This First Nations tourism report provides insights on international and domestic tourism in Australia involving First Nations activities over the years from 2013–14 to 2023–24.
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Key insights
A record year in First Nations tourism
There were a total 3.0 million trips that incorporated First Nations activities in 2023–24, the highest annual number of trips on record incorporating First Nations activities.
Domestic and international participation
Of the 3.0 million trips incorporating a First Nations activity in 2023–24:
- 63% (around 1.9 million) were by domestic travellers, comprising:
- 1,223,300 domestic overnight trips
- 664,000 domestic day trips
- 37% (around 1.1 million) were by international visitors
International visitors from Europe (25%), and the USA and Canada (22%) were the most likely to incorporate a First Nations activity in their trip in 2023–24.
Most popular First Nations activities
Visiting an Aboriginal site or community was the most popular First Nations activity for domestic travellers in 2023–24. Domestic visitors incorporated this activity into 881,000 trips.
Experiencing an Aboriginal art/craft or cultural display was the most popular First Nations activity for international travellers in 2023–24. International visitors incorporated this activity into 813,000 trips.
States and territories
- New South Wales was the state with the highest number of domestic overnight trips that incorporated a First Nations activity. From 2021–22 to 2023–24, with an average of 242,000 such trips per year (22% of the Australian total).
- The NT was the jurisdiction with the highest proportion of domestic overnight trips incorporating a First Nations experience. Such trips accounted for 15% of total trips in the territory per year between 2021–22 and 2023–24.
Note: analysis at a state and territory level combines the 2021–22 to 2023–24 financial years to ensure a robust sample size per state and territory.
About this report
In this report, First Nations tourism is defined as an international trip to Australia, a domestic day trip or a domestic overnight trip involving one or more First Nations activities.
Data is drawn predominantly from Tourism Research Australia’s (TRA) International Visitor Survey (IVS) and National Visitor Survey (NVS). Data on interest in First Nations experiences is provided by Tourism Australia.
Data with respect to activities is based on how questions are currently phrased in the IVS and the NVS questionnaires.