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Renae's Coverage

Print, digital and podcast features, most recent first.

Inside Small Business

July 2026

Opinion: the "efficiency" upgrade that made small-tourism bookings harder.

Writing in the magazine's Quarterly Vent column, Anissa Renae Kunda argues a government department's new booking platform was pitched as a streamlined efficiency win but has instead created real cashflow strain for small tour operators.

  • The new system demands full upfront payment for commercial sites booked up to a year ahead, unlike the old staged deposit-and-balance model

  • Built for one-off individual bookings, it struggles with the bulk, multi-site bookings commercial operators actually need

  • Basic edits or refunds after a mistake require email requests rather than instant fixes

  • Calls for operators to be consulted before rollout, not surveyed after the fact

Inside Small Business

May 2026

When business becomes family identity: what our children inherit

Published for the 2026 International Day of Families, Anissa Renae Kunda reflects on running a home-based family tourism business and how her children absorbed its priorities without ever being told to.

  • A small moment, her kids falling silent for a business call but not for each other, reveals how much authority the business quietly held

  • Warns that children can inherit a sense of duty toward the business, whether or not it truly fits them

  • Describes her own identity gradually folding into the role of "the one who holds everything together"

  • Argues that stepping away occasionally is what lets kids experience a parent as present, not just capable

Inside Small Business

April 2026

After 35 years knowing the rules, I started again but lost my confidence

Anissa Renae Kunda writes about the disorientation of starting a new venture after three decades running a business in tourism, and asks why so many women in business still feel isolated despite endless advice on offer.

  • Discovered how much invisible infrastructure a mature business quietly relies on, only once she had to rebuild it from scratch

  • Describes the flood of platforms, experts and AI tools as overwhelming rather than clarifying

  • Argues confidence erodes fastest through comparison with others already working the same space

  • Concludes what's missing isn't another system, but honest, agenda-free community

Universal Traveller

Mar 5, 2026

Renae & Roy Kunda: Redefining Luxury Travel on Two Wheels in Cape York

In a first-person feature, Renae Kunda tells how she and Roy turned a love of motorcycles and remote country into a pioneering eco-certified adventure company, and what luxury really means on the trail.

  • Started in 1990 when motorcycles weren't accepted as a commercial tour vehicle

  • Earned the world's first eco-certification for dirt bike tours in 2006

  • Defines luxury as no phone reception, campfire stories and unpolished authenticity, not extravagance

  • Says riders leave stronger, lighter and part of an extended family built on the trail

Inside Small Business

February 2026

Five reasons this global observance matters more to SMEs than you might think

Published for the 2026 International Day of Families, Anissa Renae Kunda reflects on running a home-based family tourism business and how her children absorbed its priorities without ever being told to.

  • A small moment, her kids falling silent for a business call but not for each other, reveals how much authority the business quietly held

  • Warns that children can inherit a sense of duty toward the business, whether or not it truly fits them

  • Describes her own identity gradually folding into the role of "the one who holds everything together"

  • Argues that stepping away occasionally is what lets kids experience a parent as present, not just capable

Region Tropical North Queensland

Nov 27, 2025

Cape York business revs up with Queensland Tourism Award trifecta

Cape York Motorcycle Adventures took gold in the Adventure Tourism category at the 40th Queensland Tourism Awards, completing a run that began with bronze in 2023 and silver in 2024.

  • Renae Kunda called the win a long-held goal and a big moment for the motorcycle industry in tourism

  • The result puts the business in the running for the Australian Tourism Awards in March 2026

  • She credits 35 years of yearly improvement and the bond built over six-day, round-the-clock tours

A Woman's Bible

September 2025

Renae Kunda on leading through the storm: how your mindset shapes your business success

Drawing on 35 years building a tourism business in Far North Queensland, Renae Kunda shares the leadership lessons that came out of legal battles, a cyclone and personal hardship.

  • Rebuilt stronger after a cyclone flooded the property, treating the disruption as a push to make long-overdue upgrades

  • Argues emotional safety is a strategic leadership tool, not a soft one

  • Credits her hairdressing background for a connection-first approach that turns customers into advocates

  • Frames resilience as a skill built through practice, and sharing your story as permission for others to rise

Morning Lazziness

August 2025

Renae Kunda: The "Queen of the Cape" Bringing Life-Changing Motorcycle...

In this founder interview, Renae Kunda shares how the off-road tour company she runs with husband Roy grew from two motorcycles in 1990 into a Far North Queensland institution.

  • Built the business from scratch in 1990 on a passion for exploring remote trails

  • Markets with real, unpolished rider photos instead of stock imagery, betting on authenticity over gloss

  • A Channel 7 Sunrise broadcast from Cape York, complicated by flooded rivers, became a ratings hit and a brand turning point

  • Measures success by riders returning years later, not just kilometres travelled

Inside Small Business

August 2024

Named to the 2024 Top 50 Small Business Leaders

Renae Kunda of Cape York Motorcycle Adventures was named among Australia's 2024 Top 50 Small Business Leaders, the publication's eighth annual report spotlighting standout businesses from around the country.

  • One of 50 business owners recognised nationally in this year's report

  • Featured alongside businesses spanning Indigenous food culture, textile recycling, and health-focused apps

  • Judged by an independent panel, marking the eighth cohort since the report began

  • Report backed by sponsors Business1300 and Commonwealth Bank

SmartCompany

Oct 7, 2021

"Nobody can make plans": Queensland tourism left in the dark ahead of Christmas

Renae Kunda tells SmartCompany that repeated Queensland border closures cost Cape York Motorcycle Adventures around two years of revenue, and that without a firm reopening date she can't decide whether to reinvest for the year ahead.

SmartCompany

Sep 2, 2021

The four key points that judges use to adjudicate business awards

After being invited to judge a prestigious business award herself, Renae Kunda writes about what she learned sitting on the other side of the submissions she'd spent years writing.

  • Judging required signing a non-disclosure agreement and declaring any conflicts of interest before reading a single entry

  • A briefing on unconscious bias reshaped how she now questions her own gut-feel decisions

  • Learned that judges score against the stated criteria, not writing polish, so a non-native English speaker's entry isn't marked down for style

  • Estimated the volunteer role took well over 40 hours across three months, far more than the time originally quoted

SmartCompany

Aug 30, 2021

There's value in the process: why you should enter business awards

Renae Kunda shares seven strategies for tackling award submissions, drawn from her own experience turning a tired, 16-year-old business into an award-winning one just by writing the entry.

  • Treats the "who, what, when, where, why" question as the foundation every other answer builds on

  • Writes each answer to stand alone, since judges often read submissions question-by-question rather than start to finish

  • Recommends drafting content before formatting, so early hours aren't spent making empty bullet points look pretty

  • Notes judges will check your website and social media too, so both need to be tidy before you submit

Location: Cairns, Queensland, Australia

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