September 1 st , 2005. 

4.3.3 CATIA need to examine the role of the current 

marketing sub committee of the Executive. This sub committee 

needs to take carriage of the marketing implementation plan. A 

draft terms of reference for this committee is included in 

section 4.3 of this report. 

4.3.4 CATIA will need to develop a range of marketing 

initiatives to meet the needs of both the domestic and 

international fly/drive market. This is generally a more affluent 

group who are looking for a range of special interest and soft 

adventure packages inclusive of car rental and 

accommodation options. CATIA need to encourage the 

development of both longer touring routes and shorter themed 

drives within the region. See also 4.4.6. 

4.3.5 The traditional self dive market will continue to grow 

throughout Australia as the baby boomers begin to travel. 

Alice Springs is well positioned on the round Australia road 

circuit. The town needs to ensure that basic services continue 

to be available within Alice Springs for this market. Cross 

border linkages need to be made with all States and Territories 

to promote awareness of destination Alice Springs. 

4.3.6 Business tourism will continue to offer real potential for 

Alice Springs. Not only is Alice Springs a unique MICE 

destination but it offers excellent pre and post tours. CATIA 

needs to ensure that a strong working relationship is 

maintained with the Alice Springs Convention Centre. The 

Centre is working closely with local Aboriginal arts and crafts 

groups and these activities can broaden the appeal of the 

destination for all markets. 

4.3.7 A dedicated research program will be needed to track 

the effectiveness of all marketing initiatives. NTTC will develop 

a range of tracking devices but CATIA will need to package 

this information up for local operators. This is a major initiative 

and the research framework will need to be set in place from 

the beginning and managed under the CATIA / NTTC 

partnership agreement. 


1. CATIA Marketing Implementation Plan 

2. Marketing Sub Committee 

* Lead Agency 

CATIA * 


Operators 

CATIA 


Operators 

CATIA* 


Marketing Sub 

Committee 

CATIA* 

Operators 

CATIA* 


Operators 

Convention 

Centre* 

CATIA 


CATIA 

Immediate 

Launch to take place 

after partnership 

agreement in Aug 

2005 

Immediate 

July 2005 

September 2005 

Ongoing 

Ongoing 

Immediate 



New Campaign Structure: Maximise the Impact 

BRAND 

+ 

IMPACT 

– 

ADVERTISING 

INTERNET 

PR & FAMILS 

TRADE 

REACH 

– + 

TARGET AUDIENCES 

The new campaign structure outlined above illustrates the action that needs to be 

undertaken to maximise the launch of the new Alice Springs Brand. These issues will 

need to be picked up in the new partnership agreement between CATIA and NTTC. 



Marketing Strategy Development for 

Destination Alice Springs 

Marketing Opportunities and Objectives 

• Develop more affluent interstate markets 

• Links with CA, NT, Australia 

• Links with Uluru 

• Develop and present new products to meet 

market expectations 

• Alice Springs gets international air access 

Marketing Threats and Restraints 

• AS has not translated market awareness into 

interest or intention 

• Uluru has more market awareness 

• Uluru gets international air access 

• Experience of AS may impinge on repeat 

visitation (service, local problems) 

• Indigenous tourism is currently difficult to 

organise, access and package with 

confidence 

• Failed dependence on lower value mass 

market rather than higher value niche 

markets 

Marketing Strengths 

• Passion, experience and commitment of 

some local operators 

• Strong and competitive product attributes 

• Strong basic market awareness of where AS 

is 

• Real town not tourism park 

• Wide variety of established attractions 

• Mature infrastructure (Casino, conference 

centre). 

Using strengths to achieve objectives 

• Present case for listing for West Macs as World 

Heritage region 

• Develop strategies for key niche markets – 

experiential, cultural/heritage, indigenous 

tourism 

• Establish and promote Alice Springs cultural 

precinct 

• To establish Alice Springs as the International 

Centre for Indigenous Art and Craft 

Using strengths to overcome threats 

• Base brand on niche market needs to stimulate 

demand 

• Place political pressure to open up international 

air access to Alice Springs 

• Develop service commitment/standards 

• Create indigenous tourism precinct (Desert 

Peoples Centre site) 

• Develop tourism mentoring program for 

indigenous tourism 

• Refresh adventure product and interpretation of 

town / region. 

