Creating positive impact tourism: Emma Pethybridge's Visitor Economy Profile

Creating positive impact tourism: Emma Pethybridge's Visitor Economy Profile

Emma Pethybridge , Founder + CEO of?Ethical Republic ??/??Founder + Project Lead of?The Travel Better Project explains Ethical Republic is a for-purpose agency that specialises in the conservation economy and works with Indigenous and local communities to create cultural and nature-based enterprises alongside protected areas, heritage sites and trail destinations.?

The Travel Better Project is an initiative of Ethical Republic, launched in 2023 with seed investment through WWF-Australia’s “Innovate To Regenerate Challenge” . The Travel Better Project aims to inspire and enable a positive impact approach to tourism. Initially, we are working with tourism operators on the NW Coast of Tasmania to develop a place-based framework of what positive impact tourism means here, which will then inform the development of a practical toolkit to guide operators in creating positive impact products, services and experiences in their business.

Where are you from? I grew up on the NW Coast of Tasmania (Tommeginne country, lutrawita), on the traditional lands of palawa and pakana.

How long have you worked in the visitor economy? Since around 2005, I’ve worked in some iconic cultural institutions that are also major visitor attractions, both in Australia and overseas, including the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre, the Australian Museum, the Museum of Vancouver and Expo 2020 Dubai’s Sustainability Pavilion. I’ve also supported lots of Indigenous communities in remote areas to build culturally appropriate visitor economies that support people and Country.

What’s your fondest memory of working in the visitor economy? It's working with an incredible team at the Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation to create the Mossman Gorge Centre. A $24 million cultural tourism development in Far North Queensland, the Mossman Gorge Centre has been transformational for the Mossman Gorge Aboriginal Community and continues to provide opportunities for the next generation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to learn the ropes in hospitality and tourism.

What I enjoy most about working in this space is the incredible potential to use the life-changing power of travel to advance reconciliation in Australia, build pride in our unique Indigenous heritage and to change attitudes through access to authentic and meaningful experiences for travellers, which can create equally transformative opportunities for Traditional Owners through jobs and income on Country.?

Amusing story? In around 2007, I was working at the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre in the External Relations department. We were a group of bold, sassy, highly competent women that put Vancouver’s biggest cultural attraction on the map! At the time, our priority was coordinating community consultations around the future benefits and impacts of a controversial capital expansion of the facility. Our office was off-site in a small, ageing pavilion in Vancouver’s iconic Stanley Park.?We had been working around the clock to prepare for a major community consultation event, while all the usual fundraising, government relations and sponsorship work continued unabated. One day, I was so tired that I did a George Costanza and had a nap under my desk in an office I shared with a couple of colleagues. Just my luck, the Board Chairperson, several Board members and major sponsors came in to meet with our Director of External Relations about the annual gala. They sat down to talk just outside our office, with a clear line of sight to my desk. I was stuck under there for hours! My brilliant colleagues managed to keep me hidden and I managed to keep my job.

What are you looking forward to and why? I’m looking forward to seeing how the 30x30 targets and agreements arising from COP15 will lead to better protection for culturally and environmentally significant landscapes and seascapes, and how that can further create opportunities for community-led tourism that support, not erode, local livelihoods and traditional use.

THRIVE 2030 has three themes – collaborate, modernise and diversify. Can you tell us what you’re doing in these three areas to improve our visitor economy growth, quality and sustainability? One thing I’m excited about this year is a new collaboration with Nick Bonney from JourneyMakr. JourneyMakr is a unique travel platform that fuels demand through immersive content and a digital distribution channel network. Together, we’ve put together an approach that helps Indigenous tourism operators get up and running with everything they need to launch successfully in the market – including design, testing, marketing and operation. Working with Nick at JourneyMakr brings that all-important element of beautiful storytelling-based branding, but also a valuable distribution strategy so products are visible and bookable right away. First Nations’ tourism products deserve the best chance of success – this partnership helps achieve that.

What’s your best tip, advice or lesson learned for the visitor economy right now? There’s a lot of discussion right now about tourism going beyond sustainability to be “regenerative”. Increasingly, the market is reporting preferences in destinations and experiences that are authentic, meaningful and that make a positive contribution to people, place and culture. A lot of my focus right now is on two things – firstly on supporting Traditional Owners groups to create culturally-aligned experiences on Country, and secondly, on upskilling tourism operators to do practical things in their business that will lead to positive impact products, services and experiences for visitors.? To that end, I’ve developed my own model of “positive impact tourism” based on six dimensions. Right now, I’m building a suite of tools and resources that tourism operators can practically apply to use positive impact approaches in their business.

My biggest tip, always, is around being clear about your goals, making a plan (however simple!), work in partnership with others, and most of all – just get started!

