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WHAT A RIPPER: Tourism NT offers to save Christmas in Adelaide

Tourism NT is an unconventional bunch, especially when you consider their latest plan. They want to "deck the halls with thongs and holly" and save Adelaide's annual Christmas pageant after South Australia's four credit unions refused to extend their naming-rights deal for the treasured event.

Tourism NT is an unconventional bunch, especially when you consider their latest plan. They want to “deck the halls with thongs and holly” and save Adelaide’s annual Christmas pageant after South Australia’s four credit unions refused to extend their naming-rights deal for the treasured event.

In a bold move, Tourism NT has cast their Christmas cap into the ring in a bid to secure major naming rights of South Australia’s Christmas Pageant.

The pageant, held every November, has a long history in Adelaide. It started way back in 1933 and boasts a parade featuring more than 60 floats, 15 bands, plus hundreds of clowns, dancers and walking performers through the streets of Adelaide.

With the pageant’s tinsel in a tangle and its future in the balance Tourism NT reckons it can save it.

Tourism NT’s Deputy CEO Andrew Hopper and the Tourism NT team described the decision to bid for naming rights as “a no-brainer”.

“We do things BIG in the Territory”

Tourism NT’s Deputy CEO Andrew Hopper.

“So it makes absolute sense to take on the naming rights for one of the largest parades of its kind in the southern hemisphere and the only one that rivals New York’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in magnitude.”

Tourism NT said if they won the rights, the parade’s traditional horsey stars, Nimble and Nipper, would be replaced with camels, Katherine and Alice and all Christmas trees will be made out of double pluggers.

Hopper said the department had a big reputation for innovative marketing campaigns and had jumped at the chance to rescue the pageant and, in doing so, make Christmas merrier than ever for their South Australian counterparts.

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“Old tourism rivalries will be cast aside as we swoop in to save Christmas”, he said.

“After all South Australians and Northern Territorians have so much in common and we share more than just a state border.”

“Both regions are fiercely family-oriented, love the silly season, and share both an outback heritage and a proud indigenous culture. We both have a great love of AFL and of course, we are physically linked by one of the world’s greatest train journeys – The Ghan.

But what does South Australia think of all this? According to The Advertiser, they’re not as thankful as one might think.

The SA Tourism Minister David Ridgway said he was “very confident” the pageant would have a quality sponsor for the 2019 event – but it won’t be Tourism NT. Ouch!

 

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What do you think of Tourism NT’s move? Let us know below.