August 2020 – International Institute of Tourism Studies

The Australia-based responsible tour operator Intrepid Travel has always been committed to making a real difference in travel destinations by investing in local communities, human rights initiatives, wildlife conservation projects and the environment. As Intrepid's website states: "We’re all about operating in a responsible manner and incorporating principles of sustainable tourism and development into the way we provide our travellers with real life experiences."

Intrepid is not only a sponsor of the Indigenous Tourism Forum of the Americas—an initiative organized by the International Institute of Tourism Studies along with the Organization of American States and the Bureau of Indian Affairs— but the company's commitment to creating more opportunities for First Nations people provides valuable learnings for all of us.

By James Thornton, CEO Intrepid Travel

The current crisis is an exceptionally challenging time for travel, but it is also a chance to consider how businesses can rebuild more responsibly – environmentally, economically and socially, which includes fostering stronger understanding with Indigenous communities. Intrepid Travel is headquartered in Australia and we formally started our reconciliation journey by committing to a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). Reconciliation is about building stronger relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous Australians.

In July 2020, our 'Innovate’ RAP was endorsed by national body Reconciliation Australia. This built on our ‘Reflect’ RAP,
which was endorsed in 2019. While our experience is uniquely Australian and we’re still in the very early phase of our reconciliation journey, we wanted to share our experience so far to help encourage other organisations to take their first step. This is particularly important at a time when the global conversation is centered on discrimination and social justice, including for First Nations peoples.

For us, as a responsible business and a certified B Corp, developing a RAP was an important step. Intrepid is a truly diverse business with offices all over the world, but we were founded more than 30 ears ago in Melbourne, where our head office is. We also run trips in every state and territory in Australia (except Australian Capital Territory), including tours that visit remote Aboriginal communities and culturally significant places such as Uluru.

Intrepid Travel acknowledges Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and recognizes their ongoing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders past, present and future, and support the continuation of cultural, spiritual and educational practices.
But we cannot reflect on Australia’s history and our place in it without acknowledging the devastating and lasting effects that colonialism, land dispossession and racism has had on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We know we need to play our part to close the gap that this legacy has created.

Developing a RAP, in consultation with First Nations advisors, is a way that a business can start to address inequalities, as it provides a formal framework and time frame for a business to take specific actions.
Since adopting our first RAP 18 months ago, we’ve introduced several changes – some of these are simple to implement but are significant nonetheless.

Brian Swindley, owner of Janbal Gallery in Tropical North Queensland – Intrepid started working with the gallery and including it in itineraries as part of its commitment to partner with more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander tourism operators.

Personally, I now begin all important meetings, including company updates, with an Acknowledgement of Country. Our global websites also include an Acknowledgment of Country and at a product level, we banned alcohol on our visits to Uluru and started working with some new Aboriginal tourism operators in Queensland.

Under our Innovate RAP, we’ll take further actions over the next two years. This includes exploring internship opportunities for young people interested in a career in sustainable tourism and amplifying First Nations voices in our marketing and platforms.

We very much continue to be on the journey, but I’d like to share some of the things we’ve learnt so far:

Do your homework and be open. We have a lot of learning to do. This is an ongoing process and it’s something that we’ve committed to at every level of our business. Engage First Nations advisors and do the work to understand the issues at play, and how inequalities are present in your business.
Form a working group. Seek out people at all levels of your business who are passionate about reconciliation and who are committed to making change. These people must be empowered and made accountable. Ideally the working group would include First Nations people – this is something we continue to work on. Personally, I am updated regularly by our RAP working group lead.
Build awareness. To be truly effective, everyone within the business needs to be on the reconciliation journey. You will need to dedicate time and resources to internal communications and continually share
information. We’ve found one of the most important parts of this process has been to listen, learn, engage, reflect and build respect for First Nations cultures and histories. We continue to work on this aspect, and we are fortunate that in Australia, there are many excellent resources
available.

As we rebuild from this crisis, we hope other tourism businesses will be open to change and starting their own reconciliation journey. Together we can rebuild more responsibly to benefit all communities, including First Nations peoples.

As an Australian-owned business, we acknowledge the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and their continuing connection to land, waters and community. We pay our respects to them and their cultures, and to their Elders past, present and future.

The Organization of American States and the George Washington University International Institute of Tourism Studies in collaboration with the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs have organized a virtual gathering, October 12th through 16th, that will give Indigenous, business, and government leaders a platform to explore the ways in which tourism can drive economic recovery and sustainable development. Participants will meet for five days via Zoom webinar to exchange experiences, share knowledge, re-trace ancient trade networks and re-establish connections.

For millennia, Indigenous peoples engaged in trade and commerce throughout what is now known as the Americas.

This vast and complex exchange network that produced food, medicine, ceremony and knowledge, evolved over time and can only be authentically shared by the Indigenous people whose ancestors lived it.

Unfortunately, this history is largely left out of the history of the Americas as it is widely shared today.

Tourism has an important role to play…it can provide Indigenous communities with economic opportunity while allowing visitors to learn about the Indigenous experience.

But because Indigenous communities have limited access to the resources needed to develop, manage, sustain and control tourism on their own terms, they’re largely left out of the conversation

Indigenous communities using their own cultures and traditions to shape their economic future and share it in a way that enhances quality of life and cultural expression is what this Indigenous Tourism Collaborative is all about.

We are creating the framework for a network of Indigenous representatives to join forces to discuss, share, and inform us and other resource providers and industry experts on how to better support the development of tourism on their terms as they take control of their own narratives.

The recent coronavirus pandemic has not only brought the tourism industry to a halt around the world, but it’s exposed the vulnerability of Indigenous communities —their lack of infrastructure and access to resources to prevent transmission of the virus and care for the sick. The resulting lock-down of many communities is a means of self-protection and cultural survival that indigenous peoples have been practicing for years.

Because so many Indigenous communities have a deep knowledge of and dependence on their environment, these natural resources are helping to sustain them now, just as they have historically, particularly when access to commercial food resources are impacted. Yet, for those Indigenous communities that have been displaced from their homelands and access to their indigenous food resources, food sovereignty is a goal of paramount importance.

The Indigenous Tourism Forum of the Americas was designed to provide a platform for community leaders, policy-makers, and business owners to share their experiences to learn from one another and to better understand how to drive change through tourism. The George Washington University, International Institute of Tourism Studies reached out to the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Organization of American States to discuss the idea of building a network of Indigenous development organizations and leaders along with a network of tourism industry and government resources to identify how we can better identify the issues and needs of Indigenous development and the resources necessary to address them.

The forum was intended to be the first step in an Indigenous Tourism Collaborative, long before COVID-19 appeared. Now we see this effort as needed more than ever—to bring together Indigenous people from across the Americas to re-establish their historic connections, drive understanding, and create new opportunities for people everywhere.

Who better than the First Peoples of this hemisphere to lead the discussion of true sustainability for future development in the tourism industry and help define the resources and guidelines to achieve it?

We are also inviting tourism industry representatives and government resource representatives including academia, non-governmental organizations, development organizations, and others to advise and be advised on our initiative.

To learn more and to register for the forum, please visit www.indigenoustourismforum.org

Month: August 2020

Why this travel company is committed to reconciliation with First Nations Australians

Guest Editorial: Ed Hall III, Transportation Specialist & Tourism Coordinator, Bureau of Indian Affairs