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Anangu
Tours is owned and operated by Anangu , the traditional
Aboriginal owners of Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park.
They and their ancestors have lived as a part of this arid
environment for many thousands of years. They have
developed an intricate knowledge of the environment and
with this understanding developed a sustainable lifestyle
that is still practised today. Tjukurpa encompasses
embraces and expresses all of this knowledge, it is the
mechanism through which information is passed from generation
to generation.
Our
tours are designed according to this ancient Law, they actively
promote Anangu cultural values and thus assist Anangu
to sustain Tjukurpa & their culture. This has
a profound effect on the self esteem of Anangu staff
employed to present their culture to visitor. It makes
them proud of their culture and more eager about learning
and maintaining their ancient Law.
Anangu
Tours is unique in that social, cultural, environment and
commercial sustainability must be adhered to by Anangu
Tours or the whole basis of our company would crumble. If
our business is not a commercial success then it will have
a major negative impact all on other aspects; however it
will not be a commercial success unless we take particular
care of our social, cultural and ecological environments.
Uluru
Kata Tjuta National Park is one of a handful of locations
that is listed as a Cultural Landscape under UNESCO World
Heritage Legislation. This listing highlights the unique
living culture that exists and must carefully managed to
be sustained.
To ensure
that tourism activities do not dilute this cultural base,
Anangu Tours works with the tourism industry and
encourages them to promote the cultural aspects of
the Park to tourists, and many companies are rising to this
challenge. Anangu Tours is at the forefront
of these efforts, particularly in the promotion of Anangu
cultural values to an increasingly interested market.
The
entirety of Anangu Tours activities and touring products
are based upon interpreting country and culture: all products
interpret some aspect of the people, their customs and culture,
and their interpretation of the landscape of Uluru Kata
Tjuta National Park. All activities are conducted
with Anangu , for Anangu , with the approval
of Anangu and on Anangu land.
Research
from the Northern Territory Tourist Commission indicates
that 68% of international visitors are interested in Aboriginal
culture. This interest is growing every year.
Visitors particularly want to meet and interact with Aboriginal
people, and hear about their culture directly from them.
Anangu
Tours gives visitors this opportunity to meet with and interact
with Aboriginal people, and hear first-hand of the cultural
significance of Uluru. They know they are getting
authentic information that our guides have learned from
their grandparents since childhood. Indeed Senior
Anangu guides are very strict about who is allowed
to guide on tours, and their cultural information delivery
is checked by them to ensure it is accurate and appropriate
for the ears of visitors.
The
delighted letters we get from visitors from all over the
world and Australia indicates to us that their visit to
Uluru is hugely enriched by hearing about the cultural
values of the Park directly from its traditional owners.
More
importantly, the tourism industry has embraced our tours,
and we are sold strongly by trade throughout the world.
They are recognising that their markets are increasingly
interested in learning more about the heritage and culture
of Uluru, and are less interested in the “come, climb,
conquer and go” mentality of previous times.
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