Alice named as destination on the rise

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LETTER TO THE EDITOR
 
Sir – Alice Springs is one of the top 10 destinations on the rise in the South Pacific named by leading travel review website, TripAdvisor.
 
It is placed eighth on the annual list 2013 Travellers’ Choice Awards for Destinations on the Rise, which was won by Christchurch.
 
The awards looked at destinations worldwide that have seen the greatest increase in positive traveller feedback and interest, year-over-year, on the TripAdvisor website.
 
This is fantastic news and shows Alice Springs is a future hot spot for travellers.
 
We have worked tirelessly all year to put Alice Springs on the world map for all the right reasons and restore the town’s reputation as an iconic global tourism destination.
 
Our fresh new marketing campaigns coupled with face to face meetings with the world’s tourism heavyweights have pricked the interest of the international tourism industry.
 
This is a great recognition of that effort and clearly shows that we have the right product to sell to the world.
 
The award comes after the NT became the only Australian destination to feature in the National Geographic Traveler magazine’s 2014 ‘Best of the World’ top 20 places to visit next year.
 
The Top 10: Christchurch, New Zealand; Margaret River; Broome; Rotorua, NZ; Surfers Paradise; Canberra; Pokolbin; Alice Springs; Dunedin and Taupo, both NZ.
 
Matt Conlan (pictured)

Minister for Tourism

11 COMMENTS

  1. Absolute rubbish. The sights AROUND Alice are the attractions. Not Alice. It’s really just a public bar open 24 hours a day.
    Sure, bring the tourists in but get them right out of town and let them leave the same way, fast. Alice itself is a disgrace.

  2. Alice is not the attraction at all. It’s the sights around that bring the tourists. They don’t want to see an entire town that is actually a public bar 24/7.

  3. Poor Robby, such a sad view of things.
    Why is Robby not a consultant for the NT Tourism industry? Fair Dinkum Robby, maybe you should get out and about.
    The RFDS, School of the Air, starlight theatre, Todd Mall, Art Galleries, Pioneer Women’s Hall of fame, Camel Rides, earth Sanctuary AS WELL AS all the attractions nearby and further afield are why people come here.
    I have talked to many friends since moving here, and many of them say that visiting Alice Springs is one thing they have always wanted to do.
    Never have they said to me that they’ve wanted to visit areas around Alice Springs. We were popularised in a book back in the 50’s, and we’re lucky that the romantic image of our town still burns bright in the minds of some.
    We only have about 25,000 in this town, and yet people travel from all over the world to experience it. I love talking to tourists and think it’s great that such a small town has so much to offer. One of the reasons I love it here!
    Terry, to answer your question, the minister lives here, so I would imaging he visits his home town on a fairly regular basis.
    As for Trip advisor, maybe you could look up the web site, all the reps are the people who have actually visited here, it’s all available on the site, stating when they visited and what they thought of the place.
    The number of positive comments are on the rise (re-read the article). This is actually what the story is about. Congratulations to the minister for the results. Any increase of this nature is a good thing.

  4. Alice, Tennant Creek and Uluru are the hubs for the Central Australian region.
    They each have their own attractions along with the many tremendous experiences to be encountered along the ‘spokes’.
    The Trip Advisor project I initiated a couple of years back in cohort with the marketing team of Tourism Central Australia involved TCA members posting review on other member product that they experienced (hotels, restaurants, tours etc.) and get their contact to do the same about their business.
    The aim was to drive positive news traffic around the TA networks and get locals to be able to provide some local perspectives for travelers to enjoy. Ron Thynne, GM from Aurora Alice Springs, often uses the TA conduit as a way to inform guests.
    Great also to see Leni from Quest Apartments utilising the initiative.
    Kate Foran in Tennant Creek is a great ambassador of the project and she contributes.
    The social media vehicles are a cost-effective way to promote each other and the products around the hub centres.

