The Australian Indigenous Tourism Conference 2018

From Little Things, Big Things Grow

Growing Australia’s Indigenous Tourism Sector. Gail Parsonage, President IIPT Australia, represented the International Institute for Peace through Tourism at the AITC recently held in Lorne, (Victoria) at one of the most significant tourist destinations along the southern continent of Australia.

The AITC 2018 was hosted on Eastern Maar country and home of the Gadubanud people has been a great success with 220 delegates attending the Conference in the setting provided by one of Australia’s most iconic visitor settings, the Great Ocean Road. Delegates have attended from throughout Australia, with international guests from New Zealand and Europe.

The delivery of the Australian Indigenous Tourism Conference (AITC) by the Western Australian Indigenous Tourism Operators Council (WAITOC) has seeded many Indigenous entrepreneurs across Australia, over its 18-year history.

Johnny Edmonds, Director WINTA said “Australia deserves to be recognised as one of the group of countries demonstrating leadership in the empowerment of Indigenous peoples through tourism. The Australian States of Western Australia and Victoria are taking collaborative initiatives with Indigenous communities which are setting the benchmarks for other States in Australia. These collaborative initiatives also have the potential to serve as important learning opportunities for other countries at the next World Indigenous Tourism Summit 2020 in Perth Western Australia”.

Jamie Lowe, CEO, Eastern Maar Aboriginal Corporation, said in his opening welcome that “Tourism contributes strongly to economic development, employment, improved wellbeing and social cohesion between Aboriginal people and the broader Australian community and the international communities”.

Left to right: Doc Reynolds, Chair Western Australian Indigenous Tourism Operators Council , Gail Parsonage, President IIPT Australia, Johnny Edmonds, Executive Director, World Indigenous Tourism Alliance

More info at: www.aitc.org.au