Tour guide Joanne Mundraby was supportive of a stand-alone national tourism body to support Indigenous tourism operators.A recent tourism report has recommended the creation of a new Indigenous tourism body in Australia to help support current and budding operators.What's next?
"We wanted to provide an authentic experience that goes beyond the typical tourist offerings," Mr Mundraby said.He now employs 22 people – many from Yarrabah — and welcomes more than 5,000 guests each year., which helps to develop Aboriginal tourism experiences in the state and encourages more First Nations people to work in the industry.
He said while Tourism Australia had programs in place to support Indigenous tourism, many businesses were not at a level to be marketed through the national body. University of Queensland tourism expert Lisa Ruhanen said she was pleased there was growing recognition of the cultural and economic importance of Indigenous tourism.
Joanne Mundraby, who works as a lead tour guide said her work went beyond offering a tourism service. "We have a lot of different tribes and nations within Australia and they are all very different, so having a national body that could bring all those experiences together would be great not just for our country, but the rest of the world," she said.