Marketing Weaknesses 

• Marketing process not fully understood 

• No structure of responsibility for marketing 

AS 

• Region not unified but splintered 

• Uncertain competitive focus 

• Brand context too multi-layered to be 

effective (Australia, NT, Central Australia, 

AS) 

• Travel industry indifference – easier to sell 

Taking the Next Steps 28 

Uluru 

Using opportunities to reverse weaknesses 

• Communicate benefits of commitment to 

positioning to local operators thereby creating 

critical mass 

• Use workshops to develop ownership and 

consensus 

• Establish recognisable chain of command for 

marketing AS 

Managing risk where weaknesses & threats 

coincide 

• Develop new fly / drive packages 

• Business Tourism 

• Source funds for product development


4.4 Products, Experiences and Services 

AIM: To develop, package and present unique products, visitor experiences and 

services which offer a competitive point of difference. 

“These products, experiences and services are important so we can connect our 

visitors to our country and our spirit”. 

Four core experiences were identified as delivering the key appeals of destination 

Alice Springs. While all of these core experiences can be delivered, some will require 

assistance in product development and packaging. 

Desert 

Environment/ 

landscapes 

• Landscapes of 

Central Australia 

• Colours of 

Namatijira country 

• Desert Park 

• Indigenous story 

lines and 

connections 

• Desert cuisine 

• Flora / fauna 

Indigenous art and 

craft 

• Galleries 

• Aboriginal 

communities 

• Art styles of Central 

Australia 

• Characters 

• Story lines and 

connections with 

people and country 

• Events /festivals 

• Hermannsburg, etc. 

Outback heritage Outback adventure 

• Royal flying doctor 

• School of the air 

• Telegraph Station 

• Events (Henly on 

Todd) 

• A Town Like Alice 

• Afghan Cameleers 

• Pastoralists 

• Mining history, etc. 

• Outback characters 

and personalities 

Issues Industry Comments 

Heritage Tourism 

� Heritage tourism encompasses many things 

including natural and cultural places, lifestyles, 

language, arts, food, traditions, objects, history 

and values. Domestic and international tourists 

want to experience the distinctive heritage of 

Alice Springs and the rich stories associated 

with this heritage. 

� While Alice Springs has a rich heritage and a 

unique natural desert environment this is 

presently not being presented to its full 

potential. 

� More needs to be done to educate, inform and 

enlighten visitors about what Alice Springs has 

to offer. Signage and interpretation were found 

to be poor and interaction (packaged 

experiences) and meaningful engagement with 

the natural desert environment and Indigenous 

culture was either limited or narrowly focussed. 

� Visitors want hands-on, unique experiences. 

They want to engage with local people and feel 

that they have interacted with the unique 

Central Australian environment. 

• MacDonnell 

Ranges 

• Mereenie Loop 

• Desert Guides 

• Camping 

• Climbing 

• Trekking 

• Outback base 

camp 

• Outback tours 

� “The people, the scenery, the Outback 

history, Aboriginal culture – the product is 

there – the desire and direction are presently 

lacking.” 

Tour Operator 

� “Visitors need time for assimilation to ensure 

they get the most out of their visit. They need 

to have time to plan, to get appropriate 

supplies and to get into NT time.” 

Tour Operator 

� “Cultures are collective; they include 

Indigenous culture, contemporary culture, etc. 

Experiencing local culture is often why people 

travel. Culture is a living thing. People want to 

immerse themselves in the lifestyle of the 

locals. They want to know about the why, not 

about the what is.” 

Tour operator 

� “We need to rejuvenate the downtown 

shopping areas, the streetscape, outdoor 

dining, improve lighting and improve 




� More work is needed to interpret the European 

and Indigenous history and stories of Alice 

Springs. There is no operator’s manual 

available to interpret the Aboriginal story lines 

which exist both within and outside Alice 

Springs. Similar guide books have been 

produced for Kakadu with some success. 

