Panic has erupted in Australia after a curfew was put in place to try and halt a violent crimewave engulfing the country.
Tourist numbers are rapidly dwindling in Australia’s vast Northern Territory which is home to Uluru, one of Australia’s most recognisable natural landmarks.
Tourists have been flocking to this once popular destination since the 1930s but thanks to a rising crime epidemic in Alice Springs, a remote town that serves as a base for visitors to outback attractions, tourists seemingly seem to be scared off.
And now booking tours alongside tour and rental companies are seeing a dramatic fall in business .
Ben Hall, CEO of tour bus operator AAT Kings told Al Jazeera: “We’ve certainly seen the trips from Alice Springs to Uluru have been a little bit softer,” Hall, who operates a fleet of about 30 buses focusing on tours to Uluru, told Al Jazeera.
“We’ve added a couple of new short break itineraries for this year into the region…but certainly it’s been tough trading.”
In the past two years, youth crime in Alice Springs has captured national media attention.
In March, and again in July, the Northern Territory government implemented curfews banning minors from the town centre at night following a series of violent attacks.
The rise in violence has largely been put down to the Northern Territory government ending a 15-year alcohol ban in remote Aboriginal communities in late 2022.
After the alcohol ban was lifted, a series of violent incidents, including youths attacking police cars with local police even warning residents to avoid visiting the town centre.
In the year ending November 2023, violent offences by youths rose to 1,182, a 50% rise compared to 2019-20, according to the Northern Territory’s Department of the Attorney-General and Justice.
However, Jared Sharp, a legal officer for the non-profit, said in a press release that while the public perceives a rise in youth crime in the Northern Territory, “youth justice court lodgements territory-wide have fallen for three years running”.
