NSW Aboriginal tourism package to train guides and grow on-Country experiences

A new $3.6 million Aboriginal tourism package will train around 200 Aboriginal guides and expand on-Country visitor experiences across NSW, as the federal and NSW governments look to strengthen a sector led by culture, story and local authority.

The Strategic Indigenous Tourism Projects funding includes more than $2 million to expand NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service cultural tours through the Aboriginal Tour Guide Pathway Training Program, alongside a $400,000 Cultural Arts Tourism Fund through Create NSW. It is part of the NSW Aboriginal Visitor Experience Accelerator, led by Destination NSW with Create NSW and NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service.

NSW Tourism Minister Steve Kamper said the state government was backing Aboriginal tourism operators to develop, promote and sell their experiences, with guided cultural walks, on-Country experiences, food, artwork workshops and performances offering visitors “rich and immersive experiences that connect them to Country”.

NSW Aboriginal Tourism Operators Council chair Dwayne Bannon-Harrison welcomed the investment, saying it would help ensure opportunities “flow back to Country, community, and the storytellers who carry this work”.

The package is significant because Aboriginal tourism can create jobs while supporting cultural authority. When led properly, it allows Traditional Owners and Aboriginal businesses to decide what stories are shared, how visitors move through Country, and how economic benefits return to communities.

Training guides is especially important. A strong guide does more than recite information; they hold relationships with place, Elders, language, family and visitor safety. Investment in training can help people build confidence, meet accreditation requirements and develop businesses that are commercially viable without compromising cultural obligations.

NSW already has a range of Aboriginal tourism experiences, from coastal walks and cultural camps to art centres and urban tours. Destination NSW reported in 2025 that NSW received the highest number of Aboriginal tourism visitors, visitor nights and expenditure in Australia, with 796,600 overnight visitors taking part in an Aboriginal tourism activity in 2024.

The challenge is ensuring funding does not become a short-term branding exercise. Aboriginal tourism businesses often need help with insurance, permits, marketing, vehicles, staff retention and digital booking systems. The package includes free mentoring for up to 30 Aboriginal businesses to implement online booking systems, as well as support for trade events, market reach and research into barriers and opportunities across the sector.

If delivered well, the package can support both economic development and cultural education. The best Aboriginal tourism is not about packaging culture for consumption; it is about creating respectful encounters on Country, guided by the people with the right to speak for it.

The central measure of success will be whether Aboriginal operators retain control over cultural content and commercial benefit. Training, marketing and booking support can help, but only if they strengthen businesses already accountable to Country and community.

That distinction matters because demand for cultural experiences is growing, and growth can easily become extraction if visitors consume stories without supporting the people and places that hold them.