- Email: [email protected]
Benefits and costs of tourism
594
RESEARCH
NOTES AND REPORTS
Benefits and Costs of Tourism
University
Bill McLaughlin Colin Aislabie of Newcastle, Australia
“Are Visitors Good for you?” This was the title of the thought-provoking keynote address delivered by Charles Goeldner at the (Australian) National Tourism Research Conference, The Benefits and Costs of Tourism, held at Port Stephens, New South Wales, Australia, October 3-4, 1991. Although the editor of the Journal of Travel Research, based at the University of Colorado at Boulder (USA), suggested the answer was “yes,” he drew attention to the very wide range of arguments presented on either side. To explore this question in more detail, the papers presented at the conference explored four themes: tourism planning, environmental and cultural benefits and costs; tourism development and economic benefits and costs; tourism benefits and costs; contexts, research and frameworks, employment; and tourism benefits and costs; foreign/international perspectives. William J. McLaughlin (University of Idaho, USA) and Betty Weiler and Harold Richins (both at University of Newcastle, Australia) developed an innovative workshop session that used small interactive groups and a computer-aided decision-making technology called “Option Finder.” The purpose was to identify and prioritize the critical research areas that need to be focused on over the next decade in order to ensure that a sustainable tourism industry emerges in Australia. The findings reported were developed using a preconference response form and interactive working groups at the conference. All conference preregistrants were mailed a tourism research inventory matrix which asked them to identify their current areas of research. Approximately 50 % of all attenders responded prior to attending the conference, and a list of 21 topic areas was developed by the workshop designers from the matrix using content analysis procedures. These topic areas served as a starting point or stimulus for discussion for small group interactions held the first afternoon of the conference. Six separate facilitated groups, of approximately 10 persons per group, interacted for 25-35 minutes. Each group independently brainstormed critical tourism research topics that need to be addressed over the next decade. Their views were recorded on large sheets of paper. All of the research areas identified (over 150 items) were content analyzed and those similar were grouped and renamed by two of the workshop designers. They were then reviewed independently by two different tourism researchers to ensure combined items made sense and that all items were considered. This qualitative analysis was done while making every effort to control for bias, given the time available. Nineteen separate research areas resulted from this process. The next day, these 19 research areas were rank ordered using “Option Finder” and a standard paired comparison procedure. In addition, participants rated each area in terms of how satisfied they were with the present research being conducted in that area. Approximately 43 people participated in the ranking, 17 rated as individuals and 13 as pairs. All did their rating simultaneously, using key pads connected in sequence and the results were immediately displayed to the group after the comparisons were completed (40 minutes), using an LCD screen display. In order to ensure that a sustainable tourism industry emerges in Australia, the participants ranked three critical research areas: one, Natural Environ-
RESEARCH
595
NOTES AND REPORTS
ment Impact Research (described as research that identifies the critical ecosystem variables to monitor, natural environment assessment techniques to use, operationalizing the concept of sustainability, and researching landscape and amenity aspects of tourism); two, Economic Impact Research (included research measuring tourist expenditures, continued refinement of economic impact approaches, such as cost benefit and improved cost estimating procedures for tourism products/services); and three, Consumer research (research directed at understanding the tourist, their flow in time and space, their behaviors, attitudes, preferences and expectations, their motivation to travel and their satisfaction with products/services). The workshop designers felt these top priorities were representative of the group attending the conference. A vast variety of research fields and locations throughout Australia were represented among participants. Although academics dominated, representatives of the private sector, the consulting area and government were also present (63 participants all together). If any one academic field was over-represented, it would be economics, likely due to the theme of the conference dealing with “benefits and costs of tourism.” The program at the conference was organized by the three bodies within the University of Newcastle: the Tourism Management Program of the Department of Management, the Department of Leisure Studies and the Environment, and the Development Research Group of the Institute of Industrial Economics. For copies of the proceedings contact the authors. q 0 Cohn Aislabie: Institute of Industrial Economics, University of Newcastle, NewcastleNSW 2308, Australia.
