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Speaker 1: We found out yesterday we know that there was around

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Speaker 1: two thy six hundred cruise ship passengers arriving in Darwin,

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Speaker 1: many of them venturing out to the mall, taking the

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Speaker 1: hop on, hop off bus and visiting various tourist attractions.

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Speaker 1: Joining me on the line to tell us a little

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Speaker 1: bit more about how things did go after we'd heard

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Speaker 1: some concerns last week from businesses that some were being

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Speaker 1: warned by people that it's not safe in our CBD.

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Speaker 1: I'm keen to find out how it all went. And

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Speaker 1: joining me on the line right now, Darwin City Retailers

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Speaker 1: Association General manager Molly up Still. Good morning to you.

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Speaker 2: Molly, Hey, Katie, how are I really good?

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Speaker 1: How did it all go yesterday? Two thousand and six

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Speaker 1: hundred passengers plus an.

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Speaker 2: Eleven hundred crewer on that ship. So while we wouldn't

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Speaker 2: have seen every single crew member step off, I'm sure

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Speaker 2: there was a couple of people who had a day

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Speaker 2: off or not many responsibilities on the day yesterday, so

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Speaker 2: there probably was up with the three thousand people through

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Speaker 2: the city and I went out through the mall a

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Speaker 2: few times and it wassolutely pumping. The feedback we've had

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Speaker 2: from our members is amazing and even I usually go

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Speaker 2: and get my coffee from one place and maybe there's

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Speaker 2: one or two people waiting before me, and the lineup

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Speaker 2: was out the door, and you know, as a local

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Speaker 2: walking through there, it just is the buzz that everybody

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Speaker 2: needed and they pick me up that I think a

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Speaker 2: lot of people need it just to see people in

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Speaker 2: our city and people enjoying the city and yeah, it

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Speaker 2: was just it was a great day and you know,

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Speaker 2: want to see more of it.

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Speaker 1: Absolutely. You know, we love seeing that volume of tourists

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Speaker 1: coming into the Northern Territory, particularly in our CBD. I mean,

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Speaker 1: how big a boost is it for some of those retailers.

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Speaker 2: I think what we have to remember is that February

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Speaker 2: is a notoriously quiet time in Australia wide, but particularly

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Speaker 2: in Darwomen. We're coming off the Christmas hangover and not

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Speaker 2: that many people are opening the pursuings after that period

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Speaker 2: of time. But also it's notoriously quiet. It's February, it's hot,

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Speaker 2: it's the end of the wet season. So this sort

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Speaker 2: of this sort of injection into the CBD is a

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Speaker 2: difference between a retailer maybe making one fifty dollars sale

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Speaker 2: a day, which is what is happening at the moment,

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Speaker 2: and the difference between like fifty odd people coming through

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Speaker 2: the doors that within our one within an hour type

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Speaker 2: for the situation. So it's really exciting and you know,

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Speaker 2: just sur vibe around the city and the retailers and

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Speaker 2: business owners that I've spoken to, it's just it's a

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Speaker 2: good feeling and really lovely.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, it is good to hear now. I know we'd

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Speaker 1: raised on the show last week that there had been

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Speaker 1: some concerns that have been raised by some of the

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Speaker 1: passengers on the smaller ships, saying that they've been told

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Speaker 1: it maybe wasn't that safe in our CBD. Have you

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Speaker 1: been told much of that or how did you know?

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Speaker 1: Like how do you feel things when yesterday there were

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Speaker 1: no incidents?

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Speaker 2: Were there? Not that I've heard of, and not any

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Speaker 2: feedback that I've had Now, I have only been in

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Speaker 2: a role since December, and I've done as much door

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Speaker 2: knocking on our members doors as I can. That feedback

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Speaker 2: that we heard last week, while I haven't heard it

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Speaker 2: from our members that that has been the feedback from

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Speaker 2: cruise ship pass just I'm sure that given the media

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Speaker 2: attention that the Northern territory has had in regard to

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Speaker 2: any social behavior. Has probably played a role, but it's

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Speaker 2: nothing that I've heard from our retailers and overwhelmingly positive

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Speaker 2: from people that visit from cruise ships.

