Business bulletin: 22 September 2023

Australia’s newest low cost airline Bonza will hit the tarmac in the Territory from November this year.

The announcement is a direct result of the recently launched Territory Aviation Attraction Scheme; which was specifically designed to improve aviation access and connectivity to the Northern Territory (NT).

Bonza’s everyday low fares will make it more affordable for tourists to visit Darwin and Alice Springs, growing demand throughout the Top End and Central Australia to support the Territory’s important visitor economy.

The airline will add 12 new flights per week to and from the NT:

• Sunshine Coast to Darwin
• Gold Coast to Darwin
• Melbourne to Alice Springs.

This will see over 116,000 seats available each year.

Flights are on sale now through the Fly Bonza app with fares starting as low as $139 per person one-way for Alice Springs, and $149 per person one-way for Darwin.

The Northern Territory Government continues to support local businesses through the Visitor Enhancement Experience Program (VEEP), which recently announced the recipients for round 7. VEEP ensures tourists see some of the best of what the Territory has on offer by supporting the tourism industry through co-contribution grants provided to improve customer experience.

This round we saw 49 Territory businesses getting a sharing of almost $3 million in grants to enhance their product offerings. One of the successful applicants is the Royal Flying Doctor Service who will be modernising the RFDS Alice Springs Tourist Facility with new touchscreen kiosks, as well as upgrading the RFDS Darwin Tourist Facility cinema experience with new upholstery, painting, under seat and wall lighting, and an augmented interval announcement.

In Katherine, Knotts Crossing Resort is renovating 20 executive and family rooms with new flooring, gyprock walls and furniture, as well as upgrading the commercial laundry facilities. The grants program is set up to assist businesses in upgrades to tourism infrastructure, improved accessibility, enhanced sustainability and diversifying visitor experiences.

Read the full list of successful applicants online on the Tourism NT website.

Thirteen Territory businesses have been selected as finalists for the 2023 Chief Minister’s NT Export Awards.

The finalists are:

1. Effusiontech Pty Ltd (Speed3D)
2. PlantSensors
3. Australian Blue Cypress Pty Ltd
4. Alana Kaye Group Pty Ltd
5. AusNorth Trading Pty Ltd
6. I’m Plastic Free
7. International College of Advanced Education
8. Darwin City College
9. KBA Global
10. Asia Pacific Aircraft Storage Pty Ltd - Alice Springs
11. Ikuntiji Artists Aboriginal Corporation - Haasts Bluff
12. Rum Jungle Meat Exports
13. PakFresh Handling Pty Ltd.

2023 marks the 30^th year of the Northern Territory Export Awards, a program that is coordinated by the Chamber of Commerce NT with support from Austrade and the Northern Territory Government.

Each year, the Northern Territory Chief Minister’s Export Awards give recognition to export and international trading businesses operating in the Northern Territory.

Winners will be announced at this prestigious lunch event, the NT Export Awards on Friday 13 October 2023 at Parliament House and tickets are available now.

Winners of the NT categories automatically progress as finalists in the Australian Export Awards to compete against their peers and receive national recognition.

Show your support for the Territory export industry and purchase your tickets today from the Chamber of Commerce NT website.

The push to get more skilled overseas workers to move to the Territory is being ramped up with an expo highlighting the NT running in Auckland, New Zealand this weekend.

The Work and Live in the Northern Territory jobs expo is scheduled for this weekend and will enable industry representatives with a chance to present information sessions on the great opportunities available here, specifically in sectors impacted by critical workforce shortages.

The expo is part of the Territory Government’s Global Worker Attraction Campaign, which aims to raise the profile of the Territory, create a pipeline for skilled workers interested in living and working in the Territory and help local businesses find suitable candidates for available jobs.

Local employers are encouraged to sign up to the WorkerConnect platform and publish available jobs now so New Zealand jobseekers can view these opportunities at this weekend's expo.

To date, more than 175 employers and 7,000 jobseekers from around the world have uploaded their job vacancies and resumes to the WorkerConnect platform, which aims to connect Territory businesses to suitable candidates for job openings.

To join the WorkerConnect platform for free, go to Jobs in Australia’s Northern Territory.