Indigenous Tourism 

� Both NTTC research and this project indicate 

that the Northern Territory is recognised as one 

of the key places to experience Indigenous 

culture. In addition it is a motivating factor in 

coming to the Territory for approximately one 

third of holiday visitors. Many visitors to the NT 

express a desire for more interaction with 

Indigenous guides or rangers. 

� The challenge for Alice Springs is to develop 

sustainable Indigenous tourism experiences that 

have integrity and commercial substance. Not 

all Indigenous people are interested in engaging 

with visitors or developing products or services 

for visitors. The current project indicates a range 

of opinions as to the perceived capability of the 

local Indigenous population to become involved 

in tourism. 

� There are many levels on which Indigenous 

tourism enterprises can operate, each with their 

own requirements in terms of commitments, 

skills and resources. 

� Operators believe that Alice Springs has the 

opportunity to become a national centre and an 

international focal point for Indigenous art and 

craft. This project could be achieved through the 

establishment of a precinct for Indigenous 

tourism businesses with linkages to local 

established tourism organisations (such as the 

Araluen Cultural Precinct, the galleries in the 

Todd Street Mall). 

� On the supply side there is significant demand 

from international visitors to experience 

aboriginal culture. More needs to be done in the 

domestic market to encourage non aboriginal 

Australians to connect with aboriginal culture – 

as no tourism business can survive and prosper 

solely on the international market. 

� Festivals and events are a perfect way for Alice 

Springs to develop tourism. Events provide 

landscaping in the mall.” 


� “New products and experiences include the 

Mereenie loop, new 4WD touring loops 

around Alice Springs, the upgrade of the 

Alice Springs Airport international standard, 

and the development of the Larapinta trail.” 


� “Aboriginal tourism is crucial to the future 

success of tourism in Alice Springs and the 

Red Centre. It is the single greatest point of 

difference for the region. It must be a core 

part of any new positioning of Alice Springs. 

Yet the industry is struggling and there are 

only one or two Aboriginal businesses which 

can be described as economically viable and 

sustainable.” 

Industry Consultant 

� “No one is telling Aboriginal tourism as it is. 

We need to be considering much longer time 

frames for development. We are not getting 

down to the nitty gritty. We keep producing 

reports with “weasel words” – this is not the 

reality of Indigenous tourism.” 


� “We need to promote the connection of land 

with our art. Where the artists reside in 

country, not in Sydney. Stories of culture are 

strongest here. We should capitalise on this 

by introducing it to products such as the 

Larapinta trail.” 


� “Visitors don’t want Indigenous people as a 

window dressing. They want to see that we 

accept them as an important part of the story. 

These visitors want real interaction, not 

tokenism.” 


� “Need to determine how to capture Indigenous 

tourism in a ‘useful’ way. In regard to 

Indigenous tourism, visitors hoped-for 

experiences are not always realised. They are 

interested in what it means to be Indigenous – 

contemporary aspects. What is the language 

etc.” 

Community Representative 

� “The future success of Alice Springs as a 

tourism destination will depend on the 

development of a viable Aboriginal tourism 




publicity, generate income and are good for the 

local community. The Camel Cup and Henley 

on Todd are excellent examples. The same 

principle applies to Aboriginal events. There is 

no shortage of events [existing or new] which 

could bring significant benefit. Events [as does 

art] provides a comfortable entry point for non 

aboriginal people into Aboriginal culture. 

sector. Aboriginal tourism can no longer be 

seen as niche.” 

Industry Consultant 




4.4.1 An Aboriginal Tourism Product Development Strategy 

needs to be developed for Alice Springs. This product 

development strategy needs to build on the recommendations 

provided by John Morse. An outline of key opportunities 

identified by John is included in the Best Practice section of this 

report. This product development strategy would be 

complementary to the Indigenous tourism strategy recently 

released by the NTTC. 

4.4.2 A simple destination interpretive guide needs to be 

developed for all operators. Similar guides have been developed 

for regions such as Kakadu. These guides provide a reference 

point for the natural and cultural history of the region. They 

provide examples of how to interpret the Aboriginal story lines in 

an area and contain key facts on fauna, flora, geology, and 

landscapes. The guides could be used by local retailers and 

operators and form part of a desert guides curriculum. 

