Knowledge@ASB: Riding the Tourism Waves

As the varying approaches of recent marketing campaigns suggest, Australia’s tourism industry is on a perpetual search for its true identity, slewing between attracting the "platinum" big spenders and the more skint but eager backpackers. The industry fared comparatively well in the economic downturn, and looks set to take off again as more international travellers shift their destination preferences to East Asia and the Pacific. But Australia may have another identity in the mix as it competes for tourist dollars. It’s a natural to pick up on the global trend towards more sustainable tourism – but there is a catch.