Ayers Rock Resort Enjoys Continued Success in 2015

Ayers Rock Resort

The spiritual heart of Australia continues to go from strength to strength with a range of new experiences, renovations and accolades that have contributed to a resurgence in popularity for the destination.

“International and domestic guests are taking advantage of increased air access, improved facilities and an engaging range of activities, in addition to the majestic presence of Uluru,” said Voyages Chief Executive Officer Andrew Williams.

“Over the last three years, occupancy has grown from an average across the resort of around 50% in 2012 to around 75% in 2015, which is a fantastic achievement,” said Andrew.

Core to Voyages vision is excellence in Indigenous Tourism, making it especially pleasing this year to be awarded the top honor in Australia, the Australian Tourism Award for Indigenous Tourism. The award recognizes not only the creation and delivery of a daily suite of guest activities but also the significant achievements made in Indigenous employment, training and development.

Tourism Australia Managing Director John O'Sullivan said that Ayers Rock Resort was richly deserving of its award, having developed a quality tourism product which provided visitors with genuine Indigenous experiences delivered by Aboriginal Australians.

“I'm a firm believer in getting out of things what you put in and, for me, Ayers Rock Resort is an outstanding example of Indigenous tourism at its best.

“The commitment shown by the Voyages team at Uluru to Indigenous employment and training is commendable, as is the willingness they've shown to continually invest in improving their tourism product,” said John.

A new Bush Tucker Trail has been launched throughout the Resort leading guests on a discovery of tastes that have featured in cooking for thousands of years, each restaurant menu features at least one menu item using Indigenous flavours as a star ingredient.

Following on from the rejuvenation of the Sails in the Desert Hotel, Emu Walk Apartments has been elevated to a new level of sophistication this year following a complete renovation opened in April 2015. The property is popular with a range of guests – families, couples travelling together and longer stay guests seeking a self-catering option.

Ayers Rock Resort's major events program continues to grow in popularity, proving to be a successful draw card and offers guests a further element to their stay. The annual program features the Tjungu Festival showcasing Indigenous excellence in fields as diverse as fashion, sport, food and art. Other events include the Uluru Camel Cup in May, the Australian Outback Marathon in July and the Uluru Astronomy weekend in August. Each year there are also two 'special' events, in June this year HH the Dalai Lama visited Ayers Rock Resort and in October the Australian Chamber Orchestra will present a series of concerts over two days. A major art installation is planned for 2016 with details to follow in the coming months.