4.4.3 CATIA needs to work with NTTC, operators, Savannah 

Guides, Desert Knowledge Australia and Desert Park to develop 

a Desert Guides network for Central Australia. Modelled off the 

Savannah Guide Network, these Desert Guides could become a 

working model for visitor management and interpretation and 

introduce a high level of operator training and accreditation. The 

Desert Guides could be initially based at the Desert Park who 

already have excellent training programs, Indigenous field staff 

and an extensive library of information. 

4.4.4 An Alice Springs ‘adventure pack’ or a Central Australia 

‘desert pass’ needs to be designed. The pass could be used as 

a motivational piece or as a kit visitors receive on arrival in the 

destination. Drive travellers will have specific needs (good road 

maps) which will differ from business travellers (events) and 

short break markets, etc. This process should commence with a 

full review of existing collateral. 

4.4.5 Tourism activity / attraction zones need to be 

established to promote the tour loops and visitor activities 

available in the Alice Springs Region. Guide maps, visitor 

itineraries and themed travel guides can all be prepared to 

package up these activity sets. Byway signage also needs to be 

developed. 

4.4.6 More work is needed to package up and present a 

range of 1 to 5 day driving experiences throughout the region. 

This work needs to build on and integrate current research 

concerning the Mereenie Loop Road, and the design work 

covering the Pioneer Path which comprises the Larapinta Drive, 

Namatjira Drive, Lasseter Highway and Luritja Road. 

The linking and cross selling of heritage trail circuits, 4WDrive 

circuits, walking and trekking options need to be undertaken. 

These all become potential adventure components of a visitor’s 

stay depending on their time and travel itinerary. 

4.4.7 A wide range of product development initiatives were 

identified during this study. It is recommended that a sub 

committee of the executive committee be established to work 

with NTTC to prioritise product development opportunities. 

These product development options have previously been 

documented in the positioning paper. 

* Lead agency 


CATIA 

Indigenous 

organisations 

Indigenous 

operators 

Indigenous 

communities 

CATIA * 

Desert Park 

Aboriginal groups 

CATIA 


Desert Park 

Savannah Guides 

Operators 

CATIA* 


Operators 

Town Council 

CATIA* 

CATIA* 

NT Department of 

Infrastructure, 

Planning and 

Environment. 

CATIA* 

Sub committee 

Operators 


Immediate 

To be released 

by March 2006 

Immediate. 

Business Plan 

by November 

2005 

June 2006 

August 2006 

September 2006 

Immediate 



4.4.8 Development of a mystery shopping initiative to ensure 

ongoing product and service quality. This could form the basis of 

future training initiatives for the destination. 


1. Aboriginal Product Development Strategy 

2. Desert Guides Program 

Best Practice Example: Savannah Guide Network 


CATIA* 

Immediate 

Savannah Guides are a network of professional tour guides with a collective in-depth knowledge of the 

natural and cultural assets of the Tropical Savannahs. The concept was initially established to manage 

tourism in the region through the establishment of a guide organisation to interpret the attractions and to 

help manage and preserve the fragile environment, including the existing grazing properties in the region. 

A key purpose of the guides is to allow tourism to grow at a pace proportionate to the region’s capacity to 

receive it and handle in comfortably. 

The network of guides are made up of local operators who are generally drawn from the region who have 

been trained to provide a high standard of personal presentation and performance. The guides have a 

common uniform and provide an excellent introduction to the attractions available in the region. 

See www.savannah-guides.com.au 

Best Practice Example: South Australia Desert Pass 

The ‘Desert Parks Pass’ is prepared and distributed by the Department of Environment and Heritage in 

South Australia. 

The “Desert Parks Pass’ is a comprehensive information and permit package that promotes informed and 

safe use of the Outback Region. It allows visitors to drive to and camp in seven South Australian National 

Parks without the need to seek separate permission. 

The pass enables the visitor to camp in the Parks at specific locations, to travel along the designated park 

roads and to participate in the many activities that are listed in the handbook. 

