Indigenous culture under the tourism spotlight in Australia

Right around the world there is a growing interest in first peoples' cultures, and in Australia AAT Kings has just unveiled the launch of its new Aboriginal Culture & Australia Highlights tour, as part of the group’s 2024-2025 touring season.

The limited-season, Australia-first indigenous-focused guided holiday features several destinations from city to outback across Melbourne, Uluru, Sydney and Cairns over 13 days, with a focus on local connection, cultural immersion, sustainability, and wildlife and nature.

The Aboriginal Culture & Australia Highlights tour has been developed in response to Tourism Australia’s consumer insights, outlined in the global Future of Demand research project released late 2022.

The report highlighted the latent demand for Indigenous experiences.

The AAT Kings team has "collaborated closely" with Discover Aboriginal Experiences (part of Tourism Australia’s ‘Signature Experiences of Australia’) to identify and curate Indigenous operators and experiences that form part of the new itinerary, showcasing indigenous-owned businesses.



The tour highlights include:

# Sunset drinks at Uluru, including an exclusive barbecue dinner and Dot Art painting experience.
# A behind the scenes Sydney Opera House tour, Dreamtime Walking Tour of the Rocks district and indigenous-themed harbour cruise in Sydney
# Great Barrier Reef trip with Dreamtime Dive and Snorkel experience (above) 
# A lunch at Big Esso by Mabu Mabu in Melbourne’s Federation Square with cuisine by renowned Torres Strait chef Nornie Bero.

"Dreamtime Dive and Snorkel provides a unique opportunity to gain insights from our cultural guides as they provide interpretation of the sea country on which we operate our Great Barrier Reef tours,” said John O’ Sullivan, CEO of Experience Co, which owns and operates Dreamtime Dive and Snorkel.

“We are delighted to be included in this new tour from AAT Kings and applaud this initiative which will make it easier for visitors to access a range of first-class indigenous experiences across Australia.”

The tour also features a number of optional tours to cater for international markets and appeal to a broad range of travellers. 

"We are 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, 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.” 

The Aboriginal Culture & Australia Highlights tour will have limited departures in 2024 and 2025. Travellers can currently save up to 15% as part of the AAT Kings New Season Sale which runs until until  October 31, 2023, with prices from $8,609 per person, twin share. 

The tours will commence in Melbourne and conclude in Cairns.

For more information and to book visit: www.aatkings.com/amsc