Destination NT Opens in Alice Springs With Registrations Up 96%

Registrations for Tourism and Events NT's flagship industry conference have jumped 96%, from 107 in 2024 to 210 for the 2026 edition — the strongest signal yet that the body's refreshed event format is pulling sellers of travel back into the room.

The numbers anchor this week's Destination NT, the Northern Territory's annual tourism industry week, which opened today in Alice Springs. Tourism and Events NT, the Territory's destination marketing organisation (the government-backed body that promotes the region to travellers and trade), hosts the four-day program.

It's the second year of the expanded four-day format, and the first time Alice Springs hosts the full program at that length. The registration growth covers the Territory's key industry events since the refreshed format launched in 2025, compared with earlier industry gatherings held in Alice Springs.

Who's on the program?

The speaker lineup mixes operators, marketers and analysts:

• Naomi Simson OAM, founder of RedBalloon and the Big Red Group — one of Australia's largest experience-marketplace groups
• Marnie Ogg, founder of Dark Sky Tourism Australia
• Susan Coghill, Chief Marketing Officer of Tourism Australia, the national tourism body
• Simon Kuestenmacher, Director and Co-founder of The Demographics Group

That mix matters for sellers of travel. Simson's presence connects Territory operators to distribution through experience platforms; Coghill's session ties the Territory into national marketing campaigns; Kuestenmacher brings the demand-side demographic data that operators use to plan product.

What's the strategy behind it?

CEO Suzana Bishop framed the event as a delivery mechanism for policy rather than a stand-alone conference. "Destination NT is the Northern Territory's flagship industry week for the visitor economy," she said.

She tied the program directly to the Northern Territory Visitor Economy Strategy 2032, the Territory's long-term growth plan. "Destination NT is a platform to support Territory tourism operators to engage with industry leaders, learn about trends and opportunities for growth and diversification, and look towards the future of the Northern Territory visitor economy," Bishop said.

Growth and diversification are the operative words for the Territory's trade. The region's visitor economy depends heavily on domestic leisure travel and touring routes, and the strategy pushes operators toward new segments — dark-sky tourism among them, which is why Ogg's presence on the program is more than a novelty.

How does the week end?

The four days culminate on Saturday 14 November with the Brolga Northern Territory Tourism Awards, which recognise Territory tourism businesses across categories. For operators, the awards function as both credentialing and buyer visibility — winners often carry the recognition into trade bids and consumer marketing.

What should sellers of travel take from the numbers?

A doubling of conference registrations in two years suggests Territory operators are investing more in trade engagement, not less, even as national travel spending patterns shift. Tourism and Events NT has not released attendance figures for the full four-day program, so the 96% figure covers the Conference specifically.

The test now is whether the engagement converts: more operators distributing through national platforms, more product aligned with the 2032 strategy's diversification targets, and stronger Territory representation in Tourism Australia's consumer campaigns.

If next year's registrations hold or grow, the four-day format will look like a durable fix for the Territory's trade calendar rather than a one-off bounce.