On this week’s episode of Karryon’s luxury podcast, Luxury Unpacked, host Fiona Dalton chats to Luxury Lodges of Australia Executive Chair Penny Rafferty and Founder and MD of The Tailor Drew Kluska about why Australia is a world-leading luxury destination and how we keep it that way.
“We have lots of hotspots of popularity pain… everyone does sunrise or sunset at particular spots at Uluru. This may be controversial, but just because we’re remote and don’t have a big population doesn’t mean we don’t suffer from it,” says Penny Rafferty.
She says with an increasingly mobilised population, it’s an issue we need to take seriously.
“How do we normalise the concept of capacity and flow and access to place in a way that it isn’t elitist but it means we are managing the incredible resources we have.
“Hotels do it, they tell you how many people you can have in a room, you can’t just turn up and have 10 people in a room for two, capacity management and the flow of people into special places is the challenge we have ahead.”
“Stop measuring the success of tours by numbers only and measure it on the value proposition for all stakeholders.”
Kluska agrees saying, “In Ningaloo it’s a difficult situation because people invest so much to get these means to go and do these trips.
“There’s a balance there with how you support the local community, but there obviously needs some consideration around policy.”
The importance of Indigenous storytelling
“We want to create experiences that are part of a family story… I don’t want an artificial story, I want real authenticity and storytelling, and that’s when it becomes transformational, and it’s quite often when you least expect it,” says Kluska.
Rafferty agrees saying there’s not just a desire from international guests for Indigenous experiences; Australians also want to have at least one “real connection with story”.
“There’s been a cultural awareness and awakening in Australia, we’ve shifted from Indigenous experiences being dots, dancing and didgeridoo to real people’s lives and stories and because of that ancient oral culture, and they are custodians of the environment, that desire to connect comes together.”
She says while we do need to consider overcrowding and not bury our heads in the sand because of our vast landscapes, there are things lining up in Australia’s favour as a luxury destination.
“People want to know a story of place, and there’s a luxury evolving in that we know our time and health are precious, and so we are intentionally travelling in a way that you connect with nature, culture and self.
“If you go back to the routes of travel, we travel to explore and discover, and the majority of that is entrenched in nature or culture, and Australia’s nature and culture is so distinctive and that is what gives us the edge.”
“People don’t need more, they need real,” says Kluska.
“They’re looking for reconnection to self and family, and they want to learn something, and this is where Australia can win.
“People look for participation, not observation.”
Listen to the full episode here:
For more information, partnership opportunities, or to be a guest on the show, contact Karryon’s Partnership Manager Carolyn Nightingale at carolyn@karryon.com.au.
