Indicator: LD-13 Value of and numbers participating in landscape-based tourism and recreation
Data
| Land based | Partially land based | Possibly land based | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| O/N Trips 000 | O/N Trips 000 | O/N Trips 000 | O/N Trips 000 | |
| 1998 | 13069 | 45372 | 24582 | 83023 |
| 1999 | 15978 | 43041 | 27340 | 86359 |
| 2000 | 19838 | 33879 | 28630 | 82347 |
| 2001 | 19805 | 35656 | 28623 | 78834 |
| 2002 | 22641 | 36301 | 29460 | 88402 |
| 2003 | 23852 | 38151 | 31722 | 93725 |
| 2004 | 19218 | 40770 | 27304 | 87292 |
| *Number of trips where nights are spent away (rather than number of nights away) | ||||
Source: Bureau of Tourism Research - National Visitor Survey
Land-based activities are:
- visits to botanical or other public gardens
- visits to the outback (1998-1999 only)
- visits to farms
- bushwalking or rainforest walks (2000 onwards)
- other outdoor activities (e.g. horse riding, rock climbing, bungee jumping, four wheel driving etc)
- snow skiing (2003 onwards)
- picnics or BBQs
- tourist trains
Activities which may be either land or coasts and oceans based are:
- visits to national parks or State parks
- total outdoor nature group
- go fishing
- charter 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.
For further detail:
For data used in analysis:
The full tourism survey is not available.
What the data mean
Expenditure and numbers participating in several types of land-based tourism have both increased since 1998, although not steadily. Number of overnight trips has increased by less than 4 million.
While this may be a direct indicator of the contribution of land based tourism and recreation to the Australian economy, as an indicator for the non-material (eg spiritual or aesthetic) contribution of the land to human life, it can never be more than a surrogate.
The meaning of any changes in this indicator would require further investigation as such changes could result from a range of causes other than a decline in the non-material benefits humans derive from the natural land environment.
For example, a decrease in numbers engaging in land-based nature tourism, recreation or other activities could reflect:
- a decline in the quality/attractiveness of the natural environment;
- a decline the value humans place on that environment;
- decreased accessibility 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;
- an increase in the accessibility or decrease in the cost of other (not nature based, or not land-based) forms of recreation or tourism;
- an increased ability to access natural values in every day life (for example, 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 land-based nature tourism, recreation or other activities could reflect the converse of any of these, or simply the increasing population.
Similarly, an increase in the aggregated value of land-based nature tourism, recreation or other activities could reflect:
- an increase in opportunities for engaging in this kind of activity;
- an increase in the value humans place on that environment;
- increased payment made for 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 decrease in the accessibility or increase in the cost of other (not nature based, or not land-based) forms of recreation or tourism;
- a 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 land-based nature tourism, recreation or other activities could reflect the converse of any of these.
Data Limitations
The data reported against this indicator are not environmentally significant in their own right but provide a baseline for tracking changes in the contribution of non-material benefits from land sources 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 and expenditure on environment-based tourism against future declines and/or improvements in the aspects of the land environment.
Some changes in expenditure and numbers may be due to changes in categorisation in the survey.
The survey provides data on overnight trips and visitor nights, and so omits day trips.
Issues for which this is an indicator and why
Land - Contributions of land to human life - Non-materials benefits from the land
The number of people paying for activities which allow them to enjoy the natural land 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 life.
Other indicators for this issue:
Human Settlements - Services provided by the environment to human settlements - Recreation from the environment
Both the terrestrial and marine environment provide non-material benefits to human settlements in the form of recreation and other enjoyment. The number of people paying for activities which allow them to enjoy the natural land 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:
- CO-12 Value of and numbers participating in coastal and marine-based tourism and recreation
- BD-25 Tourism activities based in areas of high biodiversity significance
Biodiversity - Utilisation and value of biodiversity - Tourism
Since biodiversity values represent a significant proportion of the aesthetic, spiritual and recreational value of the land environment, numbers seeking recreation from the land environment is to some degree of the utilisation of biodiversity.
Other indicators for this issue:
- BD-25 Tourism activities based in areas of high biodiversity significance
- CO-12 Value of and numbers participating in coastal and marine-based tourism and recreation
Key
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