The Coorong Wilderness Lodge: A case study of planning failures in Indigenous tourism

•Case analysis of policy process for infrastructure development of an Indigenous tourism business.•Rare emic view as a result of having Indigenous Australian tourism entrepreneur as a co-researcher.•Social construction theory shows dissonant narratives as 1 source of policy failure.•Need creative and dialogic cross-cultural management approaches.

This paper presents a case study of the Coorong Wilderness Lodge (CWL) in order to highlight barriers to success that are in part derived from poor policy and planning supports for Indigenous Australian tourism operators. This analysis assists in filling a research gap on the catalysts to economic success and failure in Indigenous tourism through obtaining rich narratives from public sector facilitators and the Indigenous Australian tourism entrepreneur. Using social construction theory, this paper narrates the story of difficulties in developing the infrastructure between 1995 and 2008. This story highlights diverging views of how such enterprises should be supported which is in part explained by cultural differences, diverging expectations and poor communications across such divides. With the founder of the CWL George Trevorrow as a co-researcher in the project, the paper provides an emic perspective that offers fresh insights into this topic.