THE Federal Government is being urged to establish a dedicated tourism body to represent the needs of Indigenous businesses and communities, as part of several recommendations to bolster the country’s visitor economy.
In the Are we there yet?: From recovery to resilience report, the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs said the purpose of the new body should be responsible for preparing a National First Nations Visitor Economy Strategy with recommendations to government and industry on the short-, medium- and long-term actions to build a stronger and sustainable First Nations tourism sector.
The body should also work towards enabling First Nations peoples to gain real financial benefit from sharing their cultural knowledge in the tourism sector, along with developing and implementing programs that educate non-First Nations tourism operators on how to engage and ethically partner with First Nations people in their local communities.
According to the Committee, the body should be informed by the strategies and successful activities of the Western Australian Indigenous Tourism Operators Council (WAITOC), particularly its approach to community engagement, business capability development, and fostering employment opportunities for First Nations people.
Another key recommendation laid out in the report is the establishment of a First Nations advisory panel, which should include at least one or more First Nations people, to advise Tourism Australia on marketing strategies and campaigns.
Additionally, the Committee has encouraged the Australian Government to continue implementing grant programs that support First Nations tourism businesses to design and deliver authentic, culturally appropriate experiences.
The committee also wants to see an enhanced regional dispersal strategy rolled out to include a greater number of regions, and a new set of expectations for Tourism Australia to give more clarity to its role in the context of tourism recovery.
“While we’re starting to see encouraging signs that the sector is recovering, it is clear the recovery has been patchy and that issues remain,” said Chair of the Trade Subcommittee, Senator Deborah O’Neill. “This report makes a number of recommendations to strengthen the visitor economy and make it more resilient to…shocks.”
