Aboriginal Tourism’s Time Has Come

There’s little disagreement that Aboriginal tourism offers up the chance to share a culture worth knowing. And there’s increasingly a hunger on the part of tourists to experience it.

Vanderwyk, an Aboriginal of the Ngarrindjeri Nation in South Australia, facilitated at the UN’s 2007 Global Ecotourism Conference. She believes that Aboriginal tourism is on the cusp. Centuries of discrimination, oppression and attempts at eradication failed to eliminate not only the people but, according to her, “Aboriginal people’s cultural knowledge belonging to ‘country’ and the connection to each other…” In other words, the Aboriginals have something we don’t, that we increasingly view as valuable…and they’re willing to share it.

Of course, the prime motivation on the part of Aboriginal communities is “born of economic necessity,” says Vanderwyk. Tourism offers at least the chance to create an economic model that builds on existing supply (knowledge, culture…) and growing demand.

But economics can be a huge hurdle, says Rick McLeod Farley, a consultant in Canada to many tribal councils working to create tourism projects. “The challenge is to develop a product that is culturally intact,” he says, “but tourism requires access to location, a sophistication re-booking… Even the simplest of tourism can be difficult.”

For this reason, he believes governments play a key role in facilitating the creation of Aboriginal tourism projects. “It generally requires government funding. Communities often don’t have the money to just step up and say we can do this.” Nonetheless, plenty are trying.

As such, many of the offerings include, as Vanderwyk refers to them, 
“the stereotypical ‘red nappy’ dancers streaked with ochre and dancing the kangaroo dance.” She believes the benefits to Aboriginals of such displays are negligible.

McLeod Farley agrees, noting that Aboriginal tourism has a big education component and potential for bridge-building.

It’s important for those communities to ask themselves, “do they want a superficial experience – beads and feathers – or do they want to go deeper.”

It’s a challenge, says. Vanderwyk. “The biggest issue lies within the…transition period,” she explains. And until education and experience with tourism catches up to demand, Aboriginals must rely on outside partnerships.