Key Outcomes for Tourism
Session Seven
Livelihoods from Tourism: Who can help?
Andy Ralph dealt with the experience in Kakadu National Park and the setting up of the Indigenous tourism industry there. Initially only the big tour companies operated and local enterprise and local knowledge was not used. The realisation of the need for local knowledge and businesses came after 1979 with the Park's establishment.
Richard Austin provided some background about the Indigenous Tourism Development Unit in the Northern Territory Tourist Commission. The Northern Land Council worked with the Commission in a new partnership and provided advice about setting up and running tourism businesses to communities and individuals. The Commission assisted with applications for funding in conjunction with other bodies. Applications and requests for assistance in preparing funding applications were welcomed.
Angelic Franson spoke of her experience in Western Australia. The Western Australian Indigenous Tourist Operators Commission (WAITOC) was able to get all tourist operators together to find out what everyone was doing. There was more awareness of Indigenous tourism operators in Western Australia. The future looked good. Various initiatives and strategies were in place to promote and assist Indigenous operators.
Hank Horton discussed the function of Aboriginal Tourism Australia (ATA) and the current initiatives and assistance available, as well as how ATA helped him set up his own business in Tasmania.
Leigh Phillips from the Respect Our Culture (ROC) Program spoke about its capacity building, promotion and consumer education programs. ROC has an accreditation program.
Ian Hutton outlined the Charles Darwin University training programs. Training was 'not the end of the story, it's not the beginning either, just one little bit in a whole business development'. He highlighted the importance of identifying the right training and at the right time.
Joc Schmiechen emphasized the value that university research could have for the purposes of assisting communities and businesses in the tourist industry through providing and sharing knowledge and identifying further areas for research.
Aden Ridgeway covered the need for a comprehensive and coordinated national policy. He focussed on the pressures that Indigenous communities faced socially and in terms of representation and on some of the problems that youth are experiencing. 'With only 410 000 people on the ground and a 24-year gap in life expectancy between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians', he said that the pressure was considerable. A consistent national approach was needed for the development of cultural tourism, addressing issues such as authenticity. As part of his new role he spoke about what Indigenous Tourism Australia ought to be working on, including the possible creation of a national footprint for tourism setting the conditions for the role of government at all levels and the development of private partnerships. Some useful initiatives were already taking place.