How are you innovating to account for your workforce challenges? As a company that provides services to businesses in the visitor economy, I probably don’t have the same workforce challenges that operators on the frontline do. However, I’m positioning Ethical Republic for growth in 2023, and so I’m mapping out the tasks that I can outsource to specialists (many “back of house” functions), versus training internal team who can support technical project delivery and work with me to build-out valuable products for our clients and audience, like courses, podcasts and other useful content.

What essential goes in your suitcase when travelling for business beyond your phone charger? Running shoes, definitely!?

Tell us how you work with First Nations’ people and businesses? Many of the clients we work with through Ethical Republic are First Nations communities. This is often by supporting them to identify, plan and develop sustainable, culturally-aligned tourism products or other revenue-generating opportunities on Country.? Through ‘The Travel Better Project’, we equip tourism operators to create positive impact approaches in their business. This includes tools and approaches to incorporate First Nations considerations into their business, whether that is through partnerships, truth-telling, or otherwise respecting ways to safeguard culture and heritage.

We are careful never to speak for First Nations communities, but we share our experience and try to provide some ideas around pathways that tourism operators can use to work more closely with First Nations people and businesses.

What improvements are you making to ensure your business/activity is more inclusive and accessible for travellers with disability, different language and cultural backgrounds? I’m not an operator, but in the work I do through The Travel Better Project, I support operators to reimagine how their products, services and experiences can have a positive impact on people, place and culture. This extends to accessibility and inclusivity considerations, which should almost be basic “hygiene” for tourism product design and delivery these days, in my opinion.

What is your dream/recommended location (where, what specifically and why) in Australia for:

  • Hosting a team building event?

This year I’ll be looking at some unique and localised opportunities for team building, such as participating in some of the agri-tourism experiences on the Tasting Trail, a food and drink trail on Tasmania’s North-West coast, which includes all kinds of cellar door experiences, behind-the-scenes tours and that sort of thing.?

  • Holidaying with family?

I’m not a fan of passive holidays. I prefer to get out and do something active – hiking, cycling and trail running. We recently did the Three Capes Track in the Tasman National Park in Tasmania’s south-east, which was great. Also on the list for this year are a couple of sections of the Bibbulmun Track in south-west WA, the new Grampians Peak Trail in Victoria, and the Larapinta Trail in Central Australia.

  • Sporting or cultural festival?

A few years ago I was lucky enough to go to the Garma Festival in Arnhem Land, which was obviously incredible. Closer to home this year I’m keen to check out the Stanley and Tarkine Forage Festival and, of course, Dark Mofo in Hobart (just when you thought you’d seen it all!).

  • Experiencing nature and First Nations’ culture?

I’d have to say the incredible cultural and environmental landscapes of Cape York. This year, I’m honoured to be working with the Kyerrwanhdha Thingalkal Land Trust (near Laura), the Balnggarrawarra Gaarraay Land Trust (near Cooktown) and the Angkamuthi Tribal Aboriginal Corporation (tip of the Peninsula, near Injinoo). Cape York is adventurous, authentic and is guaranteed to challenge your perspective.

Connect with Emma Pethybridge ?on Linkedin, and please read and share our previous Visitor Economy profiles of SE Asian focussed Inbound Tourism Operator Doddy Purwoko ,? Stone Social Enterprise’s?Vanessa Brettell , Vaycayit's?Hailey Brown and Lisa McEwan , Hotel Etico's Co-founder and CEO?Andrea Comastri , Australian Amusement, Leisure and Recreation Assoc GM?Kristy Ahrens ,??Queensland Airports Limited CEO?Amelia Evans , Executive Director of the Zoo and Aquarium Association Australasia?Nicola Craddock , Outdoors NSW & ACT CEO?Lori Modde , Kangaroo Island Ocean Safari Owner?Tony Coppins , Executive Chair, Australian Chamber – Tourism?John Hart , Indigenous program manager?Sharon Ninyette , TAFE business development manager?Paula Meyer , tourism survey manager?Bode Ten Buuren, ?regional tourism leader?Coralie Bell , accessible tourism operator and advocate?James "Buck" McFarlane , international education expert?Karyn Kent ?and Aboriginal tourist operator?Juan Walker .??

Sign up to Austrade's Visitor Economy News, TRA News Alerts and other newsletters?here ?

Emma Pethybridge

GM, ReefTO Taskforce | Founder, Ethical Republic

1 年

Thank you, Samantha Palmer FIPAA and team, for the opportunity to share my story and a little about the projects I am lucky enough to be involved in around Australia right now! It is an honour to be featured in this edition of Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade)'s Visitor Economy Newsletter! Philippe Antes Naomi Ploos van Amstel Nick Bonney Annie Yan

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