The handbook contains excellent maps on all of the National Parks, a guide to flora and fauna, 

interpreting rock art, and a range of important information on health and safety, bush driving, bush 

cooking, camping, care of bush vehicles, etc. 

Best Practice Example: Key Opportunities for Indigenous Product Development 

Outlined below are some of the key opportunities identified by John Morse. 

(i) The engagement of a specialist Aboriginal tourism officer by the NTTC is a step forward. 

However, the vision, concept and strategic direction needs to be embraced by the whole 

organisation. 

(ii) Cross cultural training should be introduced for all staff of the NTTC and the board and 

management of CATIA. 

(iii) A defined agreed role for the Central Land Council needs to be developed. 

(iv) Appropriate staff need to be employed by the NTTC to work in the product development area, 

including facilitating start up advice, finance, understanding markets, etc. 

(v) Aboriginal Tourism Australia should be approached to provide Stepping Stones workshops for 

potential new entrants into tourism, and provide ROC (respecting our culture) accreditation 



training. 

(vi) Assistance should be provided for promising new product to attend the Aboriginal Tourism 

Conference in Perth, following ATE in June. 

(vii) An Aboriginal Tourism Association needs to be established (which has already been discussed by 

existing businesses) to share information and facilitate cooperation. This could be based on the 

successful W.A.I.T.O.C model in Western Australia. 

(viii) Businesses in the hospitality/tourism industry in Alice should be encouraged to provide training 

and employment for Aboriginal people, including the NTTC. Two tourism businesses in the 

Territory (Voyages Hotels and Resorts and Aurora Hotels) have well defined Aboriginal 

employment strategies. 

(ix) The council should continue the discussion which has already begun to convert Todd Mall into a 

celebration of Aboriginal culture. This could incorporate Aboriginal art, an information centre on 

Aboriginal tourism, performance and an Aboriginal craft market. 

(x) There is a real opportunity for high yield/low impact personalised tours of one, two or more days. 

While this is currently happening on a sporadic basis, it tends to operate outside the traditional 

distribution channels. This type of small individually tailored tour is what international visitors are 

seeking (and are prepared to pay for) i.e. an authentic, intensive Aboriginal experience. 

(xi) There are events such as the Beanie Festival which, with professional assistance and 

sponsorship could rival the Camel Cup. However, this particular event is likely to fold unless 

assistance is provided urgently. The NTTC and or CATIA should consider the appointment of an 

events officer to assist Aboriginal communities develop events. Further ideas are: 

a) revival of the highly successful Yeperinya festival, possibly every two years 

b) develop an Aboriginal art and craft market in the town centre 

c) stage an annual Aboriginal film festival – possibly at the old drive-in site 

d) the Desert Mob art show could be developed as a major cultural icon for Alice 

e) the Todd River would be an ideal venue for story telling around a campfire 

f) the Beanie Festival holds great potential for development and could become an 

international icon for Alice Springs 

g) sporting events such as the Imparja cup area way of bringing people together 

(xii) Every conference and significant meeting held in Alice Springs should begin with a welcome to 

country. This should be done in Aboriginal language and English. If accompanied by a short 

cultural performance, there is the potential to develop a small business from conventions. 

(xiii) The connection between Aboriginal art and tourism is totally undeveloped. Art galleries do not see 

themselves as being in the business of tourism. The few that have made any attempt have done 

so from an art perspective rather than a visitor needs perspective. The tourism industry 

association should embrace the galleries [and vice versa], as art brings many visitors to the town. 

It is a significant point of difference and the potential exists to position Alice Springs as a capital 

for Aboriginal art. CATIA should hold a seminar to explore ways in which Aboriginal art can work 

with the tourism industry. Some ideas for consideration : 

� All galleries to have links to the CATIA and NTTC 

� Websites 

� Galleries should showcase art at conferences [there was no showcase of art at the recent 

National Tourism Awards],hotels and other public venues 

� Galleries should be encouraged to employ Aboriginal staff. This would make a visit to a 

gallery more enjoyable, relevant and surely increase the potential for sales. Artists in 

residence is also a possibility. [This is already done in some cases] 

� There is potential to develop tours to art centres from Alice Springs. The benefits [obligations] 

need to be clearly explained to communities [and the art coordinators] and protocols need to 

be developed to protect privacy and culture. Desart would have a major role in this 

development. Visits to art centres as could be a special seminar in itself. Tours are already 

being conducted to Santa Teresa, with moderate success , however there needs to be a 

more formalized structure 

� in place so that communities gain benefit and customers have a good experience. 

