Tourism Australia has earmarked Indigenous tourism and cultural experiences as central to securing more lucrative international business events and travelling delegates down under.

TA announced on Monday at the annual Asia-Pacific Incentives and Meetings event in Melbourne its Business Events Bid Fund Program had helped attract $1 billion worth of international events across the country, and contributed more than $4 billion to the Australian economy last year.

The Bid Fund program enhances the bids of Australian businesses against other international destinations in the competitive market to help secure a pipeline of events.

From the financial benefits of hosting events to domestic and international visitors staying pre or post conferences to experience Australia's vast attractions, business events have long delivered fantastic economic benefits, particularly in the state they are held.

Tourism Australia said its latest consumer research showed business event organisers were interested in incorporating Indigenous cultural experiences in their programs, recognising the growing sector as a unique aspect of Australia as a tourist destination.

National Indigenous Times was told successful event bid organisers supported through the Business Events Bid Fund Program were encouraged to include Indigenous cultural and tourism elements in their programs, aware of the growing demand for the niche tourism sector.

In Australia, more than 1.4 million international visitors engaged in Indigenous tourism experiences in 2019 (the last available data), representing six per cent year-on-year growth since 2010.

In Western Australia, interest and participation in Aboriginal tourism continues to surge, breaking new barriers last year.

Tourism WA Visitor Experiences and Expectations Research (VEER) from 2023-24 showed 87 per cent of visitors to the west were interested in Aboriginal tourism, while more than a third took part in experiences.

The sector added $63.8 million to WA's Gross State Product in 2023-24.

Western Australia also played host to last year's World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), which was held in Australia for the first time, secured partly through TA's Business Events Bid Fund Program.

Considered the pinnacle of the tourism industry calendar, the WTTC 24th global summit in Boorloo last October attracted more than 800 delegates and 100 media from across the world to Australia.

The invitation-only event was opened with an official Welcome to Country and cultural performance, while Indigenous speakers and topics sprinkled the program, including proud Yawuru, Karrajarri, Nyul Nyul and Bardi man Johani Mamid, managing director of Mabu Buru tours.

Mr Mamid attributed the success of his Broome-based business to support he received from the Western Australia Indigenous Tourism Operators Council (WAITOC) when he began operating in 2019.

"WAITOC has a program for new tourism businesses that helped me understand how to run a tourism business," he said.

"Then I did a few other programs, which helped us get trade ready, export ready, and learning how to engage with other companies overseas, learning how to sell our tour overseas, to make those sales."

TA surveys consistently found visitors to Australia had a very high level of interest in Indigenous cultural experiences, with the growing sector having vast potential to tap into global interest.

WAITOC chief executive Rob Taylor knows the wave has only just formed for Indigenous tourism, but said the industry needed help to leverage increasing interest from abroad and across Australia in the sector's diverse and unique offerings.

National Indigenous Times recently revealed WAITOC had pitched a plan to take advantage of the trend to experience Indigenous tourism, imploring the WA Labor Government to invest $40 million to leverage business and social opportunities in the sector ahead of next month's state election.

WAITOC was proactive in developing initiatives as it recognised Indigenous tourism operators were ripe for expansion, with Mr Taylor saying timing was crucial to leverage economic and social outcomes across WA.

"Aboriginal tourism is more than an industry; it bridges cultures and promotes understanding, while empowering youth to embrace their heritage and explore careers in tourism," Mr Taylor said.

Tourism Australia research on international business events showed for corporate incentive business events, Australia was regarded as an appealing destination, with a third of respondents spontaneously naming the country when thinking about an event destination.

The data showed 57 per cent were considering Australia for an event in the next two to four years, while 30 per cent had already confirmed events here during the next three years.

Positive attributes that influenced organisers choosing Australia as an event destination included its world-class beauty and natural environments and authentic Indigenous experiences, as well as our climate and friendliness.

Federal trade and tourism minister, Don Farrell, said the Bid Fund Program had helped secure more than 164 first-class business events that were a boon for the economy.

"The business events sector was hard hit by the pandemic but its recovery is strong," he said.

"Every event secured represents more opportunity for local businesses and Australian jobs."

Australian Business Events Association CEO Melissa Brown said business events drove innovation, collaboration, commercial partnerships and long-term policy changes, as well as far-reaching benefits.

"Their impact also reaches regional and remote communities all year round, and provide careers, connections and community," she said.

Total expenditure from international business events for the year ending September 2024 was 94 per cent of 2019 levels, at $4.3 billion, while business arrivals were three quarters of 2019 numbers.