Queensland Government announces 2020 as the Year of Indigenous Tourism

Buoyed by the success of their 2019 Year of Outback Tourism campaign, the Queensland Government has declared 2020 the Year of Indigenous Tourism.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk notes that “our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have been proudly practicing and preserving their cultures by sharing it with the next generation for tens of thousands of years.

“In modern times, their culture and stories have been an integral part of our tourism industry, attracting people from all around the world to learn more about the world’s oldest cultures.

“During the last financial year almost half a million visitors to Queensland took part in First Nations experiences like visiting an Aboriginal gallery or festival, visiting an Aboriginal site or community or taking a tour with an Indigenous guide.

“More tourists than ever before want a cultural experience when they travel and Queensland is perfectly placed to capitalise on that demand.

Queensland Tourism Industry Development Minister Kate Jones said the 2019 Year of Outback Tourism campaign smashed records and she was excited for what’s in store in 2020.

“It’s been a whip-cracking year for outback tourism with more than one million tourists visiting the bush and spending a record $724 million in the last financial year.

“This was a dedicated campaign to encourage more visitors to the outback and to support our region’s doing it tough due to the long-running drought, and it worked.

“The Year of the Outback Tourism has been so successful, we are extending the initiative into 2020 with even more events being delivered to showcase our extraordinary outback destinations and support rural and remote communities.”

The Premier said despite it being a challenging year due to natural disasters, it was a record-breaking year for Queensland’s tourism industry advising “Queensland’s tourism sector is flourishing with a record 28 million tourists visiting the Sunshine State in the year to June 2019 and spending a record $24.8 billion.”

“We’re investing $180 million in new attractions, events, products and experiences and we have more than $14 billion in the pipeline including investment in our Great Barrier Reef islands.