Indigenous Tourism Research Agenda Key Directions for the Future 2005 - 2008

At the 2000 Sydney National Indigenous Tourism Forum the Sustainable Tourism CRC recognised that there was a considerable research gap, lack of investment and lack of cohesion

in Indigenous tourism research. It saw a need to better harness the best intellectual resources

from both academia and industry and develop a clear strategic framework to address

Indigenous tourism research (Moore, 2000). This commenced a long process of consultation

and collaboration with key stakeholders leading to the current initiative and this Indigenous

tourism research agenda.

Indigenous tourism has been subject to innumerable strategies and changing policies, most

raising more hope than real action or outcomes. It remains an extremely fragile and tenuous

sector of the tourism industry despite much of the marketing hype indicating otherwise

(Schmiechen, 2000). In many ways it is at a critical point as to how many of the fledgling and

even established businesses can survive and become viable in an increasingly difficult tourism

environment. There is now a greater need than ever for good leadership, clear vision, targeted

support and a cohesive effort by all parties concerned to get it right, and most importantly listen

and act on the voices of those actually trying to do the business. Research will have an

important role in this.

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