Submitted 17 December 1991 Accepted 24 February 1992
l
Agency Reports United States Travel and Tourism Administration
United
States
Department
David L. Edge11 of Commerce, USA
The year 1991 is the 30th anniversary of the United States Government’s formal legislated involvement in international travel and tourism activities. The United States Travel and Tourism Administration (USTTA) is the Federal Government’s national tourism office. The mission of USTTA is to develop and implement US tourism policy and to conduct marketing programs designed to heighten awareness of this country as a tourism destination. International travelers to the United States numbered almost 42.1 million in 1991, an 8 % increase over 1990. Our largest inbound market is Canada (45% of all visitors in 1991), followed by Mexico (17%), Japan (a%), U.K. (SW), Germany (3%), and France (2%). The US tourism earnings from foreign visitors reached $59.0 billion, up 12%) which improved the 1991 international travel account (the money spent by Americans traveling abroad versus spending by international travelers visiting the country). The receipts
RESEARCH
NOTES AND REPORTS
Benefits and Costs of Tourism
University
Bill McLaughlin Colin Aislabie of Newcastle, Australia
“Are Visitors Good for you?” This was the title of the thought-provoking keynote address delivered by Charles Goeldner at the (Australian) National Tourism Research Conference, The Benefits and Costs of Tourism, held at Port Stephens, New South Wales, Australia, October 3-4, 1991. Although the editor of the Journal of Travel Research, based at the University of Colorado at Boulder (USA), suggested the answer was “yes,” he drew attention to the very wide range of arguments presented on either side. To explore this question in more detail, the papers presented at the conference explored four themes: tourism planning, environmental and cultural benefits and costs; tourism development and economic benefits and costs; tourism benefits and costs; contexts, research and frameworks, employment; and tourism benefits and costs; foreign/international perspectives. William J. McLaughlin (University of Idaho, USA) and Betty Weiler and Harold Richins (both at University of Newcastle, Australia) developed an innovative workshop session that used small interactive groups and a computer-aided decision-making technology called “Option Finder.” The purpose was to identify and prioritize the critical research areas that need to be focused on over the next decade in order to ensure that a sustainable tourism industry emerges in Australia. The findings reported were developed using a preconference response form and interactive working groups at the conference. All conference preregistrants were mailed a tourism research inventory matrix which asked them to identify their current areas of research. Approximately 50 % of all attenders responded prior to attending the conference, and a list of 21 topic areas was developed by the workshop designers from the matrix using content analysis procedures. These topic areas served as a starting point or stimulus for discussion for small group interactions held the first afternoon of the conference. Six separate facilitated groups, of approximately 10 persons per group, interacted for 25-35 minutes. Each group independently brainstormed critical tourism research topics that need to be addressed over the next decade. Their views were recorded on large sheets of paper. All of the research areas identified (over 150 items) were content analyzed and those similar were grouped and renamed by two of the workshop designers. They were then reviewed independently by two different tourism researchers to ensure combined items made sense and that all items were considered. This qualitative analysis was done while making every effort to control for bias, given the time available. Nineteen separate research areas resulted from this process. The next day, these 19 research areas were rank ordered using “Option Finder” and a standard paired comparison procedure. In addition, participants rated each area in terms of how satisfied they were with the present research being conducted in that area. Approximately 43 people participated in the ranking, 17 rated as individuals and 13 as pairs. All did their rating simultaneously, using key pads connected in sequence and the results were immediately displayed to the group after the comparisons were completed (40 minutes), using an LCD screen display. In order to ensure that a sustainable tourism industry emerges in Australia, the participants ranked three critical research areas: one, Natural Environ-
RESEARCH
595
NOTES AND REPORTS
ment Impact Research (described as research that identifies the critical ecosystem variables to monitor, natural environment assessment techniques to use, operationalizing the concept of sustainability, and researching landscape and amenity aspects of tourism); two, Economic Impact Research (included research measuring tourist expenditures, continued refinement of economic impact approaches, such as cost benefit and improved cost estimating procedures for tourism products/services); and three, Consumer research (research directed at understanding the tourist, their flow in time and space, their behaviors, attitudes, preferences and expectations, their motivation to travel and their satisfaction with products/services). The workshop designers felt these top priorities were representative of the group attending the conference. A vast variety of research fields and locations throughout Australia were represented among participants. Although academics dominated, representatives of the private sector, the consulting area and government were also present (63 participants all together). If any one academic field was over-represented, it would be economics, likely due to the theme of the conference dealing with “benefits and costs of tourism.” The program at the conference was organized by the three bodies within the University of Newcastle: the Tourism Management Program of the Department of Management, the Department of Leisure Studies and the Environment, and the Development Research Group of the Institute of Industrial Economics. For copies of the proceedings contact the authors. q 0 Cohn Aislabie: Institute of Industrial Economics, University of Newcastle, NewcastleNSW 2308, Australia.
Submitted 17 December 1991 Accepted 24 February 1992
l
Agency Reports United States Travel and Tourism Administration
United
States
Department
David L. Edge11 of Commerce, USA
The year 1991 is the 30th anniversary of the United States Government’s formal legislated involvement in international travel and tourism activities. The United States Travel and Tourism Administration (USTTA) is the Federal Government’s national tourism office. The mission of USTTA is to develop and implement US tourism policy and to conduct marketing programs designed to heighten awareness of this country as a tourism destination. International travelers to the United States numbered almost 42.1 million in 1991, an 8 % increase over 1990. Our largest inbound market is Canada (45% of all visitors in 1991), followed by Mexico (17%), Japan (a%), U.K. (SW), Germany (3%), and France (2%). The US tourism earnings from foreign visitors reached $59.0 billion, up 12%) which improved the 1991 international travel account (the money spent by Americans traveling abroad versus spending by international travelers visiting the country). The receipts