First Nations Tourism
Elevating First Nations tourism

For over two decades, QTIC has embedded First Nations knowledge and culture across our events, workforce initiatives, advocacy efforts, and interactions with industry. Our ongoing commitment is focused on enhancing outcomes for First Nations tourism and fostering a deeper understanding of the world’s oldest living cultures for our members and for guests on Country.

Our investment in First Nations tourism

At QTIC, we’re committed to empowering First Nations tourism in Queensland. This means doing our part to support the development of First Nations businesses and artists, curating community events, and facilitating culturally aware business practices within industry. Explore our initiatives below.

Destination IQ
DestinationIQ Forum

QTIC’s DestinationIQ is Queensland’s foremost annual First Nations tourism conference. Delegates and industry professionals from all backgrounds and from across the state gather to discuss opportunities, hear the latest trends and innovations, and recognise First Nations tourism achievements. 

Queensland First Nations Tourism Plan

Voices of today, stories for tomorrow. Following extensive consultation with First Nations communities, QTIC launched the Queensland First Nations Tourism Plan in 2019. The Plan sets the framework to harness our rich First Nations cultural heritage and stewardship of Country, together with Queensland’s unique tourism experiences, to inspire the development of a thriving First Nations tourism sector.

Free course – Understanding First Nations cultural protocols

Boost your confidence in engaging with First Nations culture and Country. Explore QTIC’s free online course: Understanding First Nations Cultural Protocols

Best Practice Guide for Working with First Nations Tourism

Our Best Practice Guide for Working with First Nations Tourism strengthens ties between Indigenous Australia and Queensland’s tourism industry. The essential guide offers a framework for recognising people and place, protecting intellectual property, and honouring cultural protocols. Packed with key resources, it’s a must-read for anyone looking to respectfully engage with First Nations communities and culture.

Threads of Country

Arabella Walker

Commissioned by QTIC for the next iteration of the Queensland First Nations Tourism Plan 2026 – 2032, Threads of Country by Arabella Walker a proud First Nations woman from a maternal line of Wulli Wulli, Auburn Hawkwood People celebrates five key landscapes that shape Queensland: arid outback, open forests, rainforests, coastal regions, and marine environments. It highlights the deep cultural connection First Nations peoples have with Country – a bond central to stories, survival, and custodianship of land and sea.

Threads of Country forms part of QTIC’s wider commitment to First Nations tourism by highlighting the talent, passion and drive of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples working in and around the industry.