� A public art competition should be held each year for Aboriginal artists. This could form the 

basis of permanent exhibitions in public places and make Alice a more enjoyable place to 

visit and to live in. Sculptures, murals, glassmaking, fabric making, beanies are all 

possibilities. The decision for the Mayor to have her Mayoral robes designed by an Aboriginal 

woman is a great example of what can be done with a bit of flair and imagination 

� The consideration of a National Art Museum for Alice is an excellent idea , and given that 



Aboriginal art is regarded by many experts as the greatest art movement of the 20 th century, 

it is surprising that it does not already exist. Potentially another significant icon for the town 

which could generate increased publicity and visitation. The Araluen Art Centre should be a 

key player in the development of the partnership between art and tourism 

� Use the mall in a more creative way to showcase Aboriginal art. 



ATTACHMENTS 


Percentage 


ATTACHMENT 1 – MARKET PERFORMANCE OVERVIEW 

Aggregate market data for various markets visiting the Centre Region are outlined 

below. These data and a comparison to the trends for the NT and the other regions 

of Australia provide a general overview of the tourism situation. These investigations 

indicate that on a year to year basis there is relative stability in market segments and 

seasonality. For example the relative size of tourism in Alice Springs and Darwin 

within the NT does not change significantly from year to year. The data does show 

some trends over time in the NT and Alice Springs. 

100% 

90% 

80% 

70% 

60% 

50% 

40% 

30% 

20% 

10% 

0% 

(NTTM) 

Relative proportion of visitors by place of residence - Centre Region 

43% 

39% 

18% 

44% 

37% 

19% 

1998/1999 2002/2003 

Financial year 

International 

Interstate 

Intraterritory 

At an aggregate level Australia has experienced a decline in international visitors 

(although recovering most recently). This is reflected in the NT, Centre and Alice 

Springs figures. In the interstate market the decline in the NT is also reflected in the 

Alice Springs figures. Clearly there is a relationship between travel to the NT and 

travel to Alice Springs. 

Commentary: 

Alice Springs is not a standalone destination. It tends to perform in accordance with 

the system as a whole. This implies that the performance of the NT and of Australia 

as a destination for international travellers is relevant and critical for the performance 

of Alice Springs at the moment. 



Number of visitor/nights (000 

7000 

6000 

5000 

4000 

3000 

2000 

1000 

0 

(NVS) 

(IVS) 

(000's) 

NVS Total interstate visitor nights by region 

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 

Year 

2000 

1500 

1000 

500 

0 

International Nights (IVS) 

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 

Year 

801 Darwin 

802 Kakadu 

803 Arnhem 

804 Katherine 

805 Tablelands 

806 Petermann 

807 Alice Springs 

808 MacDonnell 

809 Daly 

Northern Territory 

Centre region 

Petermann 

Alice Springs 

Hotels 

The hotel sector in Alice Springs appears reasonably healthy: guest arrivals, guest 

nights, room nights occupied as well as the yield generated grew between 2003 and 

2004. On the opposite side the Caravan park sector is struggling facing a decrease in 

sites employed by long term guests and site nights occupied. However the takings 

from accommodation have increased by almost 23%. 

Commentary: 



Operators report a poor start to 2003/2004 (patchy at best) with strong growth in the 

second half of the financial year. 

Seasonality 

The seasonality of Alice Springs is somewhat different from the seasonality of Darwin 

and the NT as a whole. The occupancy rate of Alice Springs does not vary as much 

throughout the year and on average is higher than the average of the NT. 

