Understanding Barriers to Sustainable Indigenous Tourism Sector

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Understanding the barriers
to a sustainable Indigenous
tourism sector
 
 
Dr Lisa Ruhanen, The University Of Queensland
Dr Michelle Whitford & Dr Char-lee McLennan, Griffith
University
 
Context
 
Globally tourism has been advocated as a socio-
economic opportunity for Indigenous peoples
Federal and State governments have focused on
Indigenous tourism since the mid 1990s
Business and regional development, (rural)
employment, culture and community
Marketing and point of difference for the
tourism sector
Some 300+ Indigenous tourism businesses
 
Context
 
Governments continue to report high levels of
visitor interest in Australia’s Indigenous tourism
products
Demand for Indigenous tourism has been in
decline for the past decade
GFC, declining inbound and domestic visitor
numbers
Size of the visitor market estimated to be 2%
= 100,000 of the 5.5 million international visitors to
Australia
 
Aim of the study
 
Gap analysis of supply and demand for
Indigenous tourism in Australia
 
Explore Indigenous tourism operators
perceptions of the opportunities and barriers to
developing a sustainable tourism business
 
Research Methods
 
 Mixed methods
 
1357 international and domestic tourists
conducted at four locations in Australia
 
In-depth, semi-structured, face-to-face
interviews with 34 Indigenous tourism operators
10 locations across Australia – mix of urban and
rural
 
Respondents
 
34 Indigenous tourism operators
Owners, managers
Sole operators, company, independent statutory
authority, not-for-profit
Tours, accommodation, gallery, cultural centres,
retail, hospitality
Average length of operation 14 years
Number of employees – 1 to 80, + casual
200 – 5000 visitors received annually
 
Theme: Macro Environment
 
Economic environment
“I've tried to adjust and readjust and readjust my
prices…but I'm getting so close to my…purchase price…but
it just gets to a point where you can't do anything about it”
International visitor numbers
we are more than 50% down on what we should be at the
moment…but the volume is way down on both - way
down”
Competition
my biggest issue is…with xxxx opening; the awareness of
that is brilliant”
“quite a bit of accommodation has been taken up by people
involved in mining and gas exploration. That only puts up
the pressure on the prices, the room prices”
 
Theme: Internal Environment
 
Sourcing, training and retaining appropriate staff
“finding the people with the degree of skill and the
degree of commitment”
“we employ Aboriginal guides where we can…that's
one of the big problems I have with the whole thing.
We can't get Aboriginal guides. I train Aboriginal
people in tourism and have for many, many years
and trained many, many people. Just getting them to
stay is virtually impossible”
Meeting government regulations (i.e., permits,
accreditation)
Remote and rural constraints (i.e., increased
operational costs)
 
Theme: Sector challenges
 
Seasonality and external weather forces (i.e.,
cyclones, floods, etc.).
Staffing
the lack of ready, willing and able cultural
Aboriginal people”
Marketing
“obviously trying to get more people through the
door, more exposure”
Lack of sustainable funding support
“we would really like to diversify our funding
sources further to make us more independent”
 
Theme: International market
 
Lack of promotion and awareness
“I guess some people, maybe they just don't know what an
Indigenous experience is”
Market is cost sensitive
“maybe they don't want to pay for it. My tours aren't
cheap…because I run small groups”
Lack of available and reliable product
“I’ve even had international tourists travelling through the
north of Australia, travelling through Alice Springs,
wanting to do an Aboriginal tour and they still can’t find
one”
Accessibility
“many Indigenous experiences are in regional and remote
areas, access is hard”
Lack of interest/superficial experiences
 
 
 
Theme: Domestic market
 
Racism and negative perceptions
I try not to get into negative, stereotypical stories or
anecdotes because they're often in the minority. But there's
no doubt that there are attitudes and preconceptions of -
within Australian mainstream society”
Negative media attention
“if they believe everything they see on television, they
would probably run a mile”
Lack of awareness
“I think most Australians, most of the domestic market,
don't even think that having an Indigenous experience is a
possibility”
Lack of interest
they’re not all that interested in finding out about how
rich the culture is”
 
Theme: Market demand
 
Low  awareness of market demand and patterns
Visitor motivations, preferences and demand
 
Indigenous operators believe Indigenous tourism
experiences to be nearly as popular amongst
international visitors as visiting Sydney
attractions, less than 5% of international tourists
cite Indigenous experiences as an activity they
want to experience while in Australia.
 
Study recommendations
 
Understanding the market
Identify knowledge needs of operators, as well as the
uptake and usage of tourism market data
Assess communication channels = meet operators’
knowledge needs
Identifying, interpreting and/or collecting relevant
data sources
Sustainable businesses
Assess product gaps vis-à-vis tourist flows and
demand patterns thus moving away from supply led,
‘build it and they will come’, approaches to demand
driven product development
Development in urban centres and surrounds to
capitalise on existing visitor traffic
 
Diversified product opportunities
 
Summary
 
Declining visitor demand
 
Range of macro, internal and sector specific
challenges
Barriers to international and domestic demand
Low awareness of visitor demand
 
Recommendations
Understanding the market, sustainable businesses,
diversified product opportunities
 
Dr Lisa Ruhanen –
l.ruhanen@uq.edu.au
 
Dr Michelle Whitford –
m.whitford@griffith.edu.au
Slide Note

Business researchers – focused on Indigenous business owners and their business management practices and experiences

Funding support received from IBA and ITWG

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Globally, tourism is seen as an opportunity for Indigenous communities. However, barriers such as economic challenges, declining demand, and competition pose significant obstacles. Research conducted in Australia aims to analyze the gap between supply and demand in Indigenous tourism and explore the perceptions of operators on developing sustainable businesses. The study involved interviews with Indigenous tourism operators and surveys of international and domestic tourists to gain insights into the industry's challenges and opportunities.


