NSW tourism initiative to grow Indigenous businesses

NSW Tourism has partnered with Indigenous operators to provide mentoring and support to grow their businesses.

The NSW Aboriginal Tourism Operators Council (NATOC) is the voice of Aboriginal owned tourism in the State.

The partnership aims to build relationships, connect on Country, and provide aspiring Aboriginal tourism operators with a greater understanding of the visitor economy and access to services to further develop their visitor experiences.

The agreement will provide 30 Aboriginal tourism businesses with online and one-on-one training sessions, networking opportunities, the opportunity to take part in the Destination NSW media familiarisation program and access to a one-day business development workshop.

In the year ending September 2024, a record 814,300 international and domestic overnight visitors participated in an Aboriginal tourism experience.

These visitors stayed 20.7 million nights and contributed $3.1 billion in expenditure across their whole trip.

The Aboriginal Experience Development Pathway 2025 is open to eligible businesses in more than 50 local government areas across the State.

“As a lead body for Aboriginal tourism in NSW, NATOC is proud to be collaborating with Destination NSW on the Aboriginal Experience Development Pathway 2025,” NATOC chair Dwayne Bannon-Harrison said.

Destination NSW Acting CEO Karen Jones said Destination NSW was proud to have a long-standing partnership with NATOC.

“Aboriginal tourism is a powerful driver of visitor economy growth, creating jobs, supporting regional communities, and offering domestic and international visitors an authentic connection to the world’s oldest living culture,” she said.

“By continuing to strengthen these partnerships, we are ensuring Aboriginal tourism thrives, delivering lasting cultural and economic benefits for Aboriginal communities and NSW as a whole.”

WHO CAN APPLY?

The Aboriginal Experience Development Pathway will suit aspiring and operating Aboriginal-owned or –led tourism businesses, including accommodation providers, tour and activity providers, and visitor attractions including museums, galleries, wineries, distilleries, breweries and farm gates.

WHAT IS INCLUDED?

The Pathway includes the following for each participating business:

Introduction session led by Destination NSW and NATOC.

A one-on-one meeting at their business or on Country.

Invitation to take part in an Aboriginal experience familarisation with an existing NSW Aboriginal experience provider. Familiarisations must take place before 30 June 2025.

A familiarisation (famil) is a visit to allow people to understand your product by experiencing it firsthand, to improve their product knowledge and help them promote or sell your product. In this instance participants will be undertaking another Aboriginal experience to learn from them and expand their knowledge on what is a great Aboriginal visitor experience.

Attendees will be responsible for their own flights, transfers, accommodation, meals, insurance and other costs associated with to and from their chosen Aboriginal experience familiarisation.

HOW TO APPLY

Registration deadlines and one-on-one meeting dates:

Destination Sydney Surrounds South NSW: 10-12 March 2025 (Application deadline: 5pm AEST, 1 March 2025)

Destination Riverina Murray NSW: 14-16 April 2025 (Application deadline: 5pm AEST, 5 April 2025)

Destination Country and Outback NSW: 12-14 May 2025 (Application deadline: 5pm AEST, 2 May 2025)

Apply here: https://industrynsw.my.site.com/destinationnsw/s/lt-event?id=a5ROa0000007L69MAE