It was a line in a column by a well-known travel writer in one of Australia’s leading national travel publications that brought things to a head (in my head). I can’t remember the exact story (I think it might have had something to do with hotel buffets). Still, the statement “anywhere in the civilised world” – clearly referencing the western world – rankled. 

The underlying implication is that other regions, such as Asia, which are big on tourism but are home to many developing nations, are… wait, uncivilised?  

What exactly is the definition of civilisation here? Are we ignoring the thousands of years-old civilisations of, say, Thailand or Vietnam, or is it perhaps the oldest civilisation in the world in the Indian subcontinent that we are overlooking in this sweeping statement?   

Don’t get me wrong, the actual column was well-intentioned, and the writer and publication are both ones I personally respect. It was most likely a passing statement that would have been the default language for the writer.  

And that’s where the problem lies. It is no one individual’s fault. It’s the ongoing stereotyping that, like every other media beat, travel content has also fallen victim to – largely thanks to the unilateral perspective it usually offers.  

Modern travel, for leisure, is irrefutably a pursuit of the privileged, and perhaps that is why (English language) travel writing has almost always been from the perspective of a white traveller. A phenomenon that often ends up reinforcing colonial tropes.   

But the demographic of the average traveller has changed in the past century. You don’t need me to tell you that Australian society is more multicultural than ever, and consequently, so is the average Australian traveller. And yet, the voices in travel content in the Australian media landscape are still overwhelmingly lacking in cultural diversity.  

According to TravMedia, the country’s largest travel media community, there are around 950 full-time travel writers in Australia, and upwards of 2000 who dabble in travel writing across freelance and in-house editorial positions. Nick Wayland, the founder of TravMedia, estimates that around 80 per cent of this cohort is white Anglo-Saxon. 

While it’s not easy to get hard stats for this kind of information, anecdotally, the membership at the Australian Society of Travel Writers, reflects an even higher ratio when it comes to persons of colour. Need more proof? You need only look at the bylines in most Australian travel publications.  

Our national appetite for travel is higher than the global average, and in 2022, over 70 per cent of Australians are planning to travel* – as pent-up demand explodes. According to YouGov, over a third of Australian consumers make travel decisions influenced by what they read in the media. That is a lot of people who are making decisions informed by the view through a fairly narrow lens. 

One element of travel content in Australia I am particularly concerned about is the glaring absence of indigenous voices – especially now that indigenous tourism is (finally) becoming more mainstream, and we are getting a bit more exposure to this incredibly rich culture. Wouldn’t it be nice – and truly authentic – to have someone with an innate understanding of this culture tell us the story, rather than yet another write-up on a ‘dreaming tour’ that smacks of otherness?  

I don’t believe that anyone is intentionally not being inclusive in their approach, it’s a widespread obliviousness to the issue more than anything else. 

I also want to state that most of the mainstream travel writers I have encountered throughout my career are among the most open-minded, curious and ‘woke’ people around. It would be hard to do this job without those qualities. But that still doesn’t change the fact that the lived experiences of people from diverse backgrounds would be different, which alone can bring a whole other layer to the content.  

Overseas, the change is already taking place – slowly, but surely. Australian media still seems a bit behind the eight ball, and the change needs to happen through the ranks. 

Remember that iconic 1980’s Tourism Australia ‘shrimp on the barbie’ ad? While aimed at inbound tourists, it helped define Australia and its people in the context of travel for generations. Perhaps it’s time to update it to add some ‘tandoori or satay chicken’ on the barbie?  

*Various sources including data from Newscorp, Nine and Savvy.com.au