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Speaker 1: And we know the Masters Games, it's wrapped up in

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Speaker 1: Alice Springs, thousands from across the Northern Territory and interstate

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Speaker 1: and even overseas as I understand it taking part. Joining

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Speaker 1: me on the line to let us know how it

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Speaker 1: all went. Well. Tourism Central Australia's CEO, Daniel Rochford.

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Speaker 2: Get a Daniel, Mine Katie, and good morning to your listeners.

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Speaker 1: Oh mate, was it a busy weekend? How did it go?

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Speaker 2: Yeah, it was really positive, Katie, And a lot of

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Speaker 2: people were reporting despite the fact that numbers were obviously

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Speaker 2: down on previous year, and you know that was clearly evident,

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Speaker 2: but the vibe was really good and everyone enjoyed themselves

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Speaker 2: and you know, I heard nothing but positivity all week.

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Speaker 1: That is good to hear because look, like you said,

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Speaker 1: I know we're all a bit concerned that the numbers

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Speaker 1: were down, and rightly so that is a concern. You

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Speaker 1: want it to be at full strength. However, surely it's

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Speaker 1: still a positive thing to have all of those visitors

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Speaker 1: converge for a great sporting event.

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Speaker 2: Well, the great thing about the Masters Games is that

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Speaker 2: because it's held in October, which is I guess we

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Speaker 2: call this the shoulder season for our tourism numbers, and

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Speaker 2: any event that we can have in October, we'll always

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Speaker 2: bolster visitation to our region. And you know, after a

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Speaker 2: lot of challenge, and you know, it's not been the

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Speaker 2: greatest of tourism seasons, this one, but you know, to

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Speaker 2: have this event has been really important. And you know,

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Speaker 2: that's filled hotel rooms, it's got people moving around to

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Speaker 2: bars and getting out there and getting amongst it. And

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Speaker 2: with the twenty five percent discount of territory experiences at

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Speaker 2: the moment, a lot of people took opportunity to get

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Speaker 2: out and get amongst all that they could see and

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Speaker 2: do in Central Australia.

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Speaker 1: Now, Daniel, do you know if most of the hotels

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Speaker 1: were sort of booked out, was it all like was

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Speaker 1: it pretty busy?

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Speaker 2: Yeah? Absolutely it was. You know, I don't think it

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Speaker 2: would be to the same degree as what we have

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Speaker 2: had previously, and I think that's good, that's fair reality.

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Speaker 2: But you know, what I saw and what I observed

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Speaker 2: was you know, you know, busy hotels, busy cafes and restaurants,

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Speaker 2: and you know there's just that vibe around town and

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Speaker 2: you know a lot of locals also participated in this

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Speaker 2: year's events, and you know that just added to the

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Speaker 2: you know, that livability and that vibe that we had.

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Speaker 1: Is there any word at this point as to whether

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Speaker 1: it's got a return or not?

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Speaker 2: No, not it yet. But look, you know I should

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Speaker 2: sort of pay thanks also to the great work that

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Speaker 2: NTEAM Major Events does with events and all the other

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Speaker 2: events across Central Australia and the Northern Territory. You know,

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Speaker 2: if we didn't have events like this, it would certainly

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Speaker 2: have a major impact our regional economy. And you know,

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Speaker 2: I'm sure at the end and they will do this

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Speaker 2: with all events as have a review and see the good,

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Speaker 2: the bad and the ugly and you know what's the

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Speaker 2: next step for this event? And you know, but you

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Speaker 2: know this is the I've been working in the Red

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Speaker 2: Center for nearly five years for the first Masters Games

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Speaker 2: I ever saw. So you know, it's great to see

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Speaker 2: the event back in back in our springs.

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Speaker 1: No good to see. How are things going more generally

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Speaker 1: in Alice at the moment, Daniel, And how are things looking,

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Speaker 1: you know from your perspective in tourism.

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Speaker 2: Well, we've had a fairly major announcement this morning, Katie

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Speaker 2: hot off the press of a new multi day walk

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Speaker 2: that the Australian government has announced between Ularu and Caadajuta, which, oh,

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Speaker 2: I'll tell you what. When a construction of this starts

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Speaker 2: this week, I'm being told and you know, it is

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Speaker 2: going to be a game changer for our tourism industry

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Speaker 2: in central Australia. So people, we'll be able to have

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Speaker 2: a multi day walking experience between Earl and Cadajuta.

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Speaker 1: And so exactly.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, So it's a bit similar to the Larapina Trail

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Speaker 2: and also the multi day walk that's being pursued at

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Speaker 2: King's Canyon. But the government, the Tasmanian Walking Company, which

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Speaker 2: is one of Australia's leading walking companies, has in partnership

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Speaker 2: with the ungerknow people developing this trail and it will

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Speaker 2: have various different nodes what looks like some amazing chalet

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Speaker 2: style accommodation with plunge pools and the like in between

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Speaker 2: Euler and Cadajuta. And so yeah, I think it's going

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Speaker 2: to be one of the most iconic multi day walking

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Speaker 2: experiences in Australia, if not the world.

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Speaker 1: That sounds like it's going to be incredible. And so

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Speaker 1: what the federal Government's announced that just this morning.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, through Parks Australia obviously the managing managers of the

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Speaker 2: National Park. But this is very much in partnership with younger,

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Speaker 2: new people and the private sector business in the Tasmanian

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Speaker 2: Walking Company. And you know, there's been a lot of

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Speaker 2: a lot of preparatory work and planning done into this,

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Speaker 2: and it's been a lot of approvals required, but those

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Speaker 2: approvals have have been come through and I'm being told

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Speaker 2: reliably that construction on this project will start this week.

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Speaker 1: Wow. I mean, like, is this going to be quite

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Speaker 1: a game changer from your perspective when it comes to

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Speaker 1: tourism in Central Australia and really the offerings not only

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Speaker 1: for Ozzie's to head to Central Australia but also people

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Speaker 1: from overseas.

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Speaker 2: You betcha and look obviously comes off the back of

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Speaker 2: the icon that is the Larapinta Trail. The parts of

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Speaker 2: Wildlife Service here in the Northern Territory are working on

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Speaker 2: a multi day work in King's Canyon and this walk

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Speaker 2: as well, so we will have three of Australia's most

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Speaker 2: iconic multi day walking experiences in Central Australia and you know,

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Speaker 2: adding on to other multi day walks we have in

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Speaker 2: the NT. You know, we are the place for multi

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Speaker 2: day walking and you know that along with Tasmania, you know,

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Speaker 2: we're certainly second to none.

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Speaker 1: Wonderful stuff. Well, Daniel, you've come bearing good news this morning, mate.

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Speaker 1: I always appreciate that.

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Speaker 2: I'm always full of good news, Katie, but you know,

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Speaker 2: you know we're really excited by this. It's you know,

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Speaker 2: been a few challenges with our industry and our region

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Speaker 2: and you know when you get good news like this,

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Speaker 2: it just feels your full of optimism. Yeah.

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Speaker 1: Absolutely, Well, Daniel Rochford, the CEO of Tourism Central Australia,

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Speaker 1: lovely to speak with you this morning.

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Speaker 2: Thanks Katie, thank you