Vale Bill King
Australian tourism industry mourns passing of “The King of the Outback”
The Australian Export Tourism Council (ATEC) has paid tribute to tourism pioneer Bill King who sadly passed away on Tuesday.
In its statement ATEC acknowledged Mr King who started tours to central and northern Australia in 1968 with a Land Rover safari wagon carrying four passengers and a driver, initially following the Burke and Wills expedition route.
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While in the early years, ‘Bill King’s Northern Safaris’ success was modest (in the first year the company carried just 30 passengers and lost $9,000), they had opened a new way to experience Australia.
However, through hard work and tenacity (from Bill, his wife Val and his family) the business grew, and as it did it opened up areas such as Uluru Kata Tjuta to Australian and increasingly international visitors.
The company’s first foray into the international market came in 1975 when he participated in the first Inbound Tour Operators Association (ITOA) sales mission to the US and in 1977 following publicity from some visiting journalists and interest from a couple of European wholesalers. Within a couple of years, international visitors comprised 40% of the total business.
In 1980, Bill King’s Northern Safaris merged with Australian Accommodation and Tours to become Bill King’s Australian Adventure Tours, and some years later AAT Kings.
Bill was awarded the ITOA ‘Outstanding Contribution by an Individual to Industry’ in 1982 and in 1983, Bill became Chairman of the organisation which eventually evolved to become ATEC.
During his one-year term, he drove the separation from the Australian Federation of Travel Agents (AFTA) to allow the organisation to prosper as a stand-alone body. In doing so he also led a large jump in membership and fronted the first ITOA sales mission to the US with outstanding success. He was also awarded Life Membership of ITOA in recognition of his contribution.
Following the sale of his touring company, Bill and Val, often in partnership with the late Steve Gregg, spent many years further developing tourism in the Northern Territory, promoting Australia overseas and developing their Glynt by the Sea boutique private hotel on the Mornington Peninsula.
Often referred to as “The King of the Outback” in recognition of his role in opening up Australia’s centre and north for tourism, Bill became the most recognised face of Australian tourism as well as epitomising its best characteristics of resilience, its ‘can do’ attitude and its generosity of spirit.
Upon its 30th anniversary in 2003, Bill was fittingly recognised for his long-term contribution and leadership. The wording on the award aptly encapsulates Bill’s contribution to ATEC and the wider tourism industry.
Mike Parker-Brown is a UK-trained and qualified journalist and an award-winning travel communicator with more than 30 years experience.
Since 2002, Mike has worked as a freelance writer and PR consultant providing his services to major organisations in Australia and internationally in the tourism, aviation, hospitality, recruitment and export marketing sectors.
