Indigenous tourism in Australia: Time for a reality check

Abstract

Highlights  First national indigenous study with 1357 international and domestic tourists  Attrition Curve of Tourist Demand applied to overcome bias in indigenous surveys  Low awareness, preference and intentions to participate in indigenous tourism  Disconnect between government objectives and the reality of tourist demand *Highlights Indigenous Tourism in Australia: Time for a Reality Check

Factors influencing Indigenous engagement in tourism development: an international perspective

“…Attention was directed to what we described as a paradoxical Indigenous tourism discourse and the various problems pertaining to process and policy design that were found to be responsible for adverse socio-economic and cultural outcomes for Indigenous communities (e.g. Altman & Whitehead, 2003;Ruhanen et al, 2015;Stronza & Gordillo, 2008;Tremblay & Wegner, 2009;United Nations, 2009). Against this critical background, the attempt was made, drawing on the available literature and results from empirical work, to distil lessons for sustainable Indigenous tourism development, and we hope to have been successful in identifying the wide range of factors that influence and enable the realisation of positive Indigenous tourism outcomes.…”

“…The reasons appear to be manifold and include issues ranging from incompatibility with mainstream tourism demand (ongoing cultural engagement), seasonality and generally unsustainable low visitor interest to lack of financial resources and unresolved land tenure / land ownership conflicts (Buultjens & Gale, 2013;Ruhanen et al, 2015;Whitford, Bell, & Watkins, 2001;Zeppel, 2007). Four key factors, which can determine the success of Indigenous tourism development, are discussed below.…”

“…Indigenous cultures have attracted considerable attention in the tourism field in recent years, where "Indigenousness" is widely seen as a key attraction for international and domestic tourists alike, and as an important point of distinction for tourism destinations in an increasingly competitive international environment (Ruhanen, Whitford, & McLennan, 2015). It is no surprise that academic and government discourses on Indigenous tourism have gathered momentum and developed into an important area of inquiry.…”

“…In this context, the tourism industry has been portrayed as a sector that can create economic opportunities for Indigenous people through the development of Indigenous tourism portray tourism, for example, as one À even the only À promising economic option for Indigenous people in remote localities (Altman & Finlayson, 2003;United Nations, 2009). Furthermore, claims of high levels of visitor interest and demand for Indigenous tourism products and experiences appear to be overstated (Ruhanen et al, 2015;Stronza & Gordillo, 2008;Tremblay & Wegner, 2009). In an Australian context, Ruhanen et al (2015, p. 74) point to "a clear divergence between the favourable and optimistic assertions of the Australian public agencies and the realities of visitor flows for the Indigenous tourism businesses".…”

Determinants of island tourism development: The example of Dachangshan Island

“…For example, Keynes (1936) advanced a multiplier principle using a macro-economic model that studied the relationship between the elements providing the foundation for explaining tourism effects and their related effects for researchers in this field of study. Recent international studies on the topic have typically focused on, for example, the evaluation of tourism land use (Balli, Balli & et al, 2016;Lemelin R. H. et al, 2015;Ruhanen L. et al, 2015); tourism communities' participation (Lee, 2013;Yang et al, 2013); the sustainable development of tourism (Buckley, 2012;Budruk et al, 2011;Sanagustín Fons, 2011); and tourism and environmental protection (Wells, 2015;Zu-yong et al, 2013). Meanwhile, research studies in China concerning tourism have chiefly concentrated on tourist resorts (Liu, 2003;Wu, 1998); the evaluation of tourism's resources (Jiang et al, 2004;Li, 2000;Li et al, 2013); the development of tourist destinations (Ma, 2011;Ren & Wang, 2011;Wang & Zhu, 2012); tourism and urbanization (Chen & Bao, 2012;Chen et al, 2008;Zhang et al, 2008), and so on.…”