What are the opportunities for regional tourism in 2023?

Tilma Group’s Director, Linda Tillman, attended Queensland’s tourism industry forum and shares her key takeaways.

It’s the perfect time to consider how to develop and grow exceptional Indigenous tourism businesses with Australia’s national tourism strategy, THRIVE 2030, prioritising the respectful embedding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and cultures into the visitor economy through initial partnerships and ongoing inclusion, and the opportunity of growing unique and high-quality products, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander experiences.

As a way for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games to meaningfully include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, they has done something no other major sporting event in the world has done: develop a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) to leave a lasting and meaningful legacy for Indigenous Australians beyond the traditional inclusion of culture in Opening Ceremonies.

Regional Australia is rich in Indigenous culture. People travel from across the world to see prehistoric paintings in a cave in France, which we also have here in Australia, together with the living cultural descendents!

If we can get it right, there is an opportunity for regional destinations to create rich, authentic, engaging experiences for visitors.