AUSTRALIA’s Tourism Northern Territory has appointed Pacific Leisure Marketing as its marketing representative in Singapore. Adventure travel and MICE have been earmarked as key focus areas for development.
Pacific Leisure Marketing’s managing director, Charles Leong, told TTG Asia e-Daily that his first task was to raise awareness of the Northern Territory (NT), which he admitted was “less well-known compared to other Australian states”.
Major destinations in NT include Darwin, Alice Springs, Katherine, Nhulunbuy, Tennant Creek and other areas in the centre and central northern regions of the country.
According to Leong, NT’s nature as “an outdoor, adventure type of destination” endears it to “young travellers and incentive groups who want fresh ideas and unique venues”, but makes it difficult to sell to the average Singaporean consumer, for whom adventure travel is still a niche segment.
“Most Singaporeans prefer shopping and dining during their holidays,” he explained. “However, younger travellers are seeking different experiences, and families are now affluent enough to send their children on holidays.”
Apart from reaching out to these younger travellers as well as MICE buyers, Pacific Leisure Marketing is also planning to organise training and fam trips for travel consultants, develop tactical advertising in tandem with travel agencies, and engage in joint marketing efforts with trade players.
“We have been talking to Jetstar and SilkAir about collaborating on media and trade fam tours, which we hope will take place in March when SilkAir inaugurates its Singapore-Darwin services (TTG Asia e-Daily, December 13, 2011),” said Leong.
Felicia Teng, general manager of Singapore-based The Meeting Lab, said the addition of SilkAir’s new route to Darwin would help persuade more corporate groups to consider the destination, as “not all corporate travellers are willing to fly low-cost”.
On another note, Jetstar is scheduled to boost its current Singapore-Darwin daily services to 10-weekly starting March 25.
