PRESS RELEASE: Tour operator celebrates five years of sensory tourism with vision-impaired travellers by launching a new destination management service
Since launching in August 2018, Cocky Guides have specialised in providing unique, multisensory adventures for the blind and low-vision community. Now Cocky Guides will operate daily trips to the Bue Mountains for adventure tourism operator Autopia Tours, a strategy to diversify their revenue and grow their capacity to support more blind and low-vision travellers.
Cocky Guides Founder James (Buck) McFarlane says, “We have worked closely with Autopia Tours since we started five years ago. Their expertise in Victoria and the Northern Territory has helped us deliver exceptional tours for blind and low travellers in these destinations. This recent collaboration will ensure that we can continue to grow our team of trip leaders with consistent work and ultimately provide opportunities to schedule more departures for our community of travellers. It’s also a great way for domestic and international visitors to engage with Cocky Guides and our work in tourism whilst visiting Sydney”.
Cocky Guides is a purpose-built social enterprise and accessible tourism business for blind and low-vision Australians, offering fully immersive and engaging sensory experiences to some of Australia’s most iconic destinations like the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland, Uluru in the Northern Territory and Cradle Mountain in Tasmania.
Five key statistics that highlight Cocky Guides contribution to Australia’s visitor economy over the past five years include:
1. Engaging 1,250 blind and low-vision travellers on around 300 sensory tours
2. Visited 60 destinations across Australia
3. Contributed close to $1,000,000 to Australia’s visitor economy
4. Provided approximately 125,000 NDIS participant support hours in a social setting
5. Worked with over 100 Australian visitor economy businesses
Support Cocky Guides by joining or recommending a day tour from Sydney to the world heritage-listed Blue Mountains. Check availability and make bookings at www.cockyguides.com.au/bluemountains
Since launching in August 2018, Cocky Guides have specialised in providing unique, multisensory adventures for the blind and low-vision community. More than 1,200 travellers have visited 60 destinations with Cocky Guides.
Cocky Guides is a licensed Parks Eco Pass operator with NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service and is the recipient of the Silver Award for Excellence in Accessible Tourism at the prestigious 2022 NSW Tourism Awards.
There are over 575,000 Australians who are blind or have low vision. Cocky Guides aims to be the leading support provider for adventure and travel, designed to increase independence, plus social and community participation for blind and low-vision Australians.