Strategic Tourism Management Plan Today,

¶ … Strategic Tourism Management Plan

Today, travel and tourism is one of the largest industries in the world, and its importance to the survival of some communities has become clearly evident in recent years. According to Harrill and Potts, international tourism remains a consistently productive industry despite periodic downturns in the global economy. During the period between 1950 and 1999, the number of international tourist arrivals worldwide increased from.025 billion to.664 billion and is projected to reach 1.56 billion by 2020; in 1999, gross receipts from international tourism exceeded $1 billion in 59 countries and territories around the world (Harrill & Potts, 2003). With all of this money up for grabs, it is not surprising that strategic tourism management has emerged as an important field of study in recent years. In this regard, while the challenge is great, many communities have been able to achieve spectacular results in improving their tourism levels through careful management and the recognition that their lives are intimately linked with their ability to preserve and promote what resources they have available for this purpose. To determine how effectively the Northern Territory's (Australia) Strategic Plan for Tourism 2003 to 2007 accomplishes this and its other stated goals, this study provides an analysis of the plan according to the insights and trends identified in a critical review of the peer-reviewed and scholarly literature. Relevant organizational online resources will also be consulted, with a summary of the research and salient findings being presented in the conclusion.

Review and Analysis

Background and Overview.

According to the Northern Territory's Tourism Web site, "In December 2002, the Minister for Tourism launched the Northern Territory Tourism Strategic Plan 2003-2007. The Strategic Plan articulated a vision, shared by both Government and industry, for the future growth of tourism in the Northern Territory. It laid out a direction for the tourism industry for five years, outlining a comprehensive set of strategies and setting clear targets" ("NT Tourism Strategic Plan," 2007, p. 1). The strategic plan covers the period between 2003 and 2007, and is in response to the need to promote an increasingly important component of the region's economy. In the "Minister's Foreward," the Hon. Dr. Chris Burns MLA Minister for Tourism reports that, "Tourism is a vital sector of the Northern Territory (NT) economy, directly supporting 8,400 jobs and injecting over $1.026 billion into our economy annually. Tourism plays a crucial part in our day-to-day lives, and will be a fundamental key to our future growth and economic prosperity" ("NT Tourism Strategic Plan," 2007, p. 1). The overall plan is guided by two fundamental goals:

Developing a destination-based approach to future development involving identifying and planning the development of previously under emphasised icons as well as an increased focus on the Territory's tourism 'building blocks' of nature-based and cultural tourism, promoting those areas that provide them with a competitive advantage; and,

Reduce the negative impacts of seasonality to create an environment that will help the ongoing viability of businesses. "The segmentation of the domestic market, identifies target markets for shoulder and low season campaigns. Also detailed in the Plan are those international markets that show the greatest potential" ("NT Tourism Strategic Plan, 2007, p. 1).

These two fundamental goals are critiqued further in the sections below according to the insights provided by relevant authorities and experts in the field.

Strategic Tourism Management Considerations for the Northern Territory..

In the past, policymakers in Australia tended to look upon the Northern Territory as something to use and exploit to their advantage rather than to develop for the good of its inhabitants: "Few students have noted that it is an egregious example of state mismanagement and exploitation of a distant periphery for the benefit of those whose real allegiances lie some 3,200 kilometers distant. Like all faraway frontiers, Australia's north has been seen as a resource to plunder" (emphasis added) (Symanski, 1996 p. 573). Today, strategic tourism management has therefore assumed enormous importance for this region of the country because communities need to be able to support themselves on the basis of whatever resources they have available. In this regard, economic necessity is typically the driving force that fuels the growth of tourism (Hall & Richards, 2000). To the extent that spatially marginal communities fail to attract tourists using their available resources is likely the extent to which they will be it difficult to compete in other spheres with the major metropolitan centres and they may simply cease to exist over time as a result (Hall & Richards, 2000). To this end, the Strategic Plan for the Northern Territory identifies two key building blocks that will provide the basis for tourism growth during the pendency of its program:

Nature-based Tourism; and,

Cultural Tourism a. Indigenous Culture b. History and Heritage ("NT Tourism Strategic Plan, 2007, p. 4).

