The inaugural participants have been announced for a landmark business coaching initiative designed to boost WA’s Aboriginal tourism experiences.
Seventeen Aboriginal tourism businesses will receive business advice and mentoring for more than three years as part of the State Government’s $4.6 million Aboriginal Tourism Development Program (ATDP) 2015-2018, made possible by the Royalties for Regions program.
The ATDP is aiming to increase the number of high-quality and authentic Aboriginal experiences available to visitors to WA through a two-fold approach: business development and a Statewide marketing strategy.
The development component has reached a significant milestone with 10 tourism businesses from the Kimberley and seven from WA’s broader southern regions chosen to work one-on-one with tourism business experts to fine-tune their products and operations.
The “coaches” will take a fresh look at each operator’s compliance, finances, staffing, systems, accreditation, product offering and delivery. They will then work with the business to implement an annual action plan of initiatives to help achieve tourism accreditation and success.
The participating businesses are:
Kimberley
• Narlijia Cultural Tours (West Kimberley, Broome – walking tours)
• Bundy’s Cultural Tours (West Kimberley, Dampier Peninsula – walking tours from Kooljaman Resort)
• Wandjina Tours (Remote coastal Kimberley, Freshwater Cove – tours/accommodation)
• My Country Tours (West Kimberley – tours operating from Eco Beach Resort)
• Bungoolee Tours (Central Kimberley, Tunnel Creek National Park – tours)
• Imintji Aboriginal Corporation (Central Kimberley, western end of Gibb River Road, new campground being constructed from the CCAP Royalties for Regions grant program)
• Baulu-Wah Aboriginal Corporation (East Kimberley, Violet Valley. Baulu-Wah community ex Warmun – progressing campground development)
• Luridgii Enterprises (East Kimberley, Glen Hill Station near Argyle diamond mine)
• Waringarri Aboriginal Arts (East Kimberley, Kununurra)
• Mimbi Aboriginal Corporation (Central Kimberley, Great Northern Highway – new campground being constructed from the CCAP Royalties for Regions grant program)
Broader southern regions
• Ngalang Wongi Aboriginal Cultural Tours (Bunbury – tour)
• Cape Cultural Tours (Dunsborough – tour)
• Roelands Village (Collie – accommodation/food)
• Poornarti Aboriginal Tours (Denmark/Albany – tour)
• Murray Districts Aboriginal Corporation (Pinjarra – cultural centre/food)
• Njaki Njaki Aboriginal Cultural Tours (Merredin – tour)
• Nyoongah Rangers Tours (Narrogin – tour)
Aboriginal experiences have been identified as a major potential growth area within WA’s tourism portfolio, and a key part of the State Government’s strategy to raise the profile of regional tourism and increase visitor spend from $3.8 billion in regional WA last year to $4.75 billion by 2020.
Tourism WA research shows only one in five visitors in WA participated in an Aboriginal tourism activity while on holiday in 2014-15, but many more – almost three-quarters – said they would be interested if these activities were more readily accessible.
The ATDP aims to respond to this unmet demand and help provide every visitor the opportunity to enjoy an authentic and uniquely local Aboriginal experience during their stay.
Source:- Tourism Western Australia
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