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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2022-07-05 Daily Xml
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Indigenous Tourism

Mr HUGHES (Giles) (14:59): My question is to the Minister for Tourism. Can the minister provide an update to the house about Indigenous tourism experiences in South Australia?

The Hon. Z.L. BETTISON (Ramsay—Minister for Tourism, Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (14:59): I thank the member for his question and his continued interest in our exceptional offering of Aboriginal tourism experiences in South Australia. I am pleased to inform the house that we are seeing a surge in demand for new and authentic Aboriginal tourism experiences, from the Flinders Ranges through to the Fleurieu Peninsula. Operators have reported stronger than ever bookings as more visitors embrace learning about Aboriginal culture, creation of stories, songlines and connection to land.

As the country recognises NAIDOC Week, the South Australian Tourism Commission continues to work with tourism operators to further develop offerings and drive new markets to experience the world's oldest living culture. The SATC is continuing ongoing work on the Aboriginal Tourism Action Plan 2025, a framework that is being prepared and will be implemented to help grow, strengthen and diversify the sector. The SATC will work in consultation with Aboriginal-owned businesses and traditional owners to explore opportunities for the creation of new authentic Aboriginal experiences.

When we look back pre COVID, South Australia's Aboriginal tourism sector peaked at $275 million annually, with an average growth of 5 per cent. As the world and our state reopen and we are seeing more people travelling and exploring, we are very much focused on promoting and marketing our unique Aboriginal tourism offerings to our key domestic and international audiences. The Malinauskas Labor government has committed $45 million to the SATC's marketing budget, and we will be proudly spruiking this important sector of our industry in South Australia to complement the other unique offerings of our state.

As a state, we are fortunate that we have many outstanding operators who are delivering world-class tours and immersive experiences, but we know there is more work to be done. We need to develop more to identify new offerings and encourage the next wave of knowledge holders to share our state's rich history with visitors from interstate and around the world. This week, as we celebrate NAIDOC Week, the South Australian Tourism Commission will feature Aboriginal cultural experiences across its social channels and websites, as well as highlighting the state's top Aboriginal landmarks and experiences.

Mark Koolmatrie, founder of Kool Tours, has said that he is noticing a spike in demand for authentic Aboriginal tourism experiences. He is expanding his tour products, from two to offering five different tours across the Fleurieu and into Kangaroo Island shortly. He has told us that there is a huge market out there: people want to see Aboriginal culture and experiences firsthand and they want to break down the barriers, hear stories and understand country. During COVID, he saw people wanting to know more, 'The visitors are really engaged and ask lots of questions.' He said, 'They are pretty much seeing things for the first time and they like what they see.'

Ivy Campbell and her family have run guided tours on the River Murray near Nildottie for more than 30 years. She believes there's a growing market and Aboriginal tourism is on the rise. Like Mark, Ivy has seen an increased interest in cultural learning across the nation, and Ivy's family pride themselves on providing a safe and inclusive place where people can be genuinely curious and immerse themselves in culture.

Kristian Coulthard, the owner of Wadna, a tour company based in Blinman in the northern Flinders Ranges, said more visitors than ever were exploring South Australia's Aboriginal culture. He said, 'What we have in South Australia is an amazing opportunity, and we invite more people to understand and to share and to experience.'

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