This approach appears to address the specific predicament in which the indigenous people of the Northern Territory find themselves today. This approach is also congruent with industry experts that recommend using these resources to their maximum advantage, and this is especially relevant for the Northern Territory today. As Myers (2000) emphasizes, "On every conceivable measure of social and economic status, Australian Indigenous are worse off than the general population in Australia. Indigenous infants are 4 to 4.4 times more likely to die before their first birthdays than are non-indigenous babies. Indigenous babies are twice as likely to have low birth weights as are non-indigenous babies. Indigenous death rates from diabetes are 12 times higher than comparable death rates among non-indigenous populations" (p. 361). Moreover, the indigenous people of Australia remain more likely to be unemployed and more likely to remain out of the labor force than their non-indigenous counterparts (Myers, 2000). On the other hand, they have some serious constraints in formulating a strategic tourism management initiative.

For example, one visitor to the Northern Territory reported that he "drove for hours without seeing a bend in the road or another person" (Baker, 1999 p. 3). To this end, the Strategic Plan for the Northern Territory specifically provides that there remains a fundamental need to develop strategies to address access to the region, including:

Developing business cases to attract air carriers to the NT;

Promoting the accessibility and attractiveness of the NT as a cruise destination;

Improving all-weather road access to attractions in the NT (p. 5).

Despite these barriers to transportation, there is much to be gained if a tourist is willing. For example, Baker reports that during subsequent visits to the North Territory, he would come into contact with the Aboriginal people who would fascinate him with their accounts of the Dreaming tracks that zig-zag across the landscape as well as the history of the cattle-station that has affected virtually every part of the area (Baker, 1999). According to Baker "At the time, however, the remarkable Barkly Tableland with its sparse vegetation, vast flatness and ruddy red earth seemed a desolate, lonely, untouched place. At the end of this road was Borroloola, a place of Northern Territory legends, famous for its isolation and history of eccentric European 'hermits'" (1999 p. 3). Furthermore, the Northern Territories have a higher percentage of indigenous people than any other state in Australia today (Myers, 2000).

While a region may be "famous for its isolation," this does not necessarily translate into a marketable feature for many weary travelers that may be daunted by the prospect of driving for "hours without seeing a bend in the road or another person," as noted above. For this purpose, the Strategic Plan has carefully segmented its target markets and the marketers have done their homework. According to the Strategic Plan, the branding of the Northern Territory for the Australian domestic market will concentrate on strengthening the following key attributes:

Australia's Outback

Natural wonders

National parks

Indigenous culture ("NT Tourism Strategic Plan, 2007, p. 6).

Based on their analysis of interstate visitors to the region, the marketers at the Northern Territory Tourism Ministry further divided their market into ten distinct behavioural groups, five of which have been identified as priority target segments; of these, the core segment is Affluent Adventure which tends to include younger and more upwardly mobile visitors generally travelling without children. They are very active, have high interest in wildlife and indigenous experiences, and are the highest spending of all segments. Secondary segments are:

Packaged Culture

Comfort Seekers

Outback Escape

Active Explorers ("NT Tourism Strategic Plan, 2007, p. 6).

An increased focus on the affluent domestic travelers appears to be just what the tourism doctor ordered in the case of the Northern Territory. Nevertheless, in 2001, almost half of the holiday visitors to the Northern Territory were from the international market, but the interstate market continued to account for the largest percentage of nights stayed by visitors and the Strategic Plan concludes that in terms of expenditure, interstate and international holiday visitors are of almost equal value (p. 19). By concentrating on where the money is, though, the Strategic Plan appears to be on the right track in identifying what needs to be done today to help create a sustainable tourism infrastructure for the future.

These initiatives are especially important now because unemployment remains high in the Northern Territory today (Mohatt, 1994), and a lack of educational and employment opportunities has resulted in a paucity of a skilled workforce by mainstream social standards that has contributed to an increased incidence in criminal activity throughout the region (Smith, 2001). According to one authority, "The notion of economic barriers such as job ceilings does not necessarily create disincentives toward schooling or create folk theories which make for ambivalence. Where subsistence living and mixed cash economies form a central part of people's lives, then these so-called economic barriers to school success are much less a factor in school failure in places such as the Northern Territories of Australia" (Mohatt, 1994 p. 183). Nevertheless, the Northern Territory has much to offer domestic and foreign visitors alike today, providing them with a unique glimpse into what is essentially another world for many people: "It is still the case that the Northern Territory of Australia is not only what white people experience; it remains another country for black people. The paintings of Rembarrnga artist Paddy Wainbarrnga, reproduced in a study of modern Australian art, are a rich and dramatic example of the other meanings of history, of country, of morality and of race" (Cowlishaw, 1998 p. 9).

