Empowering Indigenous Art Centres Through Digital Transformation: Tourism Tribe at IACA’s Elevate 2025

When Indigenous stories are shared with the world, they build cultural pride, create meaningful connections, and generate economic opportunity for communities. Helping those stories find their audiences in a digital-first world is at the heart of Tourism Tribe’s involvement in the Elevate 2025 Indigenous Artworker Program, a collaborative, hands-on development program, delivered by the Indigenous Art Centre Alliance (IACA) in Cairns in September 2025.

For the third year in a row, Tourism Tribe CEO Liz Ward was invited to lead a part-day workshop and one-on-one coaching sessions, helping Indigenous art centres managers to harness AI-digital and social media marketing tools to extend their reach online, grow community engagement, and build stronger connections with local and international audiences.

About IACA and the Elevate Program

IACA is the peak body representing Indigenous Art Centres across Far North Queensland, the Torres Strait Islands, Cape York, the Gulf of Carpentaria, and tropical rainforest and coastal communities. Its mission is to deliver high-quality services and resources that support excellence in Indigenous art and culture – strengthening a network of centres that are already highly recognised nationally and internationally.

The Elevate 2025 Indigenous Artworker Program, now in its sixth year, creates space for First Nations artworkers to grow professionally, connect with peers, and enhance the cultural and business capacity of their art centres. Supported by the Australian Government’s Indigenous Visual Arts Industry Support (IVAIS) Program and the Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal (FRRR), Elevate 2025 brings participants together for hands-on workshops in Cairns, followed by a field trip to Canberra and further online training.

Digital Marketing and Promotion Workshop

On Wednesday 3 September, Liz Ward delivered a practical learning workshop on Digital Marketing and Promotion, helping participants navigate the fast-changing digital landscape.

The session unpacked:

• AI and the consumer purchase cycle – how tools like ChatGPT are reshaping travel planning, content discovery, and purchasing decisions.
• Content marketing foundations – building practical content plans around storytelling, video, and imagery to engage audiences with limited resources.
• Ethics and realities of AI content – how to use automation without losing authenticity.
• The Online Presence Checklist – making sure art centres in Far North Queensland are visible where it matters: on Google Business Profiles, the Australian Tourism Data Warehouse (ATDW), social platforms, and local search.

Participants worked through a customised workbook, auditing their own digital assets and identifying their top three priorities – whether that was improving their website, managing online reviews, or planning consistent social media content.

The feedback from artworkers was overwhelmingly positive with 100% of participants rating the overall program 5/5 and praising presenters for making each of the sessions engaging, inspiring and practical.

One-on-One Coaching Sessions

To ensure the workshop insights turned into action, Liz also provided personalised coaching sessions. These one-on-one consultations gave artworkers the chance to apply strategies directly to their art centres, tackling areas such as:

• Optimising websites for Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) so they appear in AI-driven search results.
• Strengthening online reputation through review management strategies.
• Choosing the right social channels for their audiences and creating time-efficient posting plans.
• Updating and leveraging ATDW listings to reach both tourism and arts audiences.

The coaching approach empowered participants to leave not only with knowledge, but also with a tailored roadmap for their unique centre.

Building Digital Capacity for Indigenous Art Centres

The impact of this work goes far beyond marketing tips. By strengthening their digital presence, Indigenous Art Centres are:

• Reaching wider audiences — from local visitors to international collectors.
• Creating sustainable income streams through online sales, exhibitions, and cultural tourism.
• Ensuring that cultural knowledge and stories are preserved and shared authentically.
• Building confidence for artworkers to act as leaders within their centres and communities.

This capacity-building directly contributes to stronger, more resilient Indigenous economies and communities in some of Australia’s most remote regions.

A Model with Global Relevance

Tourism Tribe’s involvement in Elevate 2025 also highlights a model that can be applied internationally. Across the world, Indigenous-led cultural organisations are facing similar challenges – how to balance cultural authenticity with the demands of the digital marketplace.

In Canada, for example, First Nations tourism organisations and art centres are equally seeking ways to connect culture with digital capacity. The strategies applied in Cairns – from optimising Google and Bing listings to creating authentic, AI-ready content — are just as relevant for Indigenous communities in Canada looking to grow cultural tourism and online reach.

Tourism Tribe is committed to sharing these learnings and supporting Indigenous organisations globally to thrive in the digital age.

Long-Term Commitment and Impact

This year marked the third consecutive Elevate program where Liz Ward has led the digital marketing and promotion stream. This continuity demonstrates the value IACA places on Tourism Tribe’s expertise and the tangible outcomes delivered for participants year after year.

By building trusted relationships and delivering practical, culturally sensitive training, Tourism Tribe is proud to contribute to a stronger future for Indigenous Art Centres — in Australia and beyond.

Conclusion

Tourism Tribe congratulates IACA on another successful Elevate program and celebrates the six Artworkers who participated in Cairns this year. Supporting Indigenous organisations to build digital capacity is not only essential for community resilience and cultural preservation, but also creates opportunities for international collaboration and recognition.

If your organisation – in Australia, Canada or elsewhere – is seeking to strengthen digital skills and visibility for Indigenous cultural and tourism enterprises, Tourism Tribe welcomes the conversation.

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