A new military tourism campaign for the NT has been launched in the same week that Darwin commemorated the 84th anniversary of its bombing.
And it hopes to tap into a major air force exercise, Operation Pitch Black, in July-August to attract global attention; the exercise is expected to attract 40,000+ personnel from 20 countries.
The major public commemoration on Thursday was a service at the USS Peary Memorial in Bicentennial Park and another at the Darwin Cenotaph.
THE ATTACK
On December 19, 1942, 188 Japanese aircraft launched from four carriers to attack the port, town and airfield in a first wave. A second wave involved 54 aircraft taking off from airfields on Ambon and Sulawesi (Indonesia). The official death toll was 243 military and civilians with more than 300 injured. Over the next 20 months, there were 97 air raids carried out across the top end from Exmouth in the west to Townsville in the east. Source: Australian War Memorial.
Chief Minister and Minister for Defence says the bombing “shattered the illusion that our island nation was beyond the reach of global conflict and brought the reality of war to our doorstep”.
“Yet, for too long, the scale and significance of this attack were not fully understood across the country.”
A new campaign just launched will feature an AI-powered trip planner for visitors while the upcoming 10th Darwin Street Art Festival will unveil a new military heritage trail, featuring a major mural at the Darwin Military Museum.
NT Tourism Minister Marie-Clare Boothby says there was no better time to launch the campaign than in the week leading up to the anniversary.
“The world is taking notice of the Territory,” she says.
MILITARY HISTORY
“… we have the perfect opportunity to showcase our unique military history to the world. From Darwin Street Art Festival in May to Pitch Black in July, we are leveraging every opportunity to showcase the Territory’s military heritage and grow our visitor economy.”
She believes that military history “is an untapped niche that visitors won’t find at their next stop in Cairns, Broome or Bali”.
“With more bombs dropped on Darwin than at Pearl Harbor, the Territory’s wartime history is unlike anywhere else in Australia.”
Dr Norman Cramp is director of the museum and welcomes the campaign as a chance to tell their story.
“From airfields and street art to artefacts and battlefield bunkers, the Territory has it all when it comes to immersive military tourism experiences,” he says.
“We know it, and now the rest of the country is going to know it too, especially with ANZAC Day and Pitch Black just months away.”
The campaign is designed to convert national and international attention into extended stays, regional visits and greater visitor spending.
The Territory is spending $3 million to boost military tourism and develop a new action plan in consultation with a new advisory committee.
“We said we’d put military tourism back on the map and we’re doing just that,” Boothby says.
“In our year of growth, certainty, and security, we are playing to our strengths, backing local businesses and turning global attention into real economic outcomes.”
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