NSW Indigenous Tourism Champions Lead the Way

• NSW shines the spotlight on Indigenous tourism in the lead up to NAIDOC Week

NSW Indigenous tourism businesses lead the way in Aboriginal tourism in Australia, providing more visitors with an authentic Indigenous experience than any other state in Australia.

Last year Australia welcomed 3.4 million international and domestic visitors that participated in an Aboriginal tourism experience and of these NSW received the lions share, 1.4 million visitors year ending December 2014. 

According to Destination NSW CEO, Sandra Chipchase, “With one in five International visitors to NSW likely to engage in an Aboriginal tourism experience at some point during their stay, we know that visitors want to experience and understand NSW's significant Indigenous heritage first hand. This is why Destination NSW launched the Aboriginal Tourism Action Plan to provide support for and to grow Aboriginal experiences in the state.

“NSW has the largest Aboriginal population in Australia and is home to some of the highest concentrations of Indigenous engraving sites and rock art in Australia,” said Ms Chipchase.

NSW currently has 16 Indigenous Tourism Champions that are leading the way in immersive cultural experiences in the tourism sector.

The Indigenous Tourism Champions Program (ITCP) is a collaborative national program instigated by Tourism Australia and Indigenous Business Australia with significant involvement and support from the State and Territory Tourism Organisations.

According to Ms Chipchase, “The NSW Indigenous Tourism Champions are providing exciting and immersive tourism experiences that allow visitors to participate, learn about the local people, experience the culture and art, and visit Indigenous sites.

“These leaders in Indigenous tourism are spread across NSW and offer very unique experiences, be it quad biking to heritage site on the North Coast, attending art and craft markets and workshops on Sydney's southern beaches, sampling bush tucker in the Royal Botanic Gardens or having a full day cultural immersion tour of Mungo National Park in Outback NSW.”

Here is a snapshot of some of leaders in Aboriginal tourism in NSW:

• Harry Nanya Tours – Learn about the Aboriginal significant of Mungo National Park in Outback NSW in a full day cultural immersion tour that visits the restricted Walls of China. 
• Aboriginal Blue Mountains Walkabout – Focusing on Dreamtime, this full day cultural immersion walkabout tour in the Blue Mountains visiting sacred art and ceremonial sites. 
• Dreamtime Southern X The Rocks Dreaming – Is a 1.5 hour walking tour through The Rocks and around Sydney Harbour that delves in the history of Aboriginal Sydney, past and present. 
• Sand Dune Adventures – This is where fun meets history, on a two-hour quad bike tour of Stockton Sand Dune that visit heritage sites and touches on bush tucker. 
• Royal Botanic Gardens Aboriginal Heritage Tour – Located in the heart of Sydney is a two-hour bush tucker tour of Sydney's stunning Royal Botanic Gardens. 
• Taronga Zoo Nura Diya – Journey through Taronga Zoo and hear stories of Australia fauna and flora through the perspective of an Aboriginal guide. 
• Tri State Safaris Mutawintji Eco Tours – Experience a full day immersion tour in the closed access site of Mutawintji National Park discovering the areas significant rock art and engraving sites. 
• Waradah Aboriginal Centre– A contemporary Aboriginal Cultural Centre at Echo Point, in the Blue Mountains, providing dance performance. 
• First Hand Aboriginal Markets and Workshops – Once a month on Bare Island are Aboriginal art and craft markets that also offer workshops, such as speak making, learn to cook bush tucker and shell art. 
• Tribal Warrior – A Sydney Harbour cruise that provides heritage and cultural interpretation on Sydney Harbour. 
• Australian Museum Indigenous tour – Join a 1.5 hour guided tour of the Aboriginal exhibition and be entertained with Indigenous music and dance. 
• Ngaran Ngaran Cultural Awareness – A full weekend experience on the South Coast be entertained with dance and dreaming stories, as well as a bushwalk focusing on cultural practices and significant sites. 

Share your favourite Indigenous tour or cultural site with Destination NSW @sydney_sider and #ILoveSydney

For more information go to visitnsw.com