Tourism NT enhances Aboriginal tourism opportunities along popular drive routes

Tourism NT looks to provide opportunities to develop new Aboriginal-led tourism experiences along two renowned self-drive routes: the Red Centre Way and the Explorers Way.

The Aboriginal Cultural Tourism Along Drive Routes project aims to engage communities through a series of workshops designed to inspire, educate, and support Aboriginal Territorians in developing tourism experiences and products.

Community workshops will commence in early 2025 to gain a deeper understanding of the tourism aspirations and gather ideas from Aboriginal people, communities, homelands and outstations about the tourism products and experiences they would like to develop in their region. Registrations to participate are now open.

The project seeks to:

• support Aboriginal Territorians, businesses, and organisations in establishing and developing Aboriginal cultural tourism experiences and product.

• foster the growth of sustainable, Aboriginal-owned tourism businesses that will contribute to increasing overnight visitor expenditure in the Northern Territory.

• enhance the capacity of Aboriginal Territorians, businesses, and organisations to develop strong tourism business cases.

• improve economic opportunities by creating new jobs and career pathways, enabling Aboriginal Territorians to stay on Country and earn an income by maintaining and sharing their culture and traditions; and

• drive broader economic benefits for the Northern Territory by fostering economic development in communities and increasing access to opportunities within the tourism industry.

Community workshops will be held in multiple locations along each drive route. Anyone interested in Aboriginal tourism along these routes is encouraged to register at nt-aboriginal-tourism.com.au

The findings from these workshops will capture community input, emerging business ideas, and key insights into the operational needs of these enterprises. The findings will lead to business planning and referrals to tailored support opportunities.

This initiative is led by the Northern Territory Government, with support from the Australian Government through the NT’s Strategic Indigenous Tourism Projects.

Image. Red Centre Way 4WD driving Credit: Tourism NT