New partnership to foster Indigenous involvement in Kimberley tourism
17 Jun 2009
A new project engaging Traditional Owners, tourism operators and industry groups to manage coastal tourism in the Kimberley in a more sustainable and culturally sensitive way has been announced by WWF-Australia, The Leading Travel Companies Conservation Foundation (TLTC) and The Kimberley Land Council (KLC).
The new partnership between the three groups aims to increase the number of Traditional Owners working in and benefiting from the multi-million dollar tourism industry in the Kimberley region.
It also aims to promote sustainable tourism amongst the existing operators through the development of best practice protocols regarding environmental and cultural tourism. With the Kimberley rapidly becoming a global tourism hot-spot, it is critical to put in place effective measures to safeguard the region.
The partnership will convene a steering group with Traditional Owners in the region, working with tourism operators to ensure cultural and natural heritage is identified, preserved, and promoted. The steering group will also encourage greater education and training for traditional land owners in tourism management.
Frank Davey, Deputy Chairman of the KLC welcomed the new partnership with WWF and TLTC Conservation Foundation. “The KLC is very pleased to see that so many good partners are coming on board with the Kimberley Land Council, and working co-operatively to help us build a healthy and sustainable tourism industry,” he said.
“Tourism in the Kimberley is a growing industry and every year we have more and more people visiting our country. A number of Traditional Owners are already operating tourism ventures in the Kimberley, and many more are looking to become involved in tourism, and interacting with visitors to their country.”
“This project will help Traditional Owners begin a process of assisting tourists to respect our country when they visit. This education process is important to Traditional Owners, and can also become part of the cultural experience for visitors. We are confident that we can work with both tourists and tourism operators to build a good future for tourism activities in the Kimberley,” Mr Davey said.
Les Cox, from The Leading Travel Companies Conservation Foundation spokesperson said, “The Leading Travel Companies Conservation Foundation is committed to working closely with the Traditional Owners of the Kimberley ensuring their culture and environment is protected through the fostering of a greater understanding and appreciation of local traditions and the indigenous way of life.”
“This project will provide a foundation to work with the Traditional Owners to develop protection mechanisms for the natural and cultural heritage of the region. By partnering with WWF and KLC we can work towards a future of sustainable tourism that revolves around the Traditional Owners of the Kimberley, ensuring this amazing region is preserved and its inhabitants are respected and well positioned to draw long term benefits from the tourism growth we are witnessing in the region.”
Paul Gamblin, WWF-Australia’s Program Leader – West said the project represented “an ongoing commitment by WWF to work with the Indigenous people of the Kimberley region towards sustainable economic development. Culturally, environmentally and economically the Kimberley is of outstanding national and international significance.”
“We very much appreciate the commitment of the TLTC Conservation Foundation to this project; it demonstrates a serious investment by the tourism industry in the people in this globally-important and unique region.”
The Kimberley covers an area of nearly 423,000 square kilometres and has an estimated population of 38,000, making it one of the most sparsely populated areas in the world1. Tourism is one of the fastest growing industries in the region and visitor numbers have been increasing in recent years. This partnership focuses on coastal tourism which has been growing increasingly over the last 10 years.
A complementary tourism project is also being undertaken by the Kimberley Land Council with funding from the Australian government’s Caring for our Country program.
More information
Paula Schibeci, Media Officer
Phone: 0406 381 137