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Speaker 1: So now, Mollie, look what's the sentiment amongst our CBD

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Speaker 1: business owners at the moment. I know you said that

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Speaker 1: yesterday was obviously a huge shot in the arm, but

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Speaker 1: that they have had some quiet days. I mean, like

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Speaker 1: you said, February is notoriously quiet, There's no doubt about that.

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Speaker 1: But you know, what's the feedback, what's the sentiment at

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Speaker 1: this point.

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Speaker 2: People are doing it tough, but everybody is. You know,

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Speaker 2: they're not blind to the fact that petrol's expensive, that

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Speaker 2: rent going up, that people are getting a bit chokeholded

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Speaker 2: by their mortgages at the moment. So people know that

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Speaker 2: tough economic it's a tough economic client climate, but overwhelming me,

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Speaker 2: they're looking forward to the dry. They do want to

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Speaker 2: see a bit more action on crime and anty social behavior.

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Speaker 2: You know, I've heard some really horrible stories about you know,

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Speaker 2: people having to lock the doors from the inside, you know,

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Speaker 2: staff being assaulted. Theft is really big as well, you know,

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Speaker 2: finding hidden price tags and throughout the clothing from items

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Speaker 2: that have been stolen. So, you know, I think that

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Speaker 2: the general sentiment is that crime and any social behavior

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Speaker 2: continues to be the biggest issue, and I'll be continuing

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Speaker 2: to put pressure on both opposition and the government to

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Speaker 2: make sure that the CBD continues to be the you know,

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Speaker 2: the shining light because it is the first place that

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Speaker 2: both tourists and locals come to visit. It's the first

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Speaker 2: place they see. It's the lasting impression that they take

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Speaker 2: home to their friends and family and say, God, I

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Speaker 2: had a great time in dal and they're more was comping,

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Speaker 2: there was music at one end, you know, like they've

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Speaker 2: activated because of Valentine's Day. So all that is just

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Speaker 2: really positive. So it's important that we start to do

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Speaker 2: a bit more of that work and make sure that

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Speaker 2: people go home. And our retailers are definitely on board

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Speaker 2: with that.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I agree, Hey, Molly, one of the things that

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Speaker 1: I wasn't real happy about. I don't know how some

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Speaker 1: of the other people in the city are feeling, but

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Speaker 1: I've got a parking ticket on a Saturday recently. I

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Speaker 1: know if I'm not alone, there's others that have had

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Speaker 1: design I mean, is it something that is a bit

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Speaker 1: of an issue for our retailers or how are they

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Speaker 1: feeling about it?

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I think that there's a general feedback that there

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Speaker 2: probably wasn't enough stakeholder consultation with between City of Darwin

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Speaker 2: and retailers before implementing those Saturday parking rates again. And

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Speaker 2: that's some conversations that I'm starting to have with City

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Speaker 2: of Darwin. Again, I've only been in the role since December,

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Speaker 2: so I'm just getting those conversations rolling now and really

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Speaker 2: trying to understand what consultation was done. And yeah, I

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Speaker 2: think we just have to remember to look at the

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Speaker 2: parking meters and just double check so you don't get

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Speaker 2: the pine, but also understanding the implications of Saturday parking

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Speaker 2: and what that means to retailers. And I'm still trying

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Speaker 2: to get an understanding of exactly what was done on

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Speaker 2: city is done, but also helping our retailers get on

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Speaker 2: board that as well.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, well, look, it was probably a bit silly on

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Speaker 1: my part because I'd literally interviewed the counsel about it,

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Speaker 1: but then was running a bit late, you know, I

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Speaker 1: parked up and then came back and was like, oh no,

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Speaker 1: what an idiot.

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Speaker 2: I know no one enjoys a parking ticket. I don't know.

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Speaker 2: We've all been there.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, exactly. Well, Molly lovely to speak to you this

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Speaker 1: morning in your new role. Thank you so very much

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Speaker 1: for your time and no doubt we'll talk to you

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Speaker 1: again soon.

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Speaker 2: Thanks Katie, thank you,