New First Nations tourism statistics revealed for Far North Qld

New statistics have revealed Australian holiday travellers experiencing Indigenous tourism are spending almost three times more than they once did in Tropical North Queensland.

Jarramali Rock Art Tours is an intimate Indigenous cultural experience at Laura. Picture: Supplied

Australian holiday travellers experiencing Indigenous tourism activities in Tropical North Queensland are spending almost three times more than they did before the pandemic and staying longer in the destination.

Tourism Tropical North Queensland Chief Executive Officer Mark Olsen said a deep dive into the National Visitor Survey for 2022-23 showed $315m was spent by holidaying Australians who participated in an Indigenous experience, accounting for 12.5 per cent of the region’s $2.5bn domestic holiday expenditure.

Dancers from Yarrabah at the Laura Quinkan Dance Festival. Picture: Bronwyn Farr

“While just 4.5 per cent of holiday makers participated in an Indigenous experience, this figure increases to 6.3 per cent of holiday nights suggesting that the people enjoying Indigenous experiences are staying longer and spending more in the region,” he said. “Tropical North Queensland has become the No. 1 regional area for participation in Indigenous experiences by Australian travellers, with only the cities of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth outstripping our destination’s participation rate.”

Tropical North Queensland Indigenous Experiences Cluster Group Chair Dale Mundraby said there had been solid progress in elevating the profile and quantity of First Nations product for visitors since the Tropical North Queensland First Nations Tourism Plan was launched in May by Tourism Minister Stirling Hinchliffe.

Visitors undertake a Jarramali Rock Art Tour near Laura.

Mr Mundraby said there was a record 38 operators participating in the region’s Deeper into Dreaming brochure promoting First Nations cultural experiences.

“There are 32 Tropical North Queensland products in the Australian Tourism Data Warehouse which feeds their information through to key websites including Tourism Australia and Tourism and Events Queensland’s destination websites,” he said.

“This exceeds the target of 30 set for 2032 and the fact that 12 were added over the past year speaks volumes of the work by the region’s Indigenous tourism operators to connect visitors to the country and culture of First Nations people.

“There are now nine operators working with inbound wholesalers to market and sell their product and 12 experiences that can be booked online which will help grow the number of international visitors participating as they return to our region.”

Originally published as New First Nations tourism statistics revealed for Far North Qld