Cocky Guides for no or low-vision travellers up for a brand refresh and collaboration opportunities

Cocky Guides for no or low-vision travellers up for a brand refresh and collaboration opportunities
Edited by Travel Weekly


Cocky Guides, a tour operator for blind and low-vision travellers, is celebrating its 6th birthday with a brand refresh and opportunities for tourism businesses to join its 2025 schedule.

Cocky Guides has its sights set on engaging more visitor economy businesses and destinations so is inviting tourism businesses to see how they can welcome in blind and low-vision travellers with the support of experienced trip leaders and support guides.

“What makes Cocky Guides extra special, apart from the multi-sensory experiences we create for our travellers, is the power of our advocacy for accessible and inclusive travel,” Cocky Guides leader and founder James “Buck” McFarlane said.

“We advocate by being out and about with boots on the ground, in destinations and working with a wide range of visitor economy businesses across Australia.

“Our brand refresh includes a new logo as a shield, representing an ongoing team effort, plus simple contrasting brand colours on marketing assets for people with low vision who engage with us.”

First launched in 2018, McFarlane tested an idea he had to develop a new way of travel he calls sensory tourism. Sensory tourism seeks to present destinations differently, without sight, for blind and low-vision travellers. Today Cocky Guides is an award-winning not-for-profit, accessible tourism business for blind and low-vision Australians and has returned over $1.5 million dollars to the Australian visitor economy.

There are more than 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.

Cocky Guides guests at Australia Zoo.

Five key statistics that highlight Cocky Guides contribution to Australia’s visitor economy over the past six years include:

  • Facilitated over 1,500 individual passenger movements for blind & low-vision Australians
  • Delivered 385 tours
  • Visited 70 destinations across Australia
  • Contributed over $1,500,000 to Australia’s visitor economy
  • Worked with over 170 Australian visitor economy businesses

If you are an accommodation provider, tourism attraction, or hospitality venue operating within the Australian visitor economy and are interested in hosting a Cocky Guides group send an email to partnerships@cockyguides.com.au.

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

Cocky Guides

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