Tourism On Country
All tourism is On Country. Traditional Owners can tell their stories to show guests how to connect to Country and show respect.
Why is Tourism important?
Tourism is different to Ranger work. Rangers mainly take care of Country, and tourism is mostly about taking care of People. Being a Tour Guide means talking to people and taking responsibility for a group of strangers. It is a great opportunity for many Indigenous Land and Sea Rangers to expand their skills and career.
In Queensland, tourism is not far way. We live in an amazing natural environment with the world’s oldest living cultures. People want to visit and understand us. We will have the Olympics in 2032, so the world is looking at us.
Australians love to visit Queensland and they are exploring across the State. Europeans, Americans and Asian people want to know more about the real Australia. Tourism takes many people across the planet. It is massive, generating around $15 trillion dollars every year, around 10% of all the business in the world. Tourists bring important income for many communities. Tourism pays taxes to governments and is responsible for the building of hotels, airports, roads, ports and many airplanes, ships and vehicles. It is big business in many places!
Tourism employs around 1 in 10 people in the world, millions of specialists who build careers in many different roles, transporting, feeding and caring for guests, as well as planning and booking their holidays and promoting the many destinations guests can choose from. It relies on people’s skills and knowledge, and their passion about their own region. Anyone can join this team. There is training and support. Being a Tour Guide is a great step to build skills, like talking to groups and taking the lead.
Tourism is also important for conserving nature and culture. Governments create National Parks, World Heritage Areas or Heritage Sites that are then funded by visitors coming and spending their money. Local businesses start to take advantage of these opportunities. Tours in many places keep local crafts and languages alive.
Tourism involving Indigenous Land and Sea Rangers is true Ecotourism, nature-based tourism that supports conservation and educates guests about Country. It can create rewarding careers for Rangers, build strong Indigenous businesses and showcase unique local cultures to the world.
What will we share?
It is important that Tour Guides observe Cultural Protocols and share the right information. Your Elders will check the tour content to make sure it is safe to share.
Guests want to understand Country and how people lived in your place in the past and present. Bush tucker, special species of plants and animals and their stories, preparing food and reading the seasons are popular topics.
Your Cultural Stories can feature in a tour. Perhaps you have a story about the creation of a place, a Dreamtime legend that teaches a lesson or the seasonal movement of people in traditional times. Can you talk about family relationships, artefacts or artwork? Guests want to hear your Truth Telling as a part of reconciliation. How can you teach guests a few language words to connect them to your culture?
Guest Expectations
When guests arrive, they have often been looking forward to visiting you for a long time. They have planned their travel, saved their money and organised a big trip where you are a feature. They are relying on you for a great experience.
Your skills, knowledge and positive attitude are all critical to success. You might not have all of the pieces together when you first work with visitors, but your smile, genuine welcome and effort to look after your guests will always win the day. Just like a musician or actor going on stage, Tour Guides take a deep breath and put on their best face to meet their guests so that everyone has a fun time. Great Tour Guides are continually improving, looking for more stories and ways to involve guests in the local world.
Success Stories
All over Australia, First Nations people are proudly sharing their stories and culture to educate and entertain guests. Women and men, old and young, in every landscape. Many have made it their life’s work and delivered unforgettable experiences to thousands of guests.
See how Australia promotes its First Nations tourism experiences on this webpage and watch the video: https://www.australia.com/en/things-to-do/aboriginal-australia/discover-aboriginal-experiences.html