The parent company of the Ayers Rock Resort in Yulara has announced it is considering selling the famed Central Australian tourism business.
The resort, operated by Indigenous-run Voyages, welcomes more than 250,000 domestic and international tourists each year passing through to visit the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park.
Commonwealth entity Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation (ILSC), which owns Voyages, said it had begun assessing options for “alternative ownership” of the resort as part of its goal of returning land to First Nations people.
“The ILSC’s primary objective is to fulfil its statutory obligations of returning land to First Nations peoples, and in doing so, create Indigenous benefit for traditional owners, and local, regional, and national First Nations peoples,” a spokesperson said in a statement.
“With this objective in mind, the assessment is focused on exploring potential alternative ownership options for the operations at Ayers Rock Resort.”
Step in ‘right direction’
In a statement, ILSC group chief executive Joe Morrison said the corporation was moving away from operating businesses on Indigenous land.
“This is a positive step in the right direction for First Nations peoples as we work to fulfil our statutory obligations to return the Yulara land to the local Anangu community as well as ensuring the long-term viability of activities at Ayers Rock Resort,” he said.
“We are committed to getting this right and achieving a positive outcome with Indigenous benefit front of mind.
“This means setting up Yulara for sustainable success over the long term and delivering Indigenous benefit in the immediate future and for generations to come.”
The resort has been the subject of controversy since the ILSC — formerly the Indigenous Land Corporation — purchased the asset for more than $300 million in 2010.
The owners then wrote down the book value of the business to $225 million in 2015, raising questions over the merit of the agreed-upon sale price.
COVID comeback continues
Voyages chief executive Matt Cameron-Smith said it was “business as usual” for his team as the assessment got underway.
“We are fully focused on continuing to provide our guests with an immersive Australian Indigenous cultural experience,” he said.
“Our pipeline of bookings in 2024 and beyond is growing and we are excited to build on our strong momentum at Ayers Rock Resort, particularly as domestic and international tourism continues to rebound toward pre-COVID-19 levels.”
The resort saw a post-pandemic recovery for the 2022-’23 financial year with an average hotel occupancy of 69 per cent, up from 34 per cent the previous year, according to its annual report.
Mossman Gorge Cultural Centre in Queensland, also owned by Voyages, is not part of the review.
An ILSC spokesperson said there would be “ongoing consultation and engagement with the local First Nations peoples to understand their aspirations and in particular who should benefit from the land divestment process and how those benefits are to flow”.
“At this stage, there is no certainty as to what the ultimate outcome of the assessment will be,” the spokesperson said.