Katherine tourism body loses funding
The chairman of the Katherine Region Tourist Association says the town should feel let down by the Territory Government’s decision to withdraw funding for the group.
The Territory Government has withdrawn $220,000 of annual funding for the association. The Government will redirect some of that money to Tourism Top End, which it hopes can take over marketing and representation for Katherine.
The board of the Katherine Region Tourist Association will meet today to discuss its future. Chairman Gary Higgins says the association will stop marketing but may stay in place and act as a local voice for the industry.
“If members just joined the Darwin association outright, they’re just individual voices. Whereas if they have an organisation in Katherine itself, that’s a voice for the region that’s not overpowered by Darwin.”
He says the body can keep running, amalgamate with Tourism Top End or become a sub branch tourism association.
The Government has defended the decision to change the way funding is distributed and the reduction of the four tourist association’s in the Territory to two.
A Government spokeswoman says under the changes, Katherine will have a tourism development officer, which will be based in the town, to develop and improve the local tourism industry.
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