Apply Now: Aboriginal Tourism Development in NT Parks and Reserves Grant Program (Australia)

The Aboriginal Tourism Development in NT Parks and Reserves Grant Program (Grant Program) will help NT owned and majority owned Aboriginal businesses and organisations to develop tourism product in NT Joint Managed Parks and to enable Aboriginal cultural experiences and tourism product for park visitors.

Funding Information

• Tourism NT is providing a total of $1.4 million (excluding GST) in grant funding to support development of Aboriginal cultural experiences and tourism product in Joint Managed Parks. Applications can be submitted for:
  • A minimum funding value of $30,000 (excluding GST).
  • Up to a maximum funding value of $100,000 (excluding GST).

Eligible Activities

• Proposed Aboriginal tourism product/experiences must be intended to occur in a Joint Managed Park.
• New or the development of existing Aboriginal cultural experiences and tourism product
• Engaging a suitably qualified business consultant to develop a culturally focused approach for feasibility and business planning including:
  • on the ground engagement to understand and establish the aspirations and vision
  • governance structure arrangements
  • land tenure considerations
  • building an Aboriginal tourism brand
  • Aboriginal cultural intellectual property considerations and visitor cultural protocols
  • tourism specific marketing and trade distribution strategy
  • product development (consultations, tour itineraries and operational plans)
  • financial management (pricing, budget, cash flow forecasting and funding sources) to establish commercial viability
  • human resourcing requirements including tourism skills capacity and development
  • staged implementation action plan (plan) and short term to long term resourcing to support implementing the plan
• Receiving business coaching for tourism product development
• Aboriginal tourism product familiarisations or exchanges in another jurisdiction to gain an insight into best practice tourism offerings and its key development learnings
• Assistance to prepare and lodge applications, lease agreements, operational agreements etc with Parks and Wildlife and the relevant land council
• Upgrade improvements and/or new infrastructure including interpretative signage for Aboriginal cultural tourism and tourism product to enhance the visitor experience
• Infrastructure to support sustainability and/or accessibility and inclusion objectives (eg. solar power generation, access ramps, improved pathway and audio tours).

Eligibility Criteria

• Eligible applicants must:
  • Be greater than 50% Aboriginal owned
  • Be a business or organisation located and operating in the NT
  • Aboriginal corporations and associations to provide confirmation of intent to lodge a Grant Program application. Evidence could be:
    • written advice from minimum of two directors involved in discussions or approvals; or
    • minutes of a duly constituted meeting
  • Be legally constituted
  • Be Australian registered with an ABN or CAN
  • Provide evidence of incorporation e.g. through the Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporation (ORIC)
  • Have no outstanding grant acquittals or unmet funding agreement obligations from any previous funding from the Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade, including but not limited to Tourism NT.
• If the applicants are an active trading Aboriginal tourism business, applicants must:
  • Have a current Australian Tourism Data Warehouse (ATDW) listing or have applied for one at the time of application (if appropriate)
  • Be a member of a peak tourism body such as Hospitality NT, Tourism Central Australia or Tourism Top End or have applied for membership at the time of application (if appropriate)
  • Employ Northern Territory residents.

For more information, visit Tourism NT.