FIGURE 1. THE ENABLERS OF A VIBRANT VISITOR ECONOMY unique. Travellers want experiences that reflect local community, culture and heritage that provide an opportunity for cultural immersion. This might include participating in local festivals and events that are unique to the places they visit, or it could include engagement with and learning about Country from First Nations people.
© SC Lennon & Associates
Essentially, destination management planning is a form of place-making. Councils will typically take the lead in this space as part of their economic development remit, working in collaboration with their government, non-government and industry partners, to address the‘ enablers of a vibrant visitor economy’.
These enablers include the destination’ s natural, built and social environment; its infrastructure and services( entertainment and cultural attractions, visitor accommodation, festivals and events and essential infrastructure such as transport and communications); its systems of information management and delivery( research, branding and marketing, information and wayfinding); and its governance framework, which underpins everything else.
A destination’ s governance framework will be most effective in guiding the sustainable growth of the region’ s visitor economy if served by a collaborative and coordinated approach to research, planning, decision-making, program and project delivery and accountability among local government, industry stakeholders, community groups and other levels of government.
And it goes without saying that to do so effectively requires a strategic, informed and targeted approach to destination management planning, one which is cognisant not only of the profile of the local visitor economy, but importantly, broader tourism trends and influences which, if understood and leveraged, can serve to inform a DMP that will enhance the prospects for growing a vibrant visitor economy in the face of an increasingly competitive tourism landscape.
With this in mind, provided below is an overview of some key tourism trends that economic development practitioners might consider when framing their approach to destination management planning for their shire, city or region.
SOME KEY TOURISM DRIVERS IN THE 2020S Australia’ s and the world’ s visitor economy continues to evolve, perhaps at a faster pace than ever before. A number of current tourism trends and influences worth considering and learning more about can be categorised under four overarching themes: Meaningful & Authentic Travel; Sustainable Travel; Active Travel; and Healthy Travel.
FIGURE 2. TOURISM DRIVERS: OVERARCHING THEMES
© SC Lennon & Associates
Each of these themes is touched on below.
Meaningful & Authentic Travel The travellers of the 2020s are seeking immersive, authentic, educational experiences that are unique to the places they visit. The desire for authentic experiences is driving demand for exploring destinations that offer something
Food and beverage tourism offers another opportunity for unique and authentic experiences. For example, in a world dominated by multi-national corporations and global supply chains, provenance is perhaps of greater importance to today’ s traveller than say, 25 years ago. Many visitors are seeking to learn about the places they visit through culinary experiences and related activities such as food tours through local markets, microbrewery tours, vineyard visits hosted by growers and farm-stays( agri-tourism). Local produce and food and drink experiences will continue to play a role in destination choice, as a central part of the travel experience, and this space will become increasingly competitive.
Sustainable Travel Sustainable and conscious travel has been prominent for some years and will continue to gain momentum. The concept of excessive visitor arrivals known as‘ over tourism’ will remain topical, and destinations will need to find ways to prevent this. Consumer interest in sustainable travel will continue to evolve, moving beyond the idea of‘ no net damage’ to a destination towards one of‘ net positive impact’.
This idea of‘ regenerative tourism’ is about leaving a destination better than how it was found; restoring, enhancing or renewing ecosystems, culture and community rather than merely minimising harm. Conscious travellers want to participate in conservation and cultural exchange as a defining element of their journey; they will pro-actively support local businesses and supply chains where they can and / or they will volunteer in the community where they are staying, providing their holiday with a deeper purpose.
A growing interest in volunteering, understanding and caring for the local environment and authentic engagement with communities in a destination, including First Nations, are playing a bigger
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