TOURISTS GET BARGAINS AS TOWN IS HALF EMPTY. Report by ERWIN CHLANDA.
Tourists in Alice Springs are enjoying a bargain hunters' bonanza as dramatically low hotel occupancy rates offer opportunities for lively bartering. One European tourist was offered a $210 room at the four star plus casino for $110 with drinks on arrival, breakfast and a few gambling chips thrown in. Craig Catchlove, manager of the tourism lobby CATIA, says the walk-up trade - normally practically zero in the town's top hotels - has made up to 17 per cent of the occupancy, "almost unheard of for a destination such as ours". "We're finding the same at our CATIA desk at the airport," says Mr Catchlove. "People are walking up and saying, OK, we're here. "Give us the best deal in town. "People know they're not going to have trouble finding accommodation, it's not going to be booked out." Super low stand-by rates have become common. Mr Catchlove says the 20 per cent drop in overseas visitors to Australia, mainly a result of the SARS panic, is hitting Central Australia especially hard because of its greater than average dependence on overseas trade. And booking lead times are "shot to pieces," creating havoc with staff management in the industry. Tourism Minister Chris Burns says three charter flights from Japan direct to Alice Springs in August will hopefully open up a new form of business. Mr Catchlove says Ayers Rock Resort, the "main driver of international tourism to The Centre", has an occupancy in the "low 40 per cents". "It is normally above 70 per cent at this time of the year." The resort concedes a drop in visitation but will not give details. "Al ice Springs is a little more insulated because of the mix of domestic and international," says Mr Catchlove. "It's 50-50 here whereas it's nearly 75 to 25 down at the Rock." He says in Alice Springs, "we believe even those who did quite well in April had a soft May, and June isn't looking good at all". As for the rest of the year, "there are people who're saying they are holding reasonably good forward bookings, but these are a lot of groups". "What has been happening is that a lot are cancelling or tuning up with 15 instead of 40 people. "What people are holding at the moment isn't a real reflection of what is going to turn up." Worse still, lead times are "shot to pieces": The customary six months advance bookings are dropping down to as little as two weeks, says Mr Catchlove. "That's almost unheard of." Another factor underlying the savage drop is the global distrust in airlines - many in financial crisis. People aren't buying advance tickets because they are afraid they will lose their money. "Nobody trusts any of the airlines to actually be around in a couple of months' time internationally," says Mr Catchlove. "So nobody's making bookings. "In America, the majority are in Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. "No-one's going to be booking an airline too far out. "They're going to say, what happened with Ansett? "I'm going to lose my money. "That is affecting lead times as well." This in turn makes hospitality industry staffing strategies a nightmare. "In a town like Alice you can't suddenly get a whole lot of casuals," sys Mr Catchlove. "If you can't plan a little bit in advance it makes it very hard. "Because we have a naturally high turnover of staff in our industry, we believe people just aren't being replaced." Despite the crisis there are no comprehensive statistics indicating its magnitude. "There are no current figures. There are no statistics for Alice Springs," says Mr Catchlove. "It is almost impossible to find information about the value of certain industries in Alice Springs. "The information just isn't there." Retail businesses are likely to be heading for a dive when the traditional end of the financial year spending by government departments comes to an end. But the charter flights from Japan direct to Alice Springs, with 220 people each, could usher in a new form of tourism, bypassing Asian destinations where the SARS fear is greatest. "This could take off in a very big way," says Mr Catchlove. "They're doing something completely different. "It's a market Alice Springs has never tapped into in a major way." Says Dr Burns: "Once this has been shown to be a success we can use this as a basis for more. "We're in continuing negotiations, putting our case to international airlines" with NT Aviation Development Director Peter Roberts leading the charge to "both European and Asian airlines, and there are a number of others as well".
TOURISTS GET BARGAINS AS TOWN IS HALF EMPTY. Report by ERWIN CHLANDA.
The Northern Territory will establish a Film, Television and New Media Industries Office in Alice Springs.
TOURISTS GET BARGAINS AS TOWN IS HALF EMPTY. Report by ERWIN CHLANDA.
The Northern Territory will establish a Film, Television and New Media Industries Office in Alice Springs.
TOURISTS GET BARGAINS AS TOWN IS HALF EMPTY. Report by ERWIN CHLANDA.
The Northern Territory will establish a Film, Television and New Media Industries Office in Alice Springs.
TOURISTS GET BARGAINS AS TOWN IS HALF EMPTY. Report by ERWIN CHLANDA.
The Northern Territory will establish a Film, Television and New Media Industries Office in Alice Springs.
TOURISTS GET BARGAINS AS TOWN IS HALF EMPTY. Report by ERWIN CHLANDA.
The Northern Territory will establish a Film, Television and New Media Industries Office in Alice Springs.
TOURISTS GET BARGAINS AS TOWN IS HALF EMPTY. Report by ERWIN CHLANDA.
The Northern Territory will establish a Film, Television and New Media Industries Office in Alice Springs.
TOURISTS GET BARGAINS AS TOWN IS HALF EMPTY. Report by ERWIN CHLANDA.
The Northern Territory will establish a Film, Television and New Media Industries Office in Alice Springs.
TOURISTS GET BARGAINS AS TOWN IS HALF EMPTY. Report by ERWIN CHLANDA.
The Northern Territory will establish a Film, Television and New Media Industries Office in Alice Springs.
TOURISTS GET BARGAINS AS TOWN IS HALF EMPTY. Report by ERWIN CHLANDA.
The Northern Territory will establish a Film, Television and New Media Industries Office in Alice Springs.
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