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Speaker 1: A real change of pace because we know that into

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Speaker 1: tourism is rejoicing after a record cruise ship season in Darwin.

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Speaker 1: One hundred and thirteen ships docked in the city this season,

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Speaker 1: bringing in eighty thousand passengers, the largest number of visitors

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Speaker 1: yet Now. The biggest ship to visit our shores was

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Speaker 1: the Crown Princess, which doctor in Darwin yesterday morning with

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Speaker 1: three thousand passengers on board. Joining me on the line,

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Speaker 1: is Tourism top Ends General Manager Samantha Bennett, Good morning

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Speaker 1: to you.

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Speaker 2: Sam morning, Katie.

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Speaker 1: Good to have you on the show. It sounds like

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Speaker 1: it has been an absolute bumper cruise season. Do you

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Speaker 1: know how the numbers this year stacked up to last year?

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Speaker 2: The numbers have been fantastic. The main difference is that

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Speaker 2: ships are actually full their act capacity. So sometimes ships

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Speaker 2: can come in and you know they've only got they'll

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Speaker 2: have one third of their rooms vacant. But this year

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Speaker 2: we saw that they were really strong, that market is

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Speaker 2: really growing with the visitor and that those ships were full.

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Speaker 1: And why do you reckon they're full? Now? Do you

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Speaker 1: think it is still a lagging on from COVID days?

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Speaker 2: Yeah, and I think the offering is really different. We've

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Speaker 2: seen a couple of new ships. We had a lot

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Speaker 2: of maiden voyages this year around the world cruises as well.

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Speaker 2: I mean we're geographically located perfectly for the market, so

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Speaker 2: you know, we're an important stop for them as well.

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Speaker 2: And I think that that sector will just continue to

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Speaker 2: grow because it's gotten quite clever and diversifying, so it's

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Speaker 2: got everything from high end to family.

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Speaker 1: Now. In terms of how important the cruise ship sector

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Speaker 1: is to our local businesses, I mean it must provide

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Speaker 1: a real boost when those big cruise ships arrive.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, the outcomes are really tangible. You know, it puts

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Speaker 2: about a hun hundred and eighty million dollars into the economy.

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Speaker 2: It supports about five hundred local jobs. It keeps out

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Speaker 2: tour operators, our attractions, our hospitality, retail. It gives us

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Speaker 2: a reason to open our doors when it's traditionally our

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Speaker 2: quietest time of the year. So I think it's a

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Speaker 2: really big important part of our industry.

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Speaker 1: And has there been some extra work done by tourism

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Speaker 1: toping to really try to capitalize on those cruise ship visitors.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, we have. I mean we run the visitor information

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Speaker 2: center and so using their shuttle buses to bring them

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Speaker 2: up here and then give them the local touch. I mean,

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Speaker 2: we're our role in all of this as a visitor

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Speaker 2: information center is is to inspire them to come back.

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Speaker 2: We want to give them a bit of a taste

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Speaker 2: at the top end, and then we want them to

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Speaker 2: come back and plan their holiday here next year. There

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Speaker 2: was a lot of domestic a lot of Australians on

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Speaker 2: those ships this year as well, so they're traditionally the

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Speaker 2: people that might come back at and take a longer look.

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Speaker 1: Now, tell me, I understand that there was a survey

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Speaker 1: conducted of passengers on thirteen of the ships this season.

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Speaker 1: What were some of those key findings.

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Speaker 2: They were really happy with the you know everybody thinks,

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Speaker 2: oh it's really hot, They were really happy. I think

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Speaker 2: about ninety one percent were satisfied with their visits. There's

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Speaker 2: a lot to do. Everything from you know, jumping crocodiles,

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Speaker 2: lichfield tours, hanging out in town, the ANZAC day services

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Speaker 2: and things like that was really well embraced as well.

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Speaker 2: They're looking at what we're doing here, so they actually

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Speaker 2: really love it when we come on the weekend, they

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Speaker 2: get out the markets. Yeah, I mean Italian Festival was

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Speaker 2: on at the same pot.

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Speaker 1: They had so much to do on the weekend.

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Speaker 2: Didn't They so many choices.

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Speaker 1: Which is awesome, Like you want people to arrive and go,

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Speaker 1: oh wow, one is fantastic. You know, there's heaps on

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Speaker 1: and the weather was slightly cooler for us, so hopefully

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Speaker 1: they all enjoyed themselves.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, the feedback from yesterday was great. And you know,

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Speaker 2: our operators have been really great as well. We've had

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Speaker 2: we've activated our lawns and we've had crocodiles and snakes

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Speaker 2: and you know, it's an opportunity for operators who don't

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Speaker 2: sholl on board the ship to talk about what they've

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Speaker 2: got to offer as well. And I mean we're not

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Speaker 2: resting on our laurels. Tomorrow is the Cruise Ship Forum yep,

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Speaker 2: and which is Tourism and Tea are running that, but

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Speaker 2: we are working with them. That will see a lot

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Speaker 2: of operators and that will start connecting the industry with

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Speaker 2: the people who buy the product that they sell on

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Speaker 2: the ship, so the ground handlers. Yeah, right, So we're

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Speaker 2: planning for next year already.

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Speaker 1: That's good And I think you have to, right, like

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Speaker 1: you've got to make sure every year that we are

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Speaker 1: planning ahead so that we can make sure people want

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Speaker 1: to come back. In terms of that forum, who's expected

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Speaker 1: to attend and you know what sort of outcomes are

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Speaker 1: you looking for.

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Speaker 2: I think there's about ninety operators that will come to

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Speaker 2: that and there will be the ground handling companies like

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Speaker 2: bob Ward and Into Cruisers Holidays of Australia which do

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Speaker 2: a lot of the expedition so they do a lot

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Speaker 2: of they do a lot of again and then onto

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Speaker 2: the expedition ships that they they're here all year round

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Speaker 2: and the head of people that sell this destination for us,

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Speaker 2: so they're a really important part of the whole distribution channel.

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Speaker 1: Now, Sam, I understand as well the season for large

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Speaker 1: cruise ships has ended, but the focus now turns to

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Speaker 1: those expedition ships.

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Speaker 2: Yeah. Absolutely. What we love about them is that they

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Speaker 2: come and stay a couple of days before they travel,

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Speaker 2: so they they and they like a bit of a variety,

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Speaker 2: you know, some of the really high end ships they'll

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Speaker 2: go and spend time in places like our luxury lodgers.

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Speaker 2: And we've got quite a few opportunities with that. We've

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Speaker 2: got Finnis River and some great accommodation out at the Winda.

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Speaker 2: You know, there's that sector is also growing. We'd love

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Speaker 2: to see more stuff happening in anam Land, but we're

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Speaker 2: really happy to see that anam Land is also developing

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Speaker 2: its product offering. So I think that you know, and

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Speaker 2: these guys will do a helicopter and you know they'll

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Speaker 2: do the smaller touring as well, so I think that's

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Speaker 2: a really important part of the market. But you know,

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Speaker 2: they also come and I mean this year we have

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Speaker 2: the best seat capacity we've had in a long time

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Speaker 2: from airlines, so that fly drive, fly cruise those markets here,

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Speaker 2: it's improving all the time.

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Speaker 1: Well, that is good. It is really good to hear.

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Speaker 1: Samantha Bennett, general manager of Tourism Top End. Really good

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Speaker 1: to speak with you this morning. Sure we'll talk again

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Speaker 1: too soon.

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Speaker 2: Thanks Gating, Thank you,