Values congruity in tourism and protected areas policy: evidence from adventure tourism supply in New South Wales Australia

Tourism is significantly linked to a range of economic fluctuations. This is particularly evident in the recent global financial crisis that has seen a decline in tourist visitation numbers. This situation has seen governments, regional tourism associations and tourism business operators globally, seeking ways to minimize the impact of this decline. While the global financial crisis has had a significant impact upon tourism in general, one area where the decline is less apparent is adventure tourism in protected areas. In Australia, according to McKercher and Robbins (1998), nature-based tourism, which has a strong overlap with adventure tourism, has grown approximately two to five times faster than general tourism. Tourism Research Australia found a steady growth in the number of visitors who participated in nature-based adventure tourism activities during year 2005 to 2007 and estimates that 90% of Australians have participated in such an activity in the last five years. Moreover, in 2008 adventure tourism in Australia attracted more than 17 million international and domestic visitors, contributing in excess of $23 billion to the national economy. However, the policy and management frameworks that underpin tourism in protected areas in some contexts are only now being fully developed. This paper discusses preliminary findings from a study that is examining how this is emerging in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, where policy reform of tourism in national parks is currently being debated. While this debate has some features that make it unique to NSW, it reflects a broader debate that is relatively commonplace wherever national parks and tourism intersect