Tourism in a Small Community: Risks and Benefits

This article presents the findings from a Sustainable Tourism Co-operative Research Centre study into the risks associated with the impacts of tourism on the quality of life of residents in a small community in the Australian state of Tasmania. This state is known for its pristine environment and potential difficulty in coping with large numbers of visitors to popular areas. One of the icon regions in the state is the Coles Bay town and the adjacent Freycinet National Park. This research investigates community attitudes to tourism and the potential benefits and risks to this iconic region if the tourism levels are not managed. It discusses the development of indicators to monitor these risks and the problems associated with tourism development. The article provides details of the findings from community workshops and a 2005 survey of the community's ratepayers (n=174). In so doing, the article elaborates on the community perceptions of tourism and the potential risk to both the environment and the community's well-being

Developing and rewarding loyalty to hotels: the guest\u27s perspective

With the changing focus of marketing in the hospitality industry having moved toward relationship marketing and establishing loyalty among customers, it is fundamental for hospitality and tourism organizations to establish what their consumers think in terms of strategies used by hotel properties to secure their loyal customer. This article outlines the results of research conducted with 2,000 5-star hotel guests to establish how frequent guests to two properties on the Gold Coast, Australia perceived the current effectiveness of the marketing strategies used to create guest loyalty. A market segmentation of the different levels of the so-called loyal guest is presented, and a gap analysis of existing versus preferred rewards for loyalty is discussed