Nitmiluk Tours is Australia's most awarded Indigenous-owned tourism organisation

Only Uluru and Litchfield are out in front.

The national park recorded another 263,500 park visitors in 2018-19 which Nitmiluk Tour said was its fourth consecutive year of growth.

These numbers might be challenged this year with coronavirus impact on dry season visitors still an unknown.

Nitmiluk Tours was able reflect on the ongoing success of the Jawoyn Association partnership this week after their hat trick of gold awards at the national tourism awards in Canberra last week.

Jawoyn Association chair Lisa Mumbin said Nitmiluk Tours was established with a simple guiding philosophy to 'Share our culture and our country'.

"We've been at this a long time and it's been an amazing (journey) for us. We wanted to challenge the world - in terms of what we can give to tourism".

The national tourism awards win highlights the long term commitment of the Jawoyn people who in 2019 celebrated the 30 year anniversary of their historic partnership with NT Parks & Wildlife to develop tourism at Nitmiluk Gorge and cementing their place as one of the country's most highly awarded tourism operations.

Contributing to the stellar result in 2019 was Nitmiluk Tour's fourth consecutive year of growth, a 94% visitor satisfaction rating and improvements to the organisation's tourism infrastructure; including the continuity of operations during the new visitor centre development.

Nitmiluk's collaborative team provided hospitality and tourism service to more than 263,500 park visitors in 2018-19, converting approximately 25% with tour and/or accommodation activities.

As Australia's most awarded Indigenous-owned tourism organisation, Nitmiluk Tours provided 98 jobs in the Katherine region with 35 per cent Indigenous employment.

Jawoyn-owned Nitmiluk Tours being awarded three Gold and one Bronze at the 2019 Australian Tourism Awards (ATA), an outstanding achievement in recognition of tourism excellence across all facets of the operation.

The Jawoyn launched Nitmiluk Tours in the early 1990s with the purchase of all boat operations at Nitmiluk Gorge.

The popular Nabilil Sunset Dinner Cruise was developed in 2006 with self-contained accommodation at the campground in 2009 and the luxury accommodation at Cicada Lodge designed and built in 2013.

This is the second time Nitmiluk have won gold at the Australian Tourism Awards.

In 2018, Nitmiluk Tours and Cicada Lodge achieved a Gold at the Australian Tourism Awards (ATA) for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Tourism category and Luxury Accommodation at Cicada Lodge.

In 2019, Nitmiluk Tours and Cicada Lodge won gold at NT's Brolga Tourism Awards in all four categories, including those listed above plus the category for Major Attractions, in collaboration with NT's Department of Tourism and Culture; Parks, Wildlife and Heritage Division.

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