From “Sustainable” to “Regenerative”
Tourism That Gives Back (and Actually Means It)
AT A GLANCE
• Regenerative tourism goes beyond sustainability, helping places thrive, not just survive.
• Bundaberg and the North Burnett are already leading the way through conservation, agri tourism and authentic local experiences.
• From turtle protection to iconic brands and regenerative farming, visitors can actively give back.
• It’s good for the planet, great for communities and smart for business.
For years, “sustainable tourism” was about doing less harm. These days, the conversation has moved on. Regenerative tourism is where the magic happens, where visitors actively improve the places they explore - contributing to the health of our environment, strengthening local communities, and supporting resilient regional economies.
Globally, travellers are seeking more meaningful experiences. They want to understand the places they visit, support local producers, connect with nature, and know their travel choices are making a positive difference. Increasingly, this is shaping how destinations are chosen - and how they are remembered.
Here in Bundaberg and the North Burnett, this isn’t some theoretical ideal, it’s already happening on the ground. Across the region, nature-based and agritourism experiences are helping visitors connect more deeply with place, whether that’s through reef and turtle conservation, our iconic drinks, farm-gate experiences, hinterland landscapes, or community-led storytelling. These experiences do more than showcase our region; they help protect what makes it special.
Bundaberg Tourism stepped deliberately into a stewardship role during this period. Not to operate a tourism business, but to endeavour to navigate barriers, reduce risk and create the conditions for high-quality tourism investment to thrive. Together with driven locals with a vision, the organisation invested time and work into securing the GBRMPA permits to provide certainty rather than control, and focused on building a foundation strong enough to support long-term success…. even if it took years to see the result.
Real Stories, Real Impact
In the North Burnett, Bonnie Doone shows how regenerative tourism can be good for the land and good for business. Producing organic-certified, regenerative beef through a carbon-neutral and climate-positive model, they prove that caring for country and commercial success can go hand in hand.
Their leadership was recognised nationally in 2025 with a Landcare climate innovation award for climate-smart agriculture and environmental restoration.
What sets Bonnie Doone apart is a simple truth: healthy landscapes produce better food. With climate change affecting soils, water and biodiversity, climate action isn’t a philosophy, it’s essential to protecting product quality and the future of this generational family business.
By welcoming visitors onto the property, Bonnie Doone takes the story beyond the paddock. Guests gain a real understanding of regenerative farming and local food systems, while supporting a producer actively investing in solutions. It’s tourism that educates, connects and gives back without compromising values.
Bundaberg Rum: Cheers to Doing Good
Our iconic Bundaberg Rum Visitor Experience is a standout. It was the first tourism operator in Australia to achieve Ecotourism Australia’s Sustainable Tourism Certification, proving that even big legacy brands can lead with purpose. The certification recognises real action like cutting carbon emissions, supporting biodiversity, contributing to the local economy and educating guests about sustainability on tour.
They’ve installed solar power systems, aim for net-zero emissions by 2030, and are part of a broader plan to reduce water use and improve packaging recyclability across the business.
Turtle Sands: A Front-Row Seat to Nature
Nearby at Mon Repos, Turtle Sands is showing how tourism and conservation can be best mates. This next-gen nature stay sits right behind the sand dunes where endangered loggerhead turtles nest, one of the most significant rookeries in the South Pacific.
Built with sustainable design and off-grid solar power, Turtle Sands is all about experiences that respect the rhythms of nature. Guests can enjoy guided, First Nations-led tours and turtle encounters while supporting initiatives that protect nesting habitat, minimise light and noise pollution, and champion marine conservation.
That’s tourism that gives back - helping turtle populations thrive while creating jobs and unforgettable experiences.
Why This Matters (and Why It Works)
Regenerative tourism is good for the planet and it’s good for business. Guests stay longer, feel more connected and leave richer for having visited. For operators wrestling with climate pressures, workforce challenges and rising costs, values-driven tourism builds resilience and purpose.
As a destination, our job is simple: champion the stories that link climate action, food production and remarkable experiences.
Tourism has always been about people discovering places. And the future of tourism? It’s about places thriving because they were discovered.
