Research

In 2023, the total volume of drive tourists numbered over 1 million, a growth of over 80,000 drive tourists from 2022. A recent (2023) drive study undertaken by Tourism NT found the average drive traveller stays approximately 16 days and spends an estimated $287.52 per person per day, covering 500km of travel and driving an average 5 to 6 hrs each day. This study provides valuable insights on visitor perception of the drive journey, including infrastructure, telecommunication, food and drink experiences. 

Watch the video presentation or download the presentation slides (PDF, 1.7MB) (PDF, 1.7MB).

Accessible Tourism is the endeavour to ensure that tourism product, destinations and services are accessible to all people. Statistics show 17% of domestic visitors to the NT and 19% of domestic visitors in Australia have a disability or long term health condition. 

There are more than 80 national parks and reserves, covering over 50,000 square kilometres of land in the Northern Territory; including two World Heritage-listed national parks in Kakadu National Park and Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park,  796,000 visitors to the NT visiting a national park during their trip. More details of the study can be found in the following factsheet (PDF, 451.4KB) (PDF, 451.4KB).

Based on a three year average (year ending December 2017-2019), there were 568,000 visitors to the NT who participated in history and heritage activities. The two most popular experiences were: visiting history/ heritage buildings, sites or monuments (19%) and visiting museums or art galleries (20%). More details of the study can be found in the following factsheet (PDF, 331.3KB) (PDF, 331.3KB).

The Stakeholder Satisfaction Study is a biennial study commissioned by Tourism NT to obtain feedback from tourism stakeholders in the Territory on its performance. This latest study found that only 9% of stakeholders were not satisfied with Tourism NT overall in the last 12 months, the lowest of all waves of the study. More details of the study can be found in the following factsheet (PDF, 263.4KB) (PDF, 263.4KB).

The Northern Territory is a desirable destination to experience unique flavours and exceptional food and drink experiences from over 100 nationalities. The Territory's Aboriginal cultural methods provide an exceptional connection to incredible bush foods and bush food inspired products, couples with the influence of traditional characteristic cooking approaches shared by our Greek and Asian immigrants, creating an ideal scene for a gourmet tourism offering unlike any other.

A breakdown of food and drink visitor experiences in the NT can be found in the following factsheet (PDF, 534.3KB) (PDF, 534.3KB).

Based on a three year average (year ending December 2017-2019) 459,000 visitors to the NT participated in Aboriginal experiences, spending on average 6.4 nights in the Territory. Almost 20% of interstate visitors engaged in Aboriginal experiences in the NT, while 69% of international visitors to the NT engaged in Aboriginal experiences in Australia. More information on visitors travelling who engaged in an Aboriginal experiences in the NT can be found in the following factsheet (PDF, 342.7KB) (PDF, 342.7KB).

As at year ending December 2019, 514,000 domestic visitors to the NT engaged in arts and culture activities, who on average stayed 5.2 nights in the Territory. The three most popular arts and culture activities experienced were: visiting museums or art galleries (58%); visiting history and heritage buildings, sites or monuments (38%), and; experiencing Aboriginal art / craft and cultural displays (32%). More information on visitors travelling to the Northern Territory who engaged in arts and culture activities in 2019 can be found in the following factsheet (PDF, 371.1KB) (PDF, 371.1KB).

A cruise ship study was undertaken between November 2019 and March 2020. The study interviewed 1,698 passengers and crew from 16 ships that visited Darwin during this period. The study found that $12.88 million was spent in Darwin from cruise holidays over the entire cruise season (October 2019-April 2020). More information can be found in the Darwin Cruise Study Report (PDF, 378.4KB) (PDF, 378.4KB).

The youth market made up one fifth of the overall visitor market in the NT, representing 18% of all visitors in the year ending December 2019. This result was in line with the proportion represented nationally (21% of all overnight visitors). An estimated 18% of youth visitors to the NT were from overseas and represented 23% of all international visitors to the NT. Domestic overnight youth travellers comprised 18% of all domestic travellers to the NT. More information on Youth/Backpacker/Working Holiday Maker visitation can be found in the following report summary (PDF, 17MB) (PDF, 17MB).

Leisure drive travellers are defined as visitors who stayed for one or more nights in the Northern Territory, used a self-drive vehicle and were on a holiday and/or visiting friends or family. On average 87% of leisure drive visitors in the NT were from the domestic market, representing 68% of visitor nights. More information on the leisure drive market (three year average 2017-2019) can be found in the following fact sheet summary (PDF, 476.5KB) (PDF, 476.5KB).

A drive study was conducted to better understand the Northern Territory drive tourism market, specifically market segments and the attitudes and behaviours toward drive-related tourism. The study found that Northern Territory drive holidays appeal to distinct market segments, including the busy fly-drive, the long self-drive and grey nomad market. Almost 67 percent of domestic and 74 percent of international visitors would consider a drive holiday in the Northern Territory. More information on this study can be found in the Drive market report (PDF, 1.3MB) (PDF, 1.3MB).

Details on the Million Dollar Fish Season 4 economic contribution to the Territory can be found in the following summary sheet (PDF, 698.1KB) (PDF, 698.1KB).

In 2018/19, Tourism NT conducted a study to measure overall visitor satisfaction, as well as specific aspects of the visitor experience in Northern Territory tourism regions. Specific aspects included food, national parks, attractions, accommodation (hotels and caravan parks/ camping), events and tours. More information related to this study can be found in the following summary (PDF, 517.5KB) (PDF, 517.5KB).

Austrade-Tourism Research Australia engaged Deloitte to examine the question of how best to encourage the geographical dispersal of leisure visitors to destinations outside of capital cities. Further information can be found in the following summary report (PDF, 304.4KB) (PDF, 304.4KB).

Ernst & Young undertook analysis of the short term private letting and traditional visitor accommodation markets within the Northern Territory and Darwin, Alice Springs and Katherine regions. As part of the assessment, the size, composition, growth and economic contribution of these markets was analysed. Further information can be found in the following summary report (PDF, 332.5KB) (PDF, 332.5KB).

In 2018, Tourism NT conducted a study to understand the Chinese visitors’ experience in the Northern Territory and satisfaction for those leaving on the flights of Donghai Airlines. The research was repeated in 2019 to assess the impacts of activities over the year. More information can be found in the following report (PDF, 718.2KB) (PDF, 718.2KB).

The Darwin Business Delegates study was released in 2019 to better understand the impact of business events held at the Darwin Convention Centre in terms of delegate spend, behaviour, satisfaction and economic contribution. Further information can be found in the following report (PDF, 241.3KB) (PDF, 241.3KB).