Domestic demand for Indigenous tourism in Australia: understanding intention to participate

Abstract

In Australia, low domestic visitor participation rates in Indigenous tourism have negative effects on its sustainable development. This lax demand remains under-examined in published research. This study uses an attribution-based theory, the folk-conceptual theory of behaviour explanation, to investigate how domestic visitors describe their intentional behaviour to participate, or not, in two Indigenous tourism activities (rockart sites and a cultural centre) situated within Victoria's Grampians National Park. Studies in tourism research using attribution theory remain limited; this appears to be the first using folk-conceptual theory. It adopts a qualitative approach using semi-structured interviews and the photoelicitation method with 50 domestic visitors. Results indicate that visitors are more inclined to link "beliefs" than "desires" regarding their intention to participate in nature-based Indigenous tourism activities with connections with history, culture, and learning. However, despite Indigenous tourism being linked to a nature-based environment in the study area, "valuings", "enabling factors", and "causal history of reasons" affect participation levels. While these findings relate to previous research on motivations and barriers, participants' explanatory choices enable deeper insights into visitors' judgements that could then inform strategies to facilitate long-term sustainable Indigenous tourism growth. Understanding demand is central to Indigenous communities attaining benefits from sustainable tourism.

Indigenous peoples and tourism: the challenges and opportunities for sustainable tourism

“…Contributors also posit research questions that are the outcome of direct collaboration with Indigenous peoples (Espeso-Molinero, Carlisle, & Pastor-Alfonso, 2016; Holmes, Grimwood, King, & the Lutsel K'e Dene First Nation, 2016; Reggers et al, 2016;Whitney-Squire, 2016). Several papers were longitudinal ethnographic studies spanning many years (Fletcher et al, 2016;Holmes et al, 2016;Pereiro, 2016;Reggers et al, 2016) whilst others were conducted as more focused analyses of products and visitor markets (Abascal, Fluker, & Jiang, 2016;Espeso-Molinero et al, 2016;Higgins-Desbiolles, 2016).…”

“…The final paper, Abascal et al (2016), examines market demand for existing Aboriginal tourism products (Brambuk Indigenous Cultural Centre and Rock Art sites) within the cultural landscape of the Grampians Gariwerd National Park (Victoria, Australia). Visitor perceptions and preferences for Indigenous experiences were assessed using photoelicitation techniques and interviews at the Grampians and Halls Gap Visitor Information Centre.…”

Indigenous Rock Art Tourism in Australia: Contexts, Trajectories, and Multifaceted Realities

“…Rock art is a key ingredient of the tourism experience known as "cultural" travel, which typically focuses on culturally differentiated destinations, "history", natural landscapes and opportunities to learn and engage with local and/or Indigenous communities, e.g., see (Abascal et al 2016;Bonet 2003;Du Cros and McKercher 2015;Galliford 2011;Tonnaer 2010). Although it is oddly missing from a recent expert review of cultural tourism research (Richards 2018) and from the World Tourism Organisation's latest report (World Tourism Organisation 2018), rock art tourism most certainly exists as a niche type of cultural tourism, if on a variable scale.…”

Socially sustainable ethnic tourism: a comparative study of two Hakka communities in China

“…These experiences require partnerships between ethnic tourism providers, tourism business owners, tourism wholesalers, and government coordinating bodies. To meet market demand for ethnic tourism products, ethnic communities need to actively participate in the decision-making and planning processes to determine those aspects of culture which constitute the foci of tourism experiences (Abascal, Fluker, & Jiang, 2016). Such partnerships in ethnic tourism contribute directly to the ongoing social sustainability of ethnic tourism enterprises, the tourism supply chain and the valuing of the ethnic tourism sector.…”