Thursday, 06 February 2020
Grant Hunt, CEO of Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia, has been recognised in the Australia Day 2020 Honours List for his significant service to the tourism and hospitality sectors.
The Order of Australia recognises Australians who have demonstrated outstanding service or exceptional achievement, with individuals appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for service in a particular field of activity.
Grant’s significant contribution to the tourism industry includes his long history with some of the most sensitive and remote destinations in Australia. He has been CEO of Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia since 2018, and previously headed Voyages Hotels and Resorts from 1996-2006. During this period his achievements included the development of Longitude 131 and The Lost Camel Hotel at Ayers Rock Resort, the establishment of the Mutitjulu Foundation and the production of the travel industry’s first report on Corporate Social Responsibility. Under his direction the company grew from a single resort asset at Uluru to a portfolio of 23 hotels and resorts across 17 Australian destinations, many within National Parks and World Heritage areas.
Between his time at Voyages Grant developed his own nature-based tourism company, Anthology, and was owner of Hunt Tourism Services, a specialist advisory service to the experiential tourism and travel sector with a focus on nature-based tourism. He has chaired several key industry boards including The Australian Tourism Data Warehouse, The Commonwealth Iconic Sites Task Force, Tourism Tasmania and Tourism Northern Territory. He also served on the board of Tourism Australia and was a member of the Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park Board of Management.
“It is a huge thrill to receive this recognition. Tourism plays such a significant part in Australia’s economy and it is very rewarding to contribute to this endlessly challenging and evolving sector,” said Grant Hunt
