Jumbo Jet Dreaming

By Alex Nelson

The decline of tourism in Central Australia over the past decade, as revealed by Chris Chambers (Stop the bleeding, Centralian Advocate, 11 November, 2011), takes on an even more sombre tone when one considers the optimism held for the future of this industry over 20 years ago.

The tale about to be related shows that the grand visions for tourism in Central Australia are no more than mirages.

Mr Chambers’ observation that “the industry has declined to a point where it’s not viable for a second airline” to service the Alice is in stark contrast to the document Alice Springs International Airport published by the NT Department of Transport and Works in December 1988.

The publication was in response to the Commonwealth Government’s announcement in August 1988 that it would “proceed with urgent redevelopment work at Alice Springs Airport, estimated to cost $20 million over the next three years”.

There is plenty of interest to quote from this document: “Alice Springs has recently developed as a major hub for Australian air transport.

“Central Australia’s international tourist industry is expanding at a dramatic rate. “Tourism remains the fastest growing industry in the Northern Territory…

“Much has been done to improve the amenity of Central Australia with $250 million being spent in Alice Springs and Yulara over the last six years … A further $100m is planned to cater for expected growth”.

The document put forward “a case for the staged development of the Alice Springs airport to a full international gateway” to be achieved by 1996/97. All this is just in the introduction!

There’s plenty more: “The number of international tourists to the Territory increased by 44 percent to 170,000 over the 12 months to July 1988.

“The Northern Territory Tourist Commission estimates that international visitors to the Territory will reach 250,000 by 1989/90” and “by the year 2000 are forecast to be 670,000”. Most of this growth was expected to be in Alice Springs.

Under the heading “Demand for Outback Travel” we read: “75 percent of major tour operators in a Sydney-based survey stated that the demand for international travel to the Centre is far greater than the existing domestic air services allow”. (The airlines were TAA and Ansett-ANA).

“The majority of international tour operators also stated that current domestic air travel arrangements to the Centre are inadequate”.

In “Passenger Movement Projections” we’re informed: “Growth is such that domestic travel projections for Alice Springs for the year 2000, which were made by the Department of Aviation in 1984, were exceeded in 1987.

“The domestic market [for] total passenger volume should exceed over 800,000 movements including transits in 1988”.

Who remembers this? “Population and employment growth rate in Alice Springs exceeds the rate of growth in Darwin.

“The recent large increase in accommodation in Alice Springs (24 percent annual increase to July 1988…) is expected to continue with a further $100m of new infrastructure and hotel developments planned.

“Passenger movement numbers at Alice Springs are expected to grow at current rates up to 1990/91 when over 700,000 set down/pick up movements are expected” and “a total of over one million annual passenger movements (excluding transits) is expected to be reached between 1995 and 2000”.

Under “Air Passenger Growth” we’re told: “The growth of air passengers through Alice Springs has been dramatic.

“The rate of passenger movement has consistently outgrown all other major airports over the period 1980 to 1987 including Cairns and Sydney. Growth at Alice Springs in the 12 months to September 1988 was 13.1 percent with over half a million passengers using the airport in that period.

“Today Alice Springs handles more aircraft movements than Darwin (and Hobart).

“Traffic is now ten times the 1965 volume and this year over 800,000 passengers will use the airport”.

The development of the Alice Springs airport towards full international status envisaged by Stage 2 in 1993/94 allowing “wide-bodied aircraft departures Alice Springs-Tokyo, Alice Springs-Honolulu, Alice Springs-Singapore with loads closely matched to aircraft capacity”.

The completion of Stage 3 in 1996/97 would allow “an average of one B747 arrival per day with a maximum of two B747 aircraft parked on the apron at any one time.

“Additional aircraft stands could be provided and landside expansion undertaken upon demand. The development would be similar to that of Townsville and Adelaide”.

Amongst the list of “Benefits to the Northern Territory” we’re assured: “There will also be economic flow-on effects to Darwin, Kakadu, Litchfield Park, Katherine and Victoria River. An international image of the Centre will promote a greater influx of tourists and business interests to Darwin and the Top End. As the Territory economy grows in strength, the development towards statehood and self-sufficiency will be accelerated”.

There’s more! “In 1986/87, 308,000 visitors required 1.4 million commercial accommodation nights in Central Australia. It is expected that demand will reach 2.3 million commercial accommodation nights by 1990, about 25 percent of which will be taken up by international visitors”. Now how does that stack up with today’s reality?

The document outlined several “planned developments of tourist attractions to meet current and expected demand”. Most noteworthy is: “The upgrading of the road between Ayers Rock and the Olgas (which was done) and the completion of sealed tourist roads through the West MacDonnell Ranges which will provide a loop road that will link such key attractions as Hermannsburg, Glen Helen, Palm Valley and Kings Canyon” (remember, this was published in December 1988).

Just to add the icing to this deliciously ironic cake, almost a year later Chief Minister Marshall Perron released the findings of a study by consultants Horwath and Horwath (Centre to rival tourist meccas, Centralian Advocate, 17 November, 1989). The front-page story began: “A proposed multi-million dollar West MacDonnell Ranges tourist development could put Central Australia in the top five of Australian tourist attractions”.

The study “has found Central Australia could rival Sydney, the Gold Coast, the Whitsundays and North Queensland.

“The key to the proposed development would be a tourist circuit ring-road linking major attractions and allowing tourists to visit Alice Springs, Glen Helen, Kings Canyon and Yulara on a round trip.

“The report states the ring-road would mean increased tourists to the Centre – more than 500,000 by 1990/91 and 1.3 million by the year 2000.

“Glen Helen Gorge is recommended as the ‘gateway’ to the new development … The report says the development should be aimed at showing tourists the ‘real Australia in a setting renowned for its spectacular scenery”.

This glowingly upbeat report was released shortly after the three month long national pilots’ strike had devastated the local tourism industry in the Centre; and it’s to be noted the “Alice Springs International Airport” document released a year earlier was studiously ignored by the federal government.

There was, however, a note of caution sounded: “Although the Territory Government has endorsed the report in principle and says it has ‘exciting implications’ for Central Australia, Mr Perron said it would be ‘a long time’ before the proposal became a reality”…

To return to the beginning, Chris Chambers must be experiencing a sense of déjà vu about Alice Springs being uneconomic for a second low-cost airline. The collapse of Ansett airlines in September 2001 left Qantas as the only air passenger service to Alice Springs.

Qantas quickly took advantage: “Travelers wanting to fly to Sydney on short notice will have to wait at least seven days to get a flight … then fork out $1800 for a ticket” (Centralian Advocate, 2 October, 2001).

By the end of October an analysis of fares charged by Qantas revealed a “staggering inequity between the cost of traveling to Alice Springs, with airfares to Ayers Rock at less than half the price” (“Fare go mate!”, Centralian Advocate, 30 October, 2001).

“The revelation follows a price comparison of airfares to popular tourist destinations … by the fledgling Alice Springs branch of the Airline Crisis Action Group (ACAGAS).

“Spokesman for ACAGAS, Chris Chambers, said the situation could cripple the Alice Springs tourist industry in the medium to long term.

“He said: The whole industry will downsize in Alice Springs if we can’t get competitive flights in and out”.

The story commented: “It was possible to buy a flight to almost any place in the world cheaper than the available $2119 return fare leaving Sydney on November 7”.

Now if only we had that daily jumbo jet air services that were due to start operation at the Alice Springs International Airport by 1996/97…