Indigenous-owned businesses THRIVE in the visitor economy

THRIVE 2030 is Australia’s national strategy for the long-term growth and recovery of its visitor economy. 


One of the Strategy’s priorities is recognising the cultural heritage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as pivotal to our nation’s identity.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture is one of the oldest continuous cultures in the world. THRIVE 2030 outlines the importance of respectfully embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture into the visitor economy.

Working with Indigenous-owned businesses

Austrade encourages businesses in the visitor economy to work with Indigenous-owned enterprises right across the operating spectrum.

You can find Indigenous businesses through the Indigenous Business Direct database provided by Supply Nation. It is Australia’s leading database of verified Indigenous-owned businesses. These suppliers provide a variety of goods and services including:

  • business services, recruitment and training
  • construction, facilities management and equipment hire
  • food and hospitality, marketing, design and photography
  • arts and entertainment.

Research shows every $1 generated by an Indigenous-owned business delivers an average social return of $4.41 (Source: Supply Nation 2018, The Sleeping Giant: A Social Return on Investment Report on Supply Nation Certified Suppliers). Every dollar contributes to local communities and supports Australia’s prosperity and wellbeing.

Supply Nation assistance for tourism businesses

Supply Nation can help tourism businesses of all sizes benefit from stronger connections with First Nations culture and expertise.

For instance, Supply Nation’s database has certified cultural awareness training providers across Australia, both in person and online. Cultural awareness training supports the respectful embedding of First Nations cultures into the visitor economy.

Recent events confirmed what the data has long shown. Diverse supply chains are more sustainable, flexible, and more likely to foster innovation. Supply Nation’s support can help members develop supplier diversity practices.

Supply Nation members can also access specialised research and data. This can inform reporting and measure their social impact, including for a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP).

Members can also access on-call support from dedicated relationship managers.

Connect 2022: Australia’s largest Indigenous business tradeshow

Austrade was a proud sponsor of Supply Nation’s Connect 2022 tradeshow this year.

More than 160 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-owned businesses exhibited at this annual event.

Supply Nation hosted more than 1,860 Indigenous-owned businesses, and corporate and government members. International delegates also attended, making Connect 2022 the biggest Indigenous business tradeshow yet.

Products and services on show at Connect 2022 reflected the diversity of expertise found in Supply Nation’s Directory. Find suppliers that can help you.

Learn more

Respectfully embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and cultures into the visitor economy is just one priority of THRIVE 2030.


Growing the visitor economy

THRIVE 2030 is Australia’s national strategy for the long-term, sustainable growth of the visitor economy.