NTL takes out national tourism award 

Image: NTL Director Jo McGill accepting the award

The Northern Territory Library (NTL) has won the Specialised Tourism Servicescategory in the 2012 Qantas Australian Tourism Awards, the peak-body awards for the national tourism industry. The award was recognition that, as part of the library’s core business, it enhances the visitor experience and contributes to the tourism industry as a whole.

NTL’s entry highlighted how the library inspires visitors to learn more about the Territory by showcasing aspects of the Territory’s people, history and culture, giving tourists a greater sense of place, which heightens their experience and increases their knowledge of the Territory.

NTL has been recognised by the tourism industry as an important facility for linking other cultural institutions and tourist attractions. The library’s free internet and information technology access was acknowledged as yet another service that supports the tourism industry, enabling tourists to search for and book local tours and accommodation.

NTL’s specialised knowledge and research services are also available to business, including tourism businesses, which might require scientific, environmental, historical or cultural content for their operations.

Business information and statistics in the library’s awards submission included:

• Approximately 91,000 tourists visited NTL in the qualifying period.
• NTL user surveys indicate that in 2011-12, 54.5% of customers had a tertiary-level education, which contributes to their understanding of library services.
• Based on the Tourism NT Quick Stats and NTL’s customer survey, it can be extrapolated that of the total number of tourists to the NT, approximately 13.6% of them visited NTL.
• NTL’s collection includes over 44,000 photographs, seven kilometres of books on shelves; and more than 237,000 items viewable on NTL’s website.
•  NTL has been in operation for over 30 years and is located inside one of the Territory’s iconic buildings, Parliament House.

The library’s contribution was also recently recognised in the Territory’s own tourism awards, the Brolgas, winning the Specialised Tourism Services category for 2012.