\u201cThere was a marked spike in visitation to some regions from the time when West Aussies could only travel within their own state. Some operators in Margaret River found it challenging to cope, actually.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Ben Tassone, who manages the award-winning Margaret River Distilling Company saw a 15% surge in profit, compared with previous years.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was really happy to see the tourists back after the 2020 lockdown,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe biggest issue was catering for the tourists. Even though I worked six or seven days a week and my staff worked long hours, we were generally understaffed during the season.\u201d<\/p>\n
Monitoring the impact of COVID-19<\/h2>\n
Earlier in the year, Australia\u2019s South West Sustainable Tourism Observatory worked with the RAC and WA’s Parks and Wildlife Service to determine strategies that could boost tourism in the region post-lockdown.<\/p>\n
The study found that tourism operators could offset negative consumer sentiment towards travel by offering travel discounts, flexible cancellation policies and social distancing measures. Advertising would be more effective using messaging that encouraged Western Australians to support local businesses and dream about their next getaway.<\/p>\n
\u201cInterestingly, each of these as a single measure weren\u2019t so strong, but together they did counteract the main reasons why tourists wouldn\u2019t have travelled down south \u2013 which were fears of a second wave of COVID-19 and [possibly infected] international tourists coming into the country at the time,\u201d Dr Volgger says.<\/p>\n
The findings helped inform the policies of the RAC, the Parks and Wildlife Service and the observatory\u2019s other partners, including the WA State Government, Tourism WA, Australia\u2019s South West, the Margaret River Busselton Tourism Association, and Expedia.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe idea is to provide timely evidence to our partners so they can make the best possible tourism decisions \u2013 just like we\u2019ve all seen our chief health officers and politicians make decisions based on the latest health data during the pandemic.”<\/p>\n
Ensuring long-term sustainability<\/h2>\n
Following the winter season, the team worked with the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River to analyse the effect of increased tourist numbers, by conducting the region\u2019s first survey of residents\u2019 attitudes towards tourism.<\/p>\n
They found that residents were pleased with the number of tourists, but 94% of respondents wanted the tourists to be more dispersed across the region, instead of being concentrated in towns like Margaret River, Dunsborough and Busselton.<\/p>\n
Residents also wanted authorities to better monitor the impact of tourism, particularly on the natural environment.<\/p>\n
Shire Sustainability Economy Officer Saul Cresswell says the findings support the council\u2019s own efforts to encourage more sustainable tourism practices in the region, as it works towards achieving ECO Destination Certification from Ecotourism Australia.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe certification is about managing tourism impact in a way that benefits both the local community and the environment,\u201d says Cresswell.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe results show we\u2019re on the right track as we begin to look at key ecological assets in the region, what effect tourist visitation has, and how we can promote sustainable travel.\u201d<\/p>\n Dr Volgger says his team are now working with local tourism providers to build a database of best sustainable practices in the region.<\/p>\n It is welcome return to normal for the observatory team. Since launching as the only Australian member of the UNWTO\u2019s network of sustainable tourism observatories in late-2019, the team had planned to research ways of boosting sustainable tourism development in the region, before COVID-19 somewhat shifted their plans.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a region that already has a lot to teach the world, in terms of sustainable tourism development. Many local businesses buy local wine and food, support Indigenous-owned businesses, and there\u2019s a focus on energy and water efficiency. The residents are also conscious that tourism is one of the pillars of why they\u2019re able to make a living there,\u201d Dr Volgger says.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re hoping to compile tangible examples of businesses with really good practices that other businesses can receive guidance from, to help the region thrive even more in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n Read more about Australia\u2019s South West Sustainable Tourism Observatory<\/a>.<\/p>\n Associate Professor Michael Volgger<\/strong><\/a> leads Australia\u2019s South West Sustainable Tourism Observatory and is Co-Director of Curtin University\u2019s Tourism Research Cluster. His areas of expertise include tourism product development, destination management, sustainable consumer behaviour, the sharing economy and inter-organisational cooperation. He has been involved in several applied tourism research projects in both Australia and Europe.<\/p>\n![\"View](\"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Margaret-River-2.jpg\")
Profiles<\/h2>\n