  5. Poor old Ray. I lived in Alice during what he calls the “Boom times” and they were drab. Alice never had a boom, maybe a pop.
    I repeat, it’s the attractions out of Alice that shine, not the town full of drunks. That hasn’t changed since I lived there and having been back 20 times on business it has only deteriorated since then. I could swear many of those drunks pass those cowboy hats down as their sole possession.
    Been through the Simpson Desert and down to the 3 State corner. NT, WA and SA. Where have you been? Anzac HIll? Ayers Rock, and no, the Aboriginals don’t own it. Australia does but we leased it to the local tribe ONLY.
    Get out and about. I’ve been to every possible site around that whole area and lived in the town for years and there is nothing to do in town except drink. So you do.

  6. @Robby, I moved here in 98 ( slightly after the “pop” and remember my first few weeks in town thinking it was amazing to walk down Gap Road and see the number of people walking around on a week night.
    Then again that may have been in contrast to the small country town in QLD, that pretty well shut down after 6pm, except for the pubs and RSL.
    I was amazed that a town of only 27000 people (as it was back then) had wonderful sporting facilities, a wonderful race track and even it’s own casino and a world class golf course.
    I have slowly seen the decline in this town with the closure of so many accommodation and entertainment venues such as the Stuart Arms, Legends, Melanka’s, the SGB and Memo, and now Bo’s.
    I remember that Christmas period when crime was out of control and the formation of the Action for Alice group that was formed to get help for the town.
    I have taken visitors and friends to all the major attractions in and around town, and nearly all the people have remarked that they should have allowed a couple more days to explore.
    I’ve done Gem Tree, all of the waterholes in the Eastern and Western Macs, Ayers Rock (as you correctly put it) and King’s Canyon.
    I’ve witnessed the sunrise from a hot-air balloon and explored the many bike tracks across the road from my house with my son, where a five minute ride can leave you feeling like you have the outback all to yourself.
    If you look at the heated pool, sporting venues, and more importantly the wonderful people in this town, and decide there is nothing to do but drink, then perhaps you made the correct decision to leave. By the way, if you are talking about the people, the correct term is Aborigine, if you are talking about something connected to the people (art, culture, painting etc.) then Aboriginal would be correct.
    Sure, we have problems in this town, but there are many people who are prepared to look on the bright side, and grasp the many opportunities this town offers.
    My whole point is that the article was mentioning that things were improving, as stated by the visitors that have actually been here, leaving a higher percentage of positive feedback compared to previous review periods.
    This good news story shows that things may be improving for us, thus building confidence in the town and maybe encouraging more visitors. 24 hour public bar? Where is that, as I think I need a stiff drink. Cheers.

  7. @ Ray. Dec. 14th.
    It’s surely an exercise in political correctness that a local resident since 1998, who fails to give his full name should point out that the “correct” term for Aboriginal people is “Aborigine”.
    The correct term for local Aboriginal people is Arrente, unless they identify with another place, e.g., Yuendemu, in which case they would be Warlpiri, etc.

  8. Not talking about area specific groups Russell, talking about correct use of English, that’s all. If that’s all you’ve got Russell, good luck to you.

  9. Point taken, Ray, but if you can handle more of what I’ve got, then – “I’ve done Gem Tree, all of the waterholes in the Eastern and Western Macs, Ayers Rock (as you correctly put it) and King’s Canyon” – these places have Aboriginal names, so that Mutitjulu might consider Ayers Rock and Uluru to be equal substitutes in their gracious cross-cultural accommodation, but your reference to it being “correctly” named Ayers Rock to the exclusion of Uluru might be considered specious.
    The work ‘kangaroo’ for example, though part of the English language comes from the Kuku Yimidhirr ‘gangaru’ and entered the English language through Captain Cook’s 1770 visit to Cooktown.
    The point being that “correct” English, from a linguistic point of view is a big call, though grammatically, I’m afraid that I can’t hold my head high. Good luck with it.

  10. Russell @1. Nice to have a friendly banter on this one Russell. Point taken about the Aboriginal name for Ayers Rock. however that’s how I refer to it, its European name, much the same as I tell people that I live in Alice Springs, and not Mbantua, although I do let friends and family know a few of these interesting facts when they visit.

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