Tourist attitudes and destination marketing-the case of Australia's Northern Territory and Malaysia

The marketing of tourism and hospitality product to any country or market segment is associated with the interest generated and/or attitude of buyers. So, why is it that despite proximity and availability of direct flights between Kuala Lumpur and Darwin (capital city of the Northern Territory of Australia) very few outbound West Malaysians visit Darwin? This paper draws upon the responses of 675 West Malaysians and attempts to highlight their attitude towards choosing the Northern Territory of Australia for a holiday. The findings show that West Malaysians enjoy mental relaxation and exploration while on holiday. They are mostly very family and relationship building oriented people as evidenced by the responses. The findings of the study also reveal their interest to visit Australia and the Northern Territory. Thus, it is concluded that structural factors may inhibit behaviours in spite of the existence of favourable intentions to visit.