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Young people from around the world are being encouraged to look to the north of Australia as part of their time in the country.

The government of Australia’s Northern Territory is launching a new marketing initiative in the New Year aimed at boosting the number of backpackers visiting the state.

It is hoped that people in Australia on gap years and working holiday visas who usually gravitate towards locations like Sydney, Melbourne and Byron Bay can be enticed further north.

We’ll be targeting backpackers and saying to them: you haven’t done Australia unless you’ve done the Northern Territory, Australia’s real outback,” said Tourism Northern Territory chief executive officer Tony Mayell.

The Northern Territory has so much to offer young travellers from overseas including natural icons like Kakadu and Uluru, ancient Aboriginal culture, diverse landscapes, amazing wildlife, colourful characters and plenty of work opportunities,” explained Mayell. “From the Red Centre to the Top End, the Northern Territory is home to crocodiles, epic road trips, wide open spaces, blue skies, spectacular sunsets, bustling markets, vibrant nightlife and a relaxed laid back attitude. It’s an adventure not to be missed.”

The new backpacker initiative is part of the Government’s plan to drive the development of North Australia and build a AUD 2.2 billion visitor economy by 2020.

The state is also proving popular with Chinese visitors. Darwin recently saw the largest contingent of Chinese cruise ship passengers ever with around 400 tourists from Greater China among about 700 passengers on board the Superstar Virgo.

The arrival of the Chinese cruise ship passengers comes as Chief Minister Adam Giles and Tourism NT representatives visited China as part of a trade mission to help grow the Territory’s share of the Greater China market.

Minister for Asian Engagement and Trade Peter Styles said the Greater China outbound market was one of the fastest growing in the world and the Northern Territory Government was doubling its marketing budget in the region to help attract more visitors to the Territory.

Currently the Northern Territory attracts around 14,000 Chinese visitors a year which the Government wants to grow to 30,000 visitors a year by 2020.

Tourism Australia research shows the number one factor Chinese tourists consider when deciding to holiday is world class beauty and natural environments, of which the Northern Territory has an abundance, making it an ideal holiday destination for Chinese travellers,” said Styles.

Source: Australia Forum