Savannah Guides is a network of professional tour guides with a collective in-depth knowledge of the natural and cultural assets of the tropical savannahs of northern Australia.

History

Savannah Guides Ltd was established as a non-profit company in 1988 through the vision of John Courtenay, the Chief Executive Officer of the Gulf Local Authorities Development Association (GLADA) at the time. Its original purpose was to provide access for tourists to unique natural features on private, leased or public property and in a manner which protected the region’s assets. Members were initially drawn from local communities within the Gulf Savannah but the network has since expanded to encompass the tropical savannahs of northern Australia. Savannah Guides continues to contribute to the development of regional tourism, generating employment opportunities whilst conserving our natural and cultural heritage.

Operations

Savannah Guides Sites and Stations have been developed by privately and publicly owned enterprises and feature nature and/or culture based interpretive activities, while mobile Savannah Guides Operators and Master Operators conduct roving tours within and through the region. All Savannah Guides enterprises must incorporate natural or cultural interpretive activities as a prominent part of their business and demonstrate a commitment to conservation values.

Knowledge and professionalism is fundamental to Savannah Guides’ operating philosophy. Three training schools are conducted each year, at varying locations across the savannahs, and feature experts in related fields including ecology, land management and tourism. The Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for the Sustainable Development of Tropical Savannas is a frequent contributor and Savannah Guides in turn, deliver Dry Landscapes subjects in TAFE Queensland’s Heritage & Interpretive Tourism Certificate course.

Enterprise and individual members must meet strict standards of operation and abide by professional Codes of Conduct. The resulting high quality tourism product available across Australia’s north is cooperatively marketed using the network’s financial and human resources.

Resources

Savannah Guides Ltd is managed by a six-member Board of Directors. There are three executive positions; President, Vice President & Secretary and three non-executive positions. All positions are honorary and the Constitution requires one third of the Board to retire each year at the Annual General Meeting. The Board is supported by a part-time Manager, currently located in Darwin, NT.

Financial resources are sourced from membership fees, government grants and corporate sponsorships.

Recognition

Amongst its many awards, Savannah Guides Ltd received worldwide recognition in 1997 when they won the Queensland Tourism Award for Industry Training in the Private Sector and were highly commended at the British Airways Tourism for Tomorrow Awards in London. They went on to win Best Tourism Organisation (World) and were an Australian Divisional Winner in the 2000 British Airways Tourism for Tomorrow Awards.

Goals

Savannah Guides work with many of Australia’s leading tourism, environmental and community organisations to pursue its mission of being an economically sound, community based, professional body which maintains high standards of:

• Interpretation and public education
• Training and guiding leadership
• Natural and cultural resource management

and, through the promotion of ecologically sustainable tourism principles, enhances regional lifestyles and encourages the protection and conservation of the natural and cultural resources of the Tropical Savannahs of Northern Australia.