Expanding, supporting and promoting Aboriginal cultural tourism
A $20 million tourism fund and action plan recently announced by the State Government aims to make WA the nation’s premier destination for aboriginal cultural experiences.
According to Visitor Experience and Expectations Research 2019/20, 81 per cent of visitors to WA wanted an Aboriginal tourism experience but only 17 percent accessed one.
The Tjina: Western Australian Aboriginal Tourism Action Plan 2021-2025 was developed by Tourism Western Australia and other government agencies with the Western Australian Indigenous Tourism Operators Council and the Aboriginal tourism industry.
The four-year plan will support a range of initiatives including:
- development of new Aboriginal tourism experiences
- encouraging more Aboriginal people to work in the tourism industry
- development of administration and booking systems to support Aboriginal tourism businesses
- up to three new Camping with Custodian campgrounds
- an increase in tourism experiences on the Dampier Peninsula, following last year’s sealing of the Cape Leveque Road.
The term ‘Tjina’ is recognised across multiple Aboriginal languages, meaning ‘discoveries by foot’ – discovery of our future, our pathways and our potential.
