Tourism NT chief to depart

Uluru, AUSTRALIA - July 4, 2015: Uluru at Sunset

Northern Territory Department of Tourism, Sport and Culture CEO Simmone Shepherd has announced her resignation from the role.

Simmone Shepherd

Shepherd has held Tourism NT’s head position since June 2018. Prior to that, she worked in a number of other senior industry roles with organisations including Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism, Destination NSW, Australian Capital Tourism, and the Canadian Tourism Commission.

Commenting on her impending departure, Shepherd said: “It has been an absolute pleasure to lead the department during a period of significant growth for tourism, with an unprecedented investment from the Northern Territory government aimed at increasing holiday visitors.

“The Tourism 2030 strategy provides a solid road map to the future, and already the team has shown our ability to adapt activities under the plan to respond to unforeseen market shocks that are sometimes a feature of the tourism operating environment.

“The year ahead will be a challenge as the impacts of both the Australian Bushfires and COVID-19 continue to be felt. However, Tourism NT was able to quickly develop the $2 million Tourism Resilience Plan as a positive step towards helping local industry in the first instance, and we will continue to adapt as market conditions evolve.

“The relationships that have been built between the department, Tourism Top End, Tourism Central Australia and all of our individual industry partners will be key to supporting the sector through this period and in leading the recovery efforts.”

The NT government department’s deputy CEO for tourism and events, Andrew Hopper, will replace Shepherd as acting chief executive when she vacates the role on 20 March until a permanent replacement is appointed.

Featured image: iStock/FiledIMAGE

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