With Australian tourism in something of a slump, changes are being made to the way the country is marketed and the sort of tourists it attracts.
Of course, much of this activity is centred on iconic destinations, such as Uluru and it can affect the experience for everybody … including grey nomads.
The cost of visiting the Rock is already something of a bone of contention with many but the whole place looks to be taking yet another lurch upmarket.
It has been announced that the Ayers Rock Resort is to be given a major makeover that will see a desert golf course, wildlife enclosure and spa and wellness centre being built. The iconic resort has come in for plenty of criticism in recent years for being ‘rundown’ but was bought for $300 million last year by a consortium led by the Indigenous Land Corporation.
Under its new management, Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia, a new conference centre has already been built, and the flagship Sails in the Desert hotel is undergoing renovation.
“Our overall objective is to reposition the resort as an indigenous centre of excellence, where guests learn about indigenous culture and have some interaction,” said Voyages managing director Koos Klein. “We are really going to invest in this property for the future – we can return our profits and invest them back in the property until we have it back to the required level of quality.”
Mr Klein admitted that while Uluru would always be a major natural icon for Australia its reputation could do with some polishing.
“You can have gold and marble dripping off the walls of your five-star hotel but what people really want to take home is the indigenous experience,” he said. “It’s going to take a few years but we’re going to focus on the big ticket items first so people will see a big difference.”
Last year, just two resort employees were indigenous, while the resident didgeridoo player was an Irishman. The number of indigenous employees has already increased to 55 out of a workforce of 580.
The resort is also partnering with the world’s largest hotel operator, Accor, to help market the resort to emerging markets such as China and India.
