Developing a sustainable indigenous tourism sector: Reconciling socio-economic objectives with market driven approaches

In Australia, an increasing awareness of Indigenous culture has led to a growth in the supply of activities and experiences which are often owned and/or managed by Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Yet, Australia’s Indigenous tourism sector is problematic, and too regularly the sector experiences declining demand, a range of supply side challenges including access to start-up finance and capital, recruiting and retention of appropriately skilled labour, underdeveloped and inconsistent product, and mismatches between experiences sought and product offered. While there has been growth in the development of new Indigenous tourism businesses and tourism products in recent times, Buultjens and White (2008) suggested that many Indigenous businesses find it difficult to achieve sustainability. Given this context, this chapter presents the findings of business case studies conducted with 41 Indigenous tourism operators in Australia. The interviews explored business operators’ perceptions of the issues, opportunities, and challenges associated with operating a tourism business. The findings of the study provide insights into the gamut of issues confronting Indigenous tourism business operators