An Alice Springs tour operator is calling for action after one of his buses was the target of rock throwing while transporting visiting students.

Reg Ramsden, owner of Remote Educational tours, said two coaches and a mini bus travelling in convoy were heading to the airport when the incident occurred. 

Mr Ramsden was at the end of an eight-day tour with 110 Melbourne-based school students when the rock hit the top of the windscreen of one of the vehicles, causing around $1,000 worth of damage.

"It scared the living daylights out of the students," he said.

"The teacher in front, who's the head teacher, was very upset about the incident having been coming here for 20 years."

Mr Ramsden said that there needs to be some accountability.

"We should be just focusing on the school kids getting home safely after a wonderful trip in Central Australia."

Help needed

Mr Ramsden said incidences like this could have wide-ranging ramifications for a tourism industry struggling in a tough economic landscape.

"There's a chance I'll lose business," he said.

"It's about $100,000 contract and I'm a small business."

Mr Ramsden said that schools had been expressing concern about the safety of their students and staff.

"I'm hearing from schools, 'should we come up?'" he said.

Mr Ramsden is calling on all tiers of government to assist the region with positive tourism campaigns to reassure the travelling public.

"Tourism is not doing too well in Central Australia," the tour operator said.

Mr Ramsden said that he has had several cancellations adding up to $70,000.

"I've had two school groups pull out because of the violence in Central Australia," he said.

"There's no compensation for me."

Great concern

The CEO of Tourism Central Australia, Danial Rochford, said crime issues plaguing the region were of great concern and that his peak body continues to advocate for crime prevention strategies. 

"We've been very loud advocates around the importance of government working together to try and overcome many of our issues," he said.

"This instance only just reinforces the importance for us to make sure that government can keep their finger on action."

However, Mr Rochford said he was hopeful that the region had seen the back of more difficult times.

"We've said loud and hard that [we need] prevention and support for our young kids, in particular," he said.

He said he hoped that the "funding received from the federal and territory governments over the last few months had been pointed in that direction".

Mr Rochford said the education market was vital to the region.

Tourism investment

Minister for Tourism and Hospitality Nicole Manison said in a statement that there were other factors aside from crime affecting the local tourism industry.

She said they included interest rate rises, cost of living pressures, and Australians choosing to holiday overseas. 

"That's why in March we announced a $1 million dedicated Red Centre brand and trade campaign to drive interstate visitation, which is in market now," she said.

"We also put $500,000 into a business events marketing program to showcase Central Australia, and doubled the Save and Learn voucher program to encourage school groups to visit."

Ms Manison said there was now a total of $28.6 million allocated for domestic and international tourism marketing, including continuing international marketing by Study NT and NT Business Events.