TORONTO — AAT Kings has launched a new, limited-season Australia tour that shines the spotlight on Indigenous culture and experiences.
Called ‘Aboriginal Culture & Australia Highlights,’ the Australia-first Indigenous-focused, 13-day guided holiday has been developed in response to Tourism Australia’s consumer insights, as outlined in the global ‘Future of Demand’ research project released in late 2022. The report highlighted the latent demand for Indigenous experiences, however, at present, understanding of First Nations tourism is still low.
To meet this demand, the AAT Kings team has collaborated with Discover Aboriginal Experiences (part of Tourism Australia’s ‘Signature Experiences of Australia’) to identify and curate Indigenous operators and experiences, and showcase a blend of top locations and Indigenous-owned businesses.
“Our customers’ desire is to have more cultural experiences in our itineraries, and AAT Kings is committed to helping drive indigenous tourism and play a leading role in increasing understanding and appreciation of Aboriginal culture – a major step towards reconciliation and support of First Nations people in Australia,” said Ben Hall, CEO of AAT Kings.
“This new tour is just a glimpse into how AAT Kings is committed to growing our range of indigenous experiences across our suite of travel products, to advocate and highlight the range and depth of Indigenous tourism experiences across Australia,” he added.
The itinerary, which starts in Melbourne and ends in Cairns, includes the following experiences:
- Sunset drinks at Uluru, including an exclusive BBQ dinner and Dot Art Painting experience
- A behind-the-scenes tour of Sydney Opera House, a Dreamtime Walking Tour of the rocks and an Indigenous Harbour Cruise in Sydney
- Great Barrier Reef trip with Dreamtime Dive and Snorkel
- Lunch at Big Esso by Mabu Mabu in Melbourne’s Federation Square, with cuisine by renowned Torres Strait chef Nornie Bero
Both Dreamtime Dive and Snorkel and Big Essy by Mabu Mabu are two of four projects featured in this tour that are supported through AAT Kings Groups’ MAKE TRAVEL MATTER Experiences and The TreadRight Foundation, alongside Maraki and Koorie Heritage Trust.
The itinerary also features a number of optional tours, including:
- The Great Ocean Road and the Twelve Apostles, or an Aboriginal Heritage Walk in the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne
- The BridgeClimb Sydney with an option to experience the Burrawa – Aboriginal Climb and a Royal Botanic Gardens Aboriginal Bush Tucker tour in Sydney
- A Daintree Dreaming Aboriginal Art and Culture tour or Madingalbay Ancient Indigenous Culture Cruise in Cairns
“We know from our research that demand for Indigenous tourism experiences has been rising
amongst both domestic and international travellers and that there are specific areas of opportunities for new and emerging tourism experiences,” said Phillipa Harrison, Tourism Australia Managing Director. “Offerings like the new AAT Kings tour will enable
travellers to experience first-hand the stories and cultures of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, who have been the custodians of country, land, sea and waters here for more than 60,000 years.”
The Aboriginal Culture & Australia Highlights tour will have limited departures in 2024 and 2025. Travellers can currently save up to 15% on select departures on land only AAT Kings-operated Guided Vacations and Inspiring Journeys itineraries as part of the AAT Kings New Season Sale. The sale is valid on new bookings only, on the tour portion only, and runs until Dec. 15, 2023, for travel on select travel departures from April 1, 2024 to Dec. 31, 2024 (blackout dates may apply).
For more information and to book visit: www.aatkings.com/amsc.
