The Northern Territory (NT) is consolidating its visitor economy efforts by merging Tourism NT and the NT Major Events Company into a single entity named Tourism and Events NT, effective January 1, 2026.
The move is intended to create a unified and streamlined strategy to drive year-round visitor growth by directly leveraging the region’s major events alongside its unique destinations, according to Suzana Bishop, CEO of the NT Department of Tourism and Hospitality.
Bishop noted that the region’s “incredible event portfolio plays a huge role in bringing visitors”, and added that since the two organisations already work extremely closely. Hence, integrating them makes perfect sense and will “create a powerhouse of creativity and strategy when it comes to promoting the Territory”.
The merger has been widely welcomed by the industry.
Alicia Triggs, executive general manager of sales & partnerships at Journey Beyond, stated that the two sectors are “intrinsically linked”, with each one strengthening the other to create a “strong driver for visitation”.
Ben Hall, CEO of AAT Kings Group, agreed, calling events and tourism a marketing powerhouse and noting that combining the functions has successfully grown the sector in other Australian states by creating better synergies and wider reach.
The integration has already produced practical results: major event tickets are now being sold through travel trade channels, bundled with accommodation, flights, and tours. This cross-promotion has expanded reach, contributing to a 58 per cent interstate and overseas visitor rate for the recent Motocross Australia Grand Prix and a sell-out T20 International Cricket match. Furthermore, NT events are now consistently featured in Tourism NT agent and media programmes, boosting exposure with global buyers.
To help lead the new vision, Staci Mellman has been appointed as chief marketing officer, effective October 1. Mellman brings international tourism marketing experience from her previous leadership roles with Brand USA and Visit Florida.
An Expression of Interest process for appointments to the new Tourism and Events NT Advisory Board will run from September 24 to October 22. The current Tourism NT Board will manage the transition until the end of 2025, during which time the new Visitor Economy Strategy 2032 is also being finalised through industry consultation.
