Beside Fortitude Valley’s Petrie Bight cliffs, as the Brisbane River continues rolling past, a defining voice for Queensland’s Indigenous tourism has announced a partnership to grow the potentially lucrative industry.
Thomson, the grand-niece of Australia’s first Indigenous MP Neville Bonner, used an analogy explained by fellowIt is an hourglass. We reach out and work out what is around us as then we channel that support and information back to our members so the family-based businesses can grow,” she said.“Because in our culture it was the families that took care of country, it was the families who had the autonomy and it was the family-based businesses that survived extremely well during COVID.
We need to shape what Indigenous tourism is because if we don’t shape it, someone else will define it. And we have had enough of ‘being defined’.“A successful Voice vote is essential for a number of reasons. We need accountability to start being able to say, where is this Indigenous spend going? And why hasn’t the gap been closed after 40 years?”
“When 2032 rolls around and when all the eyes are on Brisbane, I envisage a thriving tourism industry where Indigenous tourism operators can succeed due the relationships, guidance and leadership from IITOQ.”IITOQ board member Cheryl Thompson, owner-operator of Trackers Tours, said the announcement “looked past the [Voice] vote”.