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  1. Understanding the barriers to a sustainable Indigenous tourism sector Dr Lisa Ruhanen, The University Of Queensland Dr Michelle Whitford & Dr Char-lee McLennan, Griffith University

  2. Context Globally tourism has been advocated as a socio- economic opportunity for Indigenous peoples Federal and State governments have focused on Indigenous tourism since the mid 1990s Business and regional development, (rural) employment, culture and community Marketing and point of difference for the tourism sector Some 300+ Indigenous tourism businesses

  3. Context Governments continue to report high levels of visitor interest in Australia s Indigenous tourism products Demand for Indigenous tourism has been in decline for the past decade GFC, declining inbound and domestic visitor numbers Size of the visitor market estimated to be 2% = 100,000 of the 5.5 million international visitors to Australia

  4. Aim of the study Gap analysis of supply and demand for Indigenous tourism in Australia Explore Indigenous tourism operators perceptions of the opportunities and barriers to developing a sustainable tourism business

  5. Research Methods Mixed methods 1357 international and domestic tourists conducted at four locations in Australia In-depth, semi-structured, face-to-face interviews with 34 Indigenous tourism operators 10 locations across Australia mix of urban and rural

  6. Respondents 34 Indigenous tourism operators Owners, managers Sole operators, company, independent statutory authority, not-for-profit Tours, accommodation, gallery, cultural centres, retail, hospitality Average length of operation 14 years Number of employees 1 to 80, + casual 200 5000 visitors received annually

  7. Theme: Macro Environment Economic environment I've tried to adjust and readjust and readjust my prices but I'm getting so close to my purchase price but it just gets to a point where you can't do anything about it International visitor numbers we are more than 50% down on what we should be at the moment but the volume is way down on both - way down Competition my biggest issue is with xxxx opening; the awareness of that is brilliant quite a bit of accommodation has been taken up by people involved in mining and gas exploration. That only puts up the pressure on the prices, the room prices

  8. Theme: Internal Environment Sourcing, training and retaining appropriate staff finding the people with the degree of skill and the degree of commitment we employ Aboriginal guides where we can that's one of the big problems I have with the whole thing. We can't get Aboriginal guides. I train Aboriginal people in tourism and have for many, many years and trained many, many people. Just getting them to stay is virtually impossible Meeting government regulations (i.e., permits, accreditation) Remote and rural constraints (i.e., increased operational costs)

  9. Theme: Sector challenges Seasonality and external weather forces (i.e., cyclones, floods, etc.). Staffing the lack of ready, willing and able cultural Aboriginal people Marketing obviously trying to get more people through the door, more exposure Lack of sustainable funding support we would really like to diversify our funding sources further to make us more independent

  10. Theme: International market Lack of promotion and awareness I guess some people, maybe they just don't know what an Indigenous experience is Market is cost sensitive maybe they don't want to pay for it. My tours aren't cheap because I run small groups Lack of available and reliable product I ve even had international tourists travelling through the north of Australia, travelling through Alice Springs, wanting to do an Aboriginal tour and they still can t find one Accessibility many Indigenous experiences are in regional and remote areas, access is hard Lack of interest/superficial experiences

  11. Theme: Domestic market Racism and negative perceptions I try not to get into negative, stereotypical stories or anecdotes because they're often in the minority. But there's no doubt that there are attitudes and preconceptions of - within Australian mainstream society Negative media attention if they believe everything they see on television, they would probably run a mile Lack of awareness I think most Australians, most of the domestic market, don't even think that having an Indigenous experience is a possibility Lack of interest they re not all that interested in finding out about how rich the culture is

  12. Theme: Market demand Low awareness of market demand and patterns Visitor motivations, preferences and demand Indigenous operators believe Indigenous tourism experiences to be nearly as popular amongst international visitors as visiting Sydney attractions, less than 5% of international tourists cite Indigenous experiences as an activity they want to experience while in Australia.

  13. Study recommendations Understanding the market Identify knowledge needs of operators, as well as the uptake and usage of tourism market data Assess communication channels = meet operators knowledge needs Identifying, interpreting and/or collecting relevant data sources Sustainable businesses Assess product gaps vis- -vis tourist flows and demand patterns thus moving away from supply led, build it and they will come , approaches to demand driven product development Development in urban centres and surrounds to capitalise on existing visitor traffic

  14. Diversified product opportunities 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% Visitors Operators 20% 10% 0%

  15. Summary Declining visitor demand Range of macro, internal and sector specific challenges Barriers to international and domestic demand Low awareness of visitor demand Recommendations Understanding the market, sustainable businesses, diversified product opportunities Dr Michelle Whitford m.whitford@griffith.edu.au Dr Lisa Ruhanen l.ruhanen@uq.edu.au

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