JUNE 1995 NEWSLETTER

THE PERSONAL TOUCH IN REEF RESEARCH

Trained research staff provide the best results in measuring visitor attitudes about the Great Barrier Reef according to a CRC Reef Research Centre Ltd report from James Cook University's Tourism Department.

The investigation to survey what local and international visitors want when they travel to the Reef region for fishing, sightseeing or scuba diving has found `the personal approach' more effective in getting results than posting questionnaires, or having tour operator boat staff hand them out.

The social research project has the support of the tourism industry and Reef management agencies such as GBRMPA. Its long term aim is to build a profile of visitor attitudes, motivations, demographics and activity preferences which helps tourism industry planners and government managers make better informed decisions about the Reef's future.

CRC Reef research assistant Ms Barbara Woods said the Analysis of Great Barrier Reef Visitors project has clearly identified the best method for future data collection.

"We found having trained CRC Reef research staff present at visitor centres, on charter boats and at local tourist attractions handing out questionnaires and talking to people ensured higher response rates. Researchers were able to provide more accurate information than leaving questionnaires with operators to hand out. Even though operators were supportive, their staff just didn't have the time to do the job thoroughly," Ms Woods said.

"This knowledge will greatly assist our team to increase our efficiency and effectiveness in later stages of the research project. It will mean lower costs and higher survey response rates."

"For example, having CRC research assistants hand out and collect surveys is three times more effective in getting results than having day trip boat staff do it for us. We can also find out other valuable information, such as the effects of weather on visitor satisfaction levels with certain operations. This personal touch also increased the response rate on postal surveys, as respondents can be given a clear idea of why the information is being sought and how this will benefit the Reef," she said.

"Postal responses were generally much higher than expected. The response from the Tully Information Centre for example was 55%, compared with the overall rate from all data collection methods of 68%", Ms Woods said.

The findings have surprised some representatives of AMPTO who earlier believed that local tourist operator staff could undertake all the necessary surveys and questioned the effectiveness of postal surveys.

page top | contents | next page