A new dedicated Indigenous Tourism Development Service to support Indigenous tourism has been announced by the state government.

The Douglas Shire has a strong Indigenous culture and many successful Indigenous owned and operated tourism-based businesses.

Tourism Minister Kate Jones said the new service would work with emerging and established Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander operators to start and grow their businesses and products.

“Now more than ever before, we’re seeing strong demand for cultural tourism experiences in Queensland,” she said.

Tourism Research Australia reports that 351,000 overseas visitors and 116,000 overnight domestic visitors took part in an Indigenous tourism experience in Queensland in the year ending March 2019.

“This provides huge opportunities for the tourism industry and Indigenous communities throughout the state.

“That’s why we’ve developed a new service to help Indigenous tourism businesses start up and expand,” she said.

Ms Jones added the new service announced will provide on-the-ground support for Indigenous tourism businesses, helping them access government and industry services.

“This is about growing our tourism industry to create jobs in Queensland,” she said.

The new service launched will include dedicated Indigenous tourism development officers in Cairns and Brisbane, helping Indigenous tourism businesses to find the services and support they need to take the right steps to get off the ground and flourish.

The announcement comes after Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk named 2020 the Year of Indigenous Tourism.