The Dilemma of Tourism

The thing with the word tourism is that it is a word often maligned. It means many things to many people. Some people see the happy vibe of going on a holiday or welcoming visitors to their region. Others see tourism as a dirty word that can lead to crowded roads, busy beaches and long waits at the fish n chip shop. There is a saying in the industry when a new product comes along that doesn’t have the support of locals. NIMBY. Not In My Back Yard. And that is the dilemma of tourism or over tourism. We need to be very careful of community sentiment and the social license to operate by ensuring the journey is a collaborative one.  Without this trust, an exciting project could get kyboshed before it even gets to the planning stage. 

When we elevate the conversation of tourism into the lens of the visitor economy, a little more science gets introduced into the discussion. Place making to create vibrant neighbourhoods with new jobs and a selection of great places to stay, eat and drink are all results of developing the visitor economy. It’s the sixth A in planning a destination. Advocacy. Without this the first five can be compromised. And nobody wants to compromise on Accommodation, Activities, Attractions, Access or improving local Amenities. 

I liked what Copenhagen did in 2018 when they declared that tourism as we knew it was over in favour of localhood. The Tourism Organisation released a strategy that talked about tourists being referred to as temporary locals. They made changes to their marketing to promote through others rather than to others which resulted in sharing that sense of localhood with both the temporary and permanent residents. A strategy that we are starting to see in Victoria.