The field is narrowing in the race to purchase the Voyages-run Ayers Rock Resort at Uluru, with Journey Beyond and the Airport Development Group (ADG) reportedly now the leading contenders to make the successful bid.
According to a report in The Australian, the well-known operator of iconic tourism brands such as The Ghan and Outback Spirit, Journey Beyond, is one of two in the box seat to acquire the famous Uluru resort, alongside NT-based infrastructure holding company ADG.
While Journey Beyond declined to comment when contacted by travelBulletin, its suggested opponent in the bidding war presented its Australian credentials as one the primary reasons it should be considered to be the new owner.
“ADG is an Australian-owned and operated business with a longstanding commitment to First Nations engagement through Indigenous participation, employment, tourism enhancement, and creating meaningful cultural engagement opportunities,” a spokesperson for the group told TB.
“ADG owns and manages diverse infrastructure assets across the Northern Territory including airports, resorts, utilities, and commercial property.
“We recognise that Ayers Rock Resort and airport is a unique and treasured Australian asset, and strongly believe that such an iconic destination should remain in Australian hands.
“As a proud Australian company, ADG represents the investments of everyday Australians, through superannuation contributions, and would embrace the responsibility of safeguarding this culturally significant and iconic part of Australia’s heritage.”
The comments could be construed as a not-so-subtle swipe at Journey Beyond, which although runs as an independent company in Australia, is still backed by NY-based equity firm Crestview Partners.
The owners of the resort and its operator Voyages, the Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation (ILSC), was tight-lipped about which companies are leading the pack for the purchase, however a spokesperson told TB that it is continuing to engage with a number of parties as part of the ongoing sale process for the operational assets of its subsidiary, Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia Pty Ltd, which also includes the Mossman Gorge Cultural Centre.
“We are not able to comment further on the status of the process other than to emphasise that the ILSC’s primary objective remains to fulfil its statutory obligations of returning land to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and in doing so, create benefit for Traditional Owners at both Yulara and Mossman Gorge, as well as Indigenous people at local, regional, and national levels,” the ILSC said.
The ILSC engaged law firm Gilbert+Tobin and Greenhill to assess a sale about nine months ago, and was bought by the organisation in 2011 for $300 million from GPT Group, which saw Voyages take charge of operations.
