Aboriginal tourism has thrived in Western Australia, with operators enjoying record interest and participation from visitors across the state, nation and globe, latest data from Tourism Western Australia has shown.

The latest Visitor Expectations and Experiences Research (VEER) 2023-24 report revealed nine in 10 visitors were interested in Aboriginal tourism experiences if they were easily accessible, while a record 36 per cent participated during their visit, the highest level recorded to date.

Western Australian Indigenous Tourism Operators Committee chief executive officer Robert Taylor said he was thrilled with the results and "incredible efforts" of WAITOC and Tourism WA.

"Their dedication to promoting Aboriginal tourism has paid off, with a significant increase in interest and participation," said Mr Taylor, a Nhanda Yamaji man from WA who has been at the helm of WAITOC for the past seven years.

"This marks the highest participation rate recorded to date, showcasing the growing appreciation for the rich cultural heritage of Western Australia's Aboriginal communities."

The latest data showed growth in Aboriginal tourism visitor participation across all markets - intrastate, interstate and international - with native bush food and tour guide experiences of most interest, ranking among the top five most appealing experiences for all three markets.

The biggest gap between interest and participation was also seen in native bush food and tour guide experiences, indicating an opportunity for development of those niche sub sectors.

Indigenous art and culture were most popular across all three visitor segments, with visiting an Aboriginal art, craft or cultural display, and Indigenous galleries and cultural centres, topping the list.

Those who did participate in Aboriginal tourism also continued to rate the experience highly, with 59 per cent saying it was 'excellent' or 'very good'.

The majority of those surveyed between September 2023 and June 2024 said they did not participate in Aboriginal tourism because of lack of awareness of such experiences, while a further 21 per cent did cited a lack of time.

The WA government's previous data on Aboriginal tourism - from 2022 - showed Aboriginal tourism businesses contributed more than $63 million to the state economy and employed more than 500 full-time workers, an increase from the next set of available data from 2016-17, despite the global pandemic and ensuing border closures.

Mr Taylor, who has increased funding and grown WAITOC business outcomes by more than 300 per cent, recently announced a $180,000 grant from the Federal Government's National Foundation for Australia-China Relations would help fund the committee's new Ancient Cultures Meet tourism initiative.

He told National Indigenous Times recently the funding would help Indigenous tourism operators better understand Chinese tourists' perceptions and their demand for Indigenous cultural experiences.

The Ancient Cultures Meet program would support First Nations businesses develop engagement strategies with the Chinese tourism market, highlighting the variety of Indigenous tourism and cultural experiences, and connecting in-bound, Chinese tourists to Australia with Aboriginal tourism operators on the ground.

Mr Taylor hoped the strategy would provide practical solutions for Indigenous tourism operators to connect and communicate their cultural tourism offerings to the Chinese traveller.

"Indigenous tourism continues to be a strategic priority for promoting Australia overseas," he said.

China was Australia's number one tourism export market before COVID-19, but Mr Taylor said that trend did not extend to growth in the Indigenous tourism market, which experienced an increase on the intrastate and interstate visitor front.

"In our experience, China does not even make it into the top 10 markets for many indigenous tour operators in Australia," Mr Taylor said.

"This project is an important first step in the journey to fixing that problem."

WAITOC's opportunity to lure more visitors from China makes sense given the country's close proximity to Perth, which Asian tourists often use as a gateway to explore the vast west coast and rest of Australia.

The full Tourism WA report is available online.