Indigenous experiences were a major factor in choosing Australia for 150,000 international tourists, who spent an estimated $570 million in Australia, according to new research by Tourism Research Australia.
And travellers who participated in Indigenous experiences spent an average of $3,800 in Australia, or 39% more than the average for all travellers.
The new Tourism Research Australia report, Sharing Culture: Indigenous Experiences and the International Visitor, reports 830,000 international tourists, or 16% of all tourists, reported having an Indigenous experience.
Federal Tourism Minister Fran Bailey said the report "highlighted the importance of Indigenous tourism to Australia, with an estimated 150,000 tourists deciding to travel to Australia for Indigenous tourism experiences”.
"Indigenous tourism gives Australia unique appeal, helping to make Australia the most desired country in the world to visit. In particular, German and British tourists are keen to discover the magic of the Outback with an authentic Indigenous tourism experience," Fran Bailey said.
"Importantly, these tourists help create jobs for Indigenous communities, who often live in remote locations.
"The Australian Government is strongly backing Indigenous tourism, having established Indigenous Tourism Australia and appointing business mentors to help develop Indigenous tourism businesses."
Other Indigenous tourism facts:
• Indigenous experiences were a major factor in choosing Australia for 150,000 tourists. These tourists spent an estimated $570 million.
• Travellers participating in Indigenous experiences spent $3,800 each in Australia, or 39% more than all travellers of $2,738 in 2006
• For international visitors who had an indigenous experience, the most were British (23%) but Germany had the highest proportion (27%).
