Indicator: CO-12 Value of and numbers participating in coastal and marine-based tourism and recreation
Data
| C&O based O/N* Trips 000 |
Partially C&O based O/N *Trips 000 |
Possibly C&O based O/N* Trips 000 |
Total O/N *Trips 000 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 18984 | 45372 | 24582 | 88938 |
| 1999 | 18270 | 43041 | 27340 | 88651 |
| 2000 | 17565 | 33879 | 28630 | 80074 |
| 2001 | 17686 | 35656 | 28623 | 81965 |
| 2002 | 18926 | 36301 | 29460 | 84687 |
| 2003 | 20152 | 38151 | 31722 | 90025 |
| 2004 | 20685 | 40770 | 27304 | 88759 |
| *Number of trips where nights are spent away (rather than number of nights away) | ||||
Source: Derived from Bureau of Tourism Research: National Visitor Survey
Coasts and ocean based activities are:
- going to the beach (including swimming)
- going whale or dolphin watching (in the ocean)
- visiting the reef (2002 onwards)
- scuba diving (2000 onwards)
- snorkelling (2003 onwards)
- visit or stay on an island (2003 onwards - assumed to mean a coastal or marine island)
- surfing
Activities which may be either land or coasts and oceans based are:
- visits to national parks or State parks
- total outdoor nature group
- going fishing
- chartering boat, cruise or ferry ride
- water activities
Activities which are not nature based but which might have a nature component (relating to either land or coasts and oceans) are:
- visits to aboriginal sites or communities
- going on guided tours or excursions
- general sight seeing
- going on a daytrip to another place (since this activity shows visitor nights and overnight trips, it must be assumed that these are day trips that accidentally turned into overnight trips.)
The above table is derived from the National Visitor Survey provided by the Bureau of Tourism Research. More detailed explanation of these data can be viewed below.
While the full National Visitor’s Survey is not available, the spreadsheets below give the extract from the data provided by the Bureau of Tourism Research.
What the data mean
Expenditure on the least ambiguous coast and ocean-based activity, going to the beach, has increased since 1998. Other coasts and oceans based activities have been more variable. Whale watching has had ups and downs over the same period. Visiting the reef, scuba diving, snorkelling and staying on islands have been included in the survey more recently, so trends are more difficult to observe, although expenditure on all coasts and oceans based activities declined between 2003 and 2004. Number of overnight trips were slightly fewer in 2004 than in 1998.
Any changes in the value of and numbers engaged in coastal and marine based recreation should not be seen as representing either a decline or an increase in the intrinsic value of the coastal-marine environment, without consideration of changes in pressure on the environment or condition of the environment. Any such changes would require further investigation as they could result from a range of causes, some directly contradictory, other than a decline in the value humans place on the natural coastal/marine environment.
For example, alternatively to a decline the value humans place on the coastal-marine environment, a decrease in numbers engaging in coastal and marine-based nature tourism, recreation or other activities could reflect:
- a decline in the quality of the marine environment;
- decreased accessibility (ie further to travel) of remaining places or activities due to either a decline in the quality of the environment or an increased societal response to protect these areas;
- increased costs of accessing remaining places or activities due to either a decline in the quality of the environment or an increased societal response to protect these areas;
- a increase in the accessibility or the cost of other (land-based or not nature based) forms of recreation or tourism;
- an increased ability to access natural values in every day life (ie without cost, or having to wait for weekends or holidays); or
- an overall decrease in the general standard of living.
An increase in numbers engaging in coastal and marine-based nature tourism, recreation or other activities could reflect the converse of any of these, or simply the increasing population.
Similarly, other than an increase in the value humans place on the coastal-marine environment, an increase in the aggregated value of coastal and marine-based nature tourism, recreation or other activities could reflect:
- an increase in opportunities for engaging in this kind of activity;
- increased costs of accessing such places or activities due to either a decline in the quality of the environment or an increased societal response to protect these areas;
- a decrease in the accessibility or the cost of other (land-based or not nature based) forms of recreation or tourism;
- an decreased ability to access natural values in every day life (ie without cost, or having to wait for weekends or holidays);
- an overall increase in the general standard of living; or
- increasing population.
A decrease in the aggregated value of coastal and marine-based nature tourism, recreation or other activities could reflect the converse of any of these.
Data Limitations
These data are not environmentally significant in their own right but provide a baseline for tracking changes in the contribution of the non-material value of the coasts and oceans to human life which may result from either the declining condition of the resource or from societal responses to that decline. It will be useful to track changes in the numbers engaged in and expenditure on nature tourism and recreation against future declines and/or improvements in the aspects of the marine environment, especially both those that are susceptible to degradation from recreational activities, and those that are most valued when they are relatively pristine and unchanged by human activity.
Some changes in expenditure and numbers may be due to changes in categorisation in the survey.
The expenditure on various activities listed cannot be aggregated as the same dollars may be spent on more than once activity. For example, expenditure on going to the beach and surfing are separated in the survey. However, when one spends money on going to the beach, once may not have to spend additional money on surfing.
The survey provides data on overnight trips and visitor night, and so omits day trips. Given the concentration of Australia’s human population in coastal cities, it might be expected that a substantial component of human enjoyment of the coastal and marine environment is undertaken in the course of day trips.
Issues for which this is an indicator and why
Coasts and Oceans — Contributions of the coasts and oceans to human life - Non-material values benefits (heritage, recreation, aesthetic and spiritual)
The number of people paying for activities which allow them to enjoy the natural coastal and marine environment and the amount they are willing to pay to do so is a partial but legitimate indicator of the value of this contribution to human society.
Other indicators for this issue:
Biodiversity — Utilisation and value of biodiversity - Tourism
A substantial proportion of the spiritual and aesthetic vale of the coasts and oceans to human life may be attributable to the life forms living in the oceans and the coast-ocean interface.
Other indicators for this issue:
- BD-25 Tourism activities based in areas of high biodiversity significance
- LD-13 Value of and numbers participating in landscape-based tourism and recreation
Human Settlements — Services provided by the environment to human settlements - Recreation from the environment
The number of people paying for activities which allow them to enjoy the natural coastal and marine environment, and the amount they are willing to pay to do so, is a partial indicator of the value of the non material contribution of the land to human settlements.
Other indicators for this issue:
- LD-13 Value of and numbers participating in landscape-based tourism and recreation
- BD-25 Tourism activities based in areas of high biodiversity significance
Human Settlements — Liveability of human settlements - Recreation
Millions of people enhance their quality of life each year when they visit Australia’s natural features. access to recreational opportunities is an important indicator for the liveability of settlements.
Other indicators for this issue:
Key
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Links to data in the DRS
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