Intrepid takes next step at Uluru for reconciliation

Uluru, Northern Territory, Australia - May 28th, 2013: Uluru in the Northern Territory, Uluru, also known as Ayers Rock, is a large sandstone rock formation in the southern part of the Northern Territory, central Australia.

Intrepid has taken a step further towards reconciliation at Australia’s red centre.

Hot off the heels of news that tourists are flocking to the rock before a climbing ban comes into action, Intrepid has reiterated its stance on serving alcohol at the sacred site.

Alcohol has been banned in the National Park since 2007; however, the tourism industry lobbied to have an exemption in the car parks.

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“We’ve stopped serving alcohol in the carpark out of respect for this spiritual place,” Intrepid Travel’s chief purpose officer, Leigh Barnes, told Travel Weekly.

“It’s something that was suggested to us as we were working on our Reconciliation Action Plan and when we consulted with people on the ground and learned more about the situation we decided that it was simply the right thing to do.”

“We are not speaking on behalf of community, nor are we calling for alcohol to be banned. We simply want to show our respects to this sacred site,” Barnes said.

“We felt this was an important part of our Reconciliation journey. Our travellers are still welcome to drink at our campsites which are outside the dry area (located at the resort).

“We stopped at the beginning of the year and have had only positive feedback from our customers when we’ve explained the decision to them.”

The adventure travel company was one of the first tour companies to cease climbing Uluru back in 1998.

As we reported last week, the climbing ban was put in place due to safety and environmental concerns, as well as the landmark’s cultural significance to the traditional custodians of the land, the Anangu people.

Shocking photos of masses of people climbing Uluru came not long after a pic of a human traffic jam on Mount Everest went viral and stunned the world.

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Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au

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