Commentary: 

Operators report that visitor profiles vary throughout the year. In the school holidays 

the drive market is predominantly families. Either side of the holidays it is taken up by 

the over 50’s touring market. Backpackers fill in the gaps all year (numbers are 

reasonably constant) with most arriving in the summer months when the domestic 

market quietens down. 



ATTACHMENT 2 – MARKETING COMMITTEE DRAFT 

TERMS OF REFERENCE 

Introduction 

CATIA is a membership based incorporated body representing the interests of 

tourism in the region. The Executive Committee of CATIA provide strategic direction 

and management of the range of functions performed by the organisation in 

accordance with the constitution. It is supported by a range of executive standing 

committees including a Marketing Committee. 

For the purpose of the CATIA Marketing Committee, marketing is described to 

encompass: 

� All activities included in CATIAs Marketing Plan. 

� Key products (including packages and experiences) to be taken to market. 

� Key source market/s, distribution and marketing channels. 

� Promotion activities – campaigns, advertising, public relations, etc. 

� Development of regional alliances and integrated destination marketing aimed 

at enhancing the experiences / activity range and options for visitors. 

Marketing Committee Membership 

The Marketing Committee will consist of: 

� Chair (Member of CATIA Board) 

� Minimum of six selected/appointed members. 

� NTTC (officer) 

� Senior Officer CATIA. 

The members of the Committee (apart from the NTTC and Executive Officer 

representatives) will be selected by the Board on merit following public advertisement 

and are required to be members of CATIA. 

In the event that insufficient appointees are selected through the advertisement 

process, the balance of members will be appointed by the Board to ensure an 

appropriate skills mix and that there is adequate appreciation of the needs and 

activities of the following industry groups: 

� Alice Springs Town Council 

� Major business operators 

� Small business operators 

� Local community representatives 

� Key industry sectors 

Chairperson 



The Chairperson will be selected from the members of the executive committee. 

Tenure 

Members of the Marketing Committee will be appointed for a period of one year. 

Members will be eligible to stand for re-appointment. 

Meetings 

Meeting of the Marketing Committee will occur up to six times per year or, by 

agreement, in accordance with the articles of association. 

Roles and responsibilities 

The key roles of the Marketing Committee are as follows: 

� To ensure effective marketing of CATIA tourism product on behalf of members 

and businesses though the effective implementation of the marketing strategies 

of CATIA. 

� To provide advice to the Board of CATIA in relation to strategic approaches to 

marketing. 

Key responsibilities include: 

� Reporting on activities and results to the Executive Committee. 

� Focussing on practical implementation of the agreed Regional Marketing Plan. 

Executive support 

The Senior Officer will provide executive support to the Marketing Committee 

including the preparation of meeting papers and implementation of decisions and 

recommendations of members. 

Broad outcomes 

Marketing activity should be aimed at: 

� Increasing visitation across the region, and visitor yield. 

� Promoting visitation during low and shoulder periods. 

� Developing strategic, results-driven campaigns/actions. 

� Developing secondary market segment options with strong future growth 

potential. 

� Positioning the region relative to consumer needs and competitor destination. 

� Leveraging the region’s genuine competitive strengths to maximise marketing 

opportunities. 

� Ensuring that the region’s marketing promise is matched by positive visitor 

experiences and product delivery. 

� Developing partnerships and alliances within and external to the tourism 

industry to progress key marketing activities for the region. 



� Fostering greater participation in regional marketing activities. 

� Maximising marketing investment by both private and public sector in the 

region. 

Skills of Marketing Committee Members 

Members of the Marketing Committee will be selected on the basis of individual skills 

with the following core skills and knowledge base required within the Marketing 

Committee membership 

� Media relations 

� Market research 

� Branding and positioning 

� Tactical marketing 

� International sales and marketing 

� Tourism industry experience 

� Financial management 

Budget 

The Marketing Committee will be responsible for the development of an annual 

Marketing Plan (with budgets) for endorsement by the Board. 

Reporting 

The Marketing Committee will provide regular reports to the meetings of the Board of 

CATIA.

ATTACHMENT 1 œ MARKET PERFORMANCE ... - Tourism NT

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