National Landscapes Program - tourism & conservation

Background

The National Landscapes initiative is a partnership between the tourism and conservation management sectors that aims to capture and promote the best of Australia to achieve conservation, social and economic outcomes for Australia and its regions.

Australia is widely regarded as having one of the world’s most distinct and rich environments. It is also home to the world’s oldest living culture. Its people have a lifestyle that is admired and sought after the world over.

It is these compelling assets that make Australia one of the world’s most desirable visitor destinations – one that must be better interpreted, visited and conserved.

The Program

National Landscapes is an initiative to identify those areas with superlative natural and cultural experiences, distinctive to Australia and sought after by a global audience known as Experience Seekers – the target audience of Australia’s tourism marketing organisation, Tourism Australia.

A landscape goes beyond individual National Parks or iconic visitor attractions. It also is not about municipal or States boundaries. Instead, it is united by its topography, environmental or cultural significance. This approach will encourage greater collaboration between the parties that govern, preserve and promote it.

In identifying Australia’s quintessential landscapes, the aim is to encourage regional planning, including the appropriate provision of access and infrastructure in balance with natural and cultural conservation outcomes.

The National Landscapes project committee includes several Government agencies including Tourism Australia, Parks Australia and the Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources as well as representatives from the key Australian tourism, ecotourism, academic and conservation sectors.

Criteria

• Natural or cultural landscapes that transcend State and regional boundaries and have the capacity to be a major drawcard for national and international visitors;
• Have an existing or proposed management arrangement, ensuring the appropriate development of sustainable tourism services to benefit regional communities; and
• Landscapes that have the capacity to respond to or stimulate consumer demand, have the potential for iconic imagery and the capacity to cater for manageable levels of visitor access without detrimental ecological or cultural impacts.

The Target Audience

There are three things at the core of Australia’s global tourism appeal – our people, lifestyle and environment. There is also a global consumer who finds these assets appealing. These people are known as Experience Seekers.

The National Landscapes program will identify those areas that provide the very best of Australia for the Experience Seeker – people who travel to experience difference and like to “get off the beaten track” and immerse themselves in local culture.

Importantly, the Experience Seeker also stays longer and travels more widely than other visitors – bringing greater benefit to Australia’s regional economies.

Tourism Australia understands this audience well – including their media habits and how they research and book a holiday. This program will match the best of Australia’s National Landscapes to Experience Seeker motivations.

A Catalyst for Strategic Planning

The program aims to enhance the value of tourism to the regional economy and the role of managed protected areas in that economy.

Essential to the success of the National Landscapes initiative will be long term planning that brings together the key players for outstanding tourism and conservation outcomes. This will complement existing State and Territory programs and generate tourism planning and strategy.

The first step for a National Landscape will be destination branding undertaken within the framework of Brand Australia.

This will clearly describe those experiences that are unique to those national landscapes.

Planning will then focus on the necessary facilities and services that will deliver those quality experiences.

Next Steps

The initiative will be launched in December 2006 with the announcement of the first of Australia’s National Landscapes. It is envisaged that the list will be limited to those iconic landscapes which can deliver the essential characteristics sought by the Experience Seeker.

A list of potential candidates continues to be developed to encourage discussion and act as a catalyst for planning for Australia’s stunning natural and cultural assets.

The National Landscapes Committee will continue to work through key selection criteria and the selection process to identify future National Landscapes within Australia.

More Information

More information on the National Landscapes initiative can be found at www.tourism.australia.com/nationallandscapes or by contacting nationallandscapes@tourism.australia.com.