Darwin 22 July 2013. Minister for Parks and Wildlife Matt Conlan said the Territory Government is working on a Masterplan for the future of tourism and recreation in the Territory’s parks and reserves.

Mr Conlan said the community, stakeholders and the tourism industry are invited to help set the direction of the Masterplan and future use of the Territory’s parks and reserves over the next decade.

“The Territory’s parks and reserves are some of the best in the world, offering magnificent recreational areas and world class facilities for Territory families and visitors to enjoy,” Mr Conlan said.

“The Country Liberals Government is committed to growing tourism in the Territory and our National Parks are a major drawcard for interstate and international visitors.

“A thriving tourism industry will help to develop our regions, benefit local businesses, create more jobs and build a bigger Territory economy.

“Our parks also contribute enormously to the social, cultural and economic fabric of the Territory and we want local families to continue to enjoy camping, fishing, swimming and walking in our parks now and into the future.”

The Masterplan will align with the Government’s Tourism Vision 2020: Northern Territory’s Strategy for Growth strategy, which aims to boost visitors to the Territory by 400,000 a year by 2020. The Masterplan will:

·        Set a clear vision for Parks and Wildlife Commission as a leader in providing visitor enjoyment, community and business engagement of the Territory parks; and

·        Set a clear direction for developing and managing recreation and tourism values and opportunities for the Territory’s most visited parks for the next ten years.

A series of forums and workshops will be run across the Territory in August inviting input on the Masterplan from the tourism industry, recreation user groups and the community.

The following forums are planned for the community:

Darwin: Casuarina Coastal Reserve, Saturday 10 August, 2:00pm-5:00pm

Alice Springs: Telegraph Station, Sunday 11 August, 2:00pm-5:00pm.

Industry forums on the Masterplan will be held in Darwin, Katherine and Alice Springs. For more information go to: www.parksandwildlife.nt.gov.au

The Parks and Wildlife Commission with Tourism NT and the Department of Business expect to finalise the Parks Tourism and Recreation Masterplan by the end of the year.