Tourism's role in the struggle for the intellectual and material possession of ‘The Centre’ of Australia at Uluru, 1929–2011

Tourism at Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park has been a contentious force, shaping the struggle for intellectual and material possession of Australia's 'Centre.' Contrary to prevailing narratives, the Australian National Travel Association (ANTA) actively positioned Uluru as a tourist destination in 1958, embedding it with colonial symbolism to honor explorers and prospectors. This study reveals that ANTA's efforts marked the first phase of a broader conflict over Uluru's heartland, culminating in Anangu's restoration of customary rights in the 1980s. Today, Anangu navigate tourism's dual role—both as a catalyst for change and a potential avenue for reconciliation between colonizers and the colonized. The research traces ANTA's brokerage of travel traditions and tourist gazes, analyzing how these practices formalized climb-based expectations that now face dismantling.

Barnes, J. (2011). Tourism’s role in the struggle for the intellectual and material possession of ‘The Centre’ of Australia at Uluru, 1929–2011. Journal of Tourism History, 3(2), 147–176. https://doi.org/10.1080/1755182x.2011.598575