KLC News Update, March 2009
Kimberley Traditional Owners transformed from potential tourism operators into tourists as part of an information gathering field trip to experience all Australia has to offer.
First stop on the fact-finding mission was the hinterland of Townsville, where Traditional Owners explored the opportunities of eco tourism and renewable energy. They investigated what made these ventures successful and how similar tourism operations could be applied to the Kimberley.
Traditional Owners were also shown how to link environmental practices and renewable energy with tourism while they learned about how to operate a business with solar power and how to reduce power use.
A guided tour through one of Townsville’s spectacular rainforests took Traditional Owners on a journey through the hinterland to discover the amazing flora and fauna.
But a field-trip is never complete without a visit to tourism hot-spot Uluru. At Uluru National Park Traditional Owners were shown ways to manage and look after country in high visitation areas. They were shown innovative ways to effectively communicate with tourists about areas where they could and could not go, along with methods of protecting special sites by keeping visitors on designated walking trails.
Traditional Owners also took part in the award-winning Kuniya Sunset Tour, to see how the venture had catered to various markets and people with differing nationalities by using an interpreter to accommodate the growing Asian tourism market. The operator also showcased how Aboriginal people could be successful in tourism through using a mix of Indigenous cultural knowledge with a western tourism business model.
The tourism fact-finding field trip was aimed at providing exposure to Indigenous tourism products from across Australia, while participants experienced the various levels of accommodation that could be offered as part of tourism products. The trip also showcased differing business models and partnership agreements which allowed for the sharing of knowledge between Traditional Owners and Indigenous and non-Indigenous tourism operators.
