Working while travelling: Tourism development opportunities for agricultural regions

While the backpacker visitor has received increasing attention over the past several decades, the notion of backpackers who work during their travels, despite some exceptions, has not been considered in such detail. Therefore, this paper examines the concept of the working backpacker and considers the opportunities this market subset can offer rural and regional areas. Utilising an Australian case study where 234 working backpacker visitors were surveyed; a preliminary analysis of this market is presented as well as the identification of possible implications and opportunities for rural and regional areas, particularly where agriculture dominates the local economic base. The study found that working backpackers, although visiting the area solely for employment purposes, still stimulate demand for tourism products and activities that showcase local assets and culture. Coupled with the fact that working backpackers often stay in these regions for a considerable length of time, the research shows that there is an opportunity for regional and rural areas is to capitalise on this opportunity and expand the economic base by value adding to the working backpackers’ experience through the provision of simple services and activities that backpackers can participate in during their leisure time. It is suggested that such efforts can generate significant economic opportunities for the region through tourism

Tourism as a Vehicle for Sustaining Indigenous Communities: The Australian Government Policy Response

The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which sustainable development principles underpin Australian State and Territory governments’ indigenous tourism policy and planning documents. Although tourism is increasingly being used as an instrument to provide new economic opportunities for Indigenous communities, it is vital that Indigenous tourism development is underpinned by sustainable development principles to ensure that tourism progresses in an appropriate and responsible manner that facilitates sustainable development. The analysis found that the majority of tourism policy documents were not underpinned by broad sustainable development objectives, with limited visions of sustainability that do not address the full gamut of issues affecting Australian indigenous communities and individuals

Comparing supply and demand perspectives of destination competitiveness

The measurement of destination competitiveness usually entails the adoption of either a demand or supply perspective. The former comprises of collecting data from tourists while the latter involves supply-side stakeholders such as business owners and government entities. The overall aim of this paper is to challenge the idea of a choice between the two perspectives and to propose an evaluative framework that combines both: the Supply-Demand Analysis of Competitiveness. Its application is also presented and discussed using the city of Lisbon, Portugal as a case

A national government’s tourism innovation initiatives: A review of tourism development policies in Norway

Innovation in tourism has becoming increasingly important to create destination competitiveness. There is however poor understanding of the national government’s initiatives and role in tourism innovation. This study has reviewed tourism development policies in Norway using content analysis. The result indicates that the government recognises the importance of innovation in tourism and innovation is also encouraged. Nevertheless, through the three significant themes including network and collaboration, innovation in SMEs, and funding and support it has been revealed that government initiatives in developing an innovative tourism industry are not entirely new. In addition, the government may also be playing a too passive role as many of the innovation initiatives are emphasised as the responsibility of the private sector. Further studies which consider policies as well as perspectives of both Government officials and industry representatives or operators are needed in order to further understand government’s role in tourism innovation

Indigenous tourism in Australia: Time for a reality check

Indigenous tourism is positioned as an integral part of Australia's tourism product offering. Yet participation in Indigenous tourism experiences by both international and domestic markets is in decline. The demand for, and interest in, Australia's indigenous culture that has been consistently portrayed by Australian government agencies has not translated into sustainable visitor flows for many indigenous tourism businesses. Therefore, the aim of this research was to explore visitor demand for indigenous tourism through interviews with 1357 international and domestic tourists. To overcome some of the limitations of previous indigenous tourism studies, this study used the 'Attrition Curve of Tourist Demand' to determine if insights could be gained by analysing the consumer decision making process (awareness, preferences and intentions). The results of the research show that while there has been much progress in the development of this niche tourism sector, there is low awareness, preference and intention to participate in indigenous tourism experiences in Australia

“I think … I feel …”: using projective techniques to explore socio-cultural aversions towards Indigenous tourism

Socio-cultural aversions encompass a multitude of avoidant behaviours expressed in different forms and intensities. While there has been an increase in research on aversions that are somewhat underpinned by racism and discrimination, little research to date explores the existence of these aversions within an Indigenous tourism context. This study utilises projective techniques to explore the extent to which socio-cultural aversions may exist and how they manifest towards Indigenous tourism in Australia. Three major themes identified suggest that implicit and explicit socio-cultural aversions exist: 1) racial and stereotypical projections, 2) implicit cultural distancing and avoidance, and 3) ambivalence and indifference. Although less prevalent, non-aversive sentiments were also identified. The study makes a theoretical contribution to Consumer Culture Theory (CCT), specifically to the “consumer identity”, “socio-historic patterning”, and “marketplace culture” streams of research. Practically, product repositioning and marketing strategies are provided for destination managers and tourism stakeholders responsible for Indigenous tourism experiences

Strategic Planning for Local Tourism Destinations: An Analysis of Tourism

This paper reports on a study of the planning practices of local tourism destinations. The tourism plans of 30 local tourism destinations in Queensland, Australia were analyzed to determine the extent to which sustainability principles, namely strategic planning and stakeholder participation, were integrated into the planning process. Utilizing a tourism planning process evaluation instrument developed by Simpson (2001), it was found that local tourism destinations are not integrating sustainability principles in their planning processes