2023-03-13
The World Indigenous Tourism Summit begins today in Perth/Boorloo. A joint initiative of the World Indigenous Tourism Alliance (WINTA) and Western Australian Indigenous Tourism Operators Council (WAITOC), the summit is bringing together indigenous and non-indigenous tourism operators, academics and government officials from all over the world.
A key focus of the tourism summit is the interconnectedness of community, cultural knowledge and caring for Country.
Speakers will discuss the role Indigenous values and wisdom can play in building a kind of tourism better equipped to survive in the future, asserting First Peoples’ rights to Country, and nurturing a growing awareness of the need to unite and engage in the equitable development of Indigenous economies.
Quotes attributable to Australian Greens spokesperson for First Nations and Tourism, and Yamatji Noongar woman, Senator Dorinda Cox:
“There was an excellent turn out for the first day of the World Indigenous Tourism Summit today. I was pleased to share in the discussions with so many inspiring Indigenous leaders from around the globe, including people from Taiwan, Chile, Finland and New Zealand.
“What has been overwhelmingly reinforced to me is that Australia can do so much more to protect and preserve the culture, languages and identities of our First Nations people.
“I have been strongly advocating for intellectual property protections for Indigenous bush foods and botanicals, and it’s encouraging to see that topic part of the discussion at the summit.
“With so much research available and examples of successful sustainable tourism that empowers First Nations communities, the Australian Government would do well to revise their federal tourism policy, Thrive 2030, to embed the unique and ancient culture, knowledges and identities of First Nations people at the heart of the Australian experience.
“First Nations businesses are ready for targeted investment that can help them scale up and our communities are willing to discuss genuine equity investment in projects on their Country. The time is now for all Australians to embrace the oldest surviving culture on the planet to tell the story of modern Australia - that’s a gift we can give the world, and the world will travel here to experience.”