Likewise, there is a rich heritage of myths from the Northern Territory that suggest that people there "live in two kinds of 'space.' To make sense of a native landscape requires a recognition of its limits and beyond -- cosmological (imagined) space" (Hirsch, 2003 p. 817). Indeed, while the Northern Territory may be off the beaten path for some tourists, these foregoing attributes and other opportunities for growth and development are readily available if the wherewithal and resources are available for their development. In fact, like their counterparts in central Australia, the indigenous people of the Northern Territory have a vast cultural and artistic heritage that could be used to their advantage.

For example, the people of Ramingining, Northern Territories, call themselves the "Yolngu"; many of these inhabitants are artists who are being renowned around the world for their rock and bark paintings, sculptures, and weaving: "In contrast to desert painters from central Australia, whose dot paintings have found international renown, Yolngu painters usually employ a distinctive cross-hatching pattern that can cover an entire painting" ("Yolngu Dreamings - Aboriginal Art from Australia's Northern Territories," 2003 p. 86). A recent exhibition of art from this region was held in the United States which could well represent the beginning of an important trend for these indigenous people's efforts to develop a sustainable approach to tourism management: "Exhibitions of art made by Australia's indigenous people are rare in the United States; rarer still are shows devoted to works from Arnhem Land, in which Ramingining is situated" ("Yolngu Dreamings - Aboriginal Art from Australia's Northern Territories," 2003 p. 86).

Place-based communities such as the Northern Territory are good examples of how communities must seek out holistic approaches to achieve sustainability; this approach must taken into account a wide range of environmental, economic, political, cultural and social considerations and remain sufficiently flexible to be responsive to shifts in the tastes and preferences of the tourists they seek to attract. According to Hall and Richards (2000), "In this way there is an implicit recognition that to be truly sustainable, the preservation of the 'natural' environment must be grounded in the communities and societies which exploit and depend upon it. Most natural environments are culturally constructed, and local communities and economic systems may hold the key to their survival or destruction" (p. 5).

This point is also made by Harrill and Potts (2003) who emphasize that it is vitally important to draw on the expertise, knowledge and insights available from the local residents themselves early on in formulating any strategic tourism management initiative "before key, and often irreversible, decisions are made" (p. 233). In this regard, Hall and Richards also emphasize that, "Environmental sustainability is inexorably bound up with concepts of economic, social, cultural and political sustainability. The 'principles of sustainable tourism management' indicate the need to involve local communities in the process of sustainable tourism management and development" (2000 p. 5). Therefore, any such tourism management initiative should seek to include the local populace to the maximum extent possible in the decision-making process as well as how such initiatives are implemented and administered over time.

Guidelines for Developing Effective Tourism Management Programs.

The NT Strategic Plan represents a good start but the competition for domestic and international visitors to Australia remains fierce today and is expected to increase in the future. Notwithstanding the value of the eco-tourism and cultural approaches to tourism development articulated in the plan ("Why adapt the environment to suit tourists...why not attract the tourists who are interested in the natural environment?" -- Kathy Ashford, Information and Resource Officer, NTTC, May 2002 p. 26), there are some changes that are going to be required on the part of the local populace as well as the regional authorities in terms of responding to this dynamic and increasingly competitive environment.

According to the NT Strategic Plan, to ensure its continued viability in the future, the nature-based tourism development advocated in the plan will be guided by three fundamental principles:

Sustainable - ecologically and culturally sensitive development. This should provide an appropriate return to the local community and long-term conservation of the resource;

Interpretive - quality explanation and education of the environment, culture, heritage and tourism experiences;

Destination integrity - consistent and identifiable theming to reflect the Territory's image and uniqueness.

The strategic plan suggests that this responsible and measured approach will provide the basis for sustainable growth without sacrificing the very aspects of the Northern Territory culture that make it attractive to such visitors in the first place. "These principles will help shape future tourism development and will encourage the growth of responsible, ethical and viable business operations" ("NT Tourism Strategic Plan, 2007, p. 26).

While every community and region is unique, of course, a strategic approach to tourism management can be guided by some fundamental principles that appear to apply across the board to almost any region in need of development as follows:

The approach sees policy, planning and management as appropriate and, indeed, essential responses to the problems of natural and human resource misuse in tourism;

The approach is generally not anti-growth, but it emphasises that there are limitations to growth and that tourism must be managed within these limits;

Long-term rather than short-term thinking is necessary;