Aboriginal Tourism Grants Open
Territory Aboriginal owned businesses can now access funding to develop or enhance tourism products, technology and infrastructure through the Northern Territory Government’s Aboriginal Tourism Grant Program Round 9.
The Aboriginal Tourism Grant Program Round 9 (ATGPR9) encourages investment into Aboriginal tourism, enhancing opportunities for visitors to connect with one of the world’s oldest cultures.
About 4 in 5 international travellers seek out Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander experiences and 4 in 5 of the Australian travelling population associate the NT as a place to connect with Aboriginal cultures. This presents opportunities for the NT, with the grant program to enhance the Territory as the destination to connect with Aboriginal cultures.
The program also helps to sustain the Aboriginal tourism sector for future generations.
The Aboriginal Tourism Grant Program Round 9, is fifty per cent co-funded under the Federal Funding Agreement’s Strategic Indigenous Tourism Program (SITP) co-investment arrangements with successful recipients receiving a one-off grant of between $30,000 to $100,000.
The program can support projects such as new product development that activates a bookable product (eg. accommodation and Aboriginal cultural engagement including night-time and evening experiences), upgrade improvements and/or new infrastructure for tourism visitor experiences, infrastructure to support sustainability and/or accessibility and inclusion (eg. solar power generation, access ramps, improved pathways and audio tours) and interpretative signage, interpretation planning and guiding manuals.
The ATGPR9 opened on 24 June 2025 and will close on 6 March 2026 or sooner if the allocated budget is exhausted.
ATGP rounds 1 to 8 supported 64 Aboriginal tourism businesses with a total of $3.209 million in grant funding being awarded.
Previously awarded projects have included construction of Seven Emu Station campground ablution facilities, Standley Chasm tours pathway upgrades supporting accessibility considerations and Larrakia Cultural Centre tourism activation and product development
The Aboriginal Tourism Product Distribution Grant Program to support online booking systems to promote and sell tourism products and to access expert distribution advice including pricing structures and rate sheets will open at the end of July.
To stay up to date or find out more about the suite Aboriginal Tourism Grant Programs head to here or subscribe here. [http://www.tourismnt.com/subscribe]
Quotes attributable to Department of Tourism and Hospitality, Industry Development Executive Director Rachel Telford:
“This program supports Territory Aboriginal owned businesses to develop and enhance their tourism products, technology and infrastructure. It not only supports these businesses to grow their offerings but also helps to sustain the Aboriginal tourism sector for people employed in the industry and visitors looking to learn more about Indigenous culture.”
https://nt.gov.au/