Understanding tourist use of the Great Barrier Reef (B2.1.1)

Task leader: Dr Gianna Moscardo, James Cook University.

Task associates:
Mr James Innes, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority
Mr Col McKenzie, Association of Marine Park Tourism Operators.

The CRC Reef tourism research team have developed and are continuing to build on, a web of reliable and detailed research data which describes tourists who visit the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) and adjacent coastal region.

A series of surveys conducted by the researchers is providing a comprehensive market segmentation profile of visitors to all regions of the GBR. The surveys are varied according to geographic location in the GBR region (ie. outer reef/islands or adjacent mainland coast) as well as changing needs and trends. The surveys contain questions which capture the attitudes, motivations, socio-demographic characteristics, travel patterns, and activity participation and preferences of visitors to the GBR region. The information generated by these surveys can be used for both private and public sector management and marketing of tourism. Information on patters of reef travel and activity participation, for example, can assist planners with decisions about access and the provision of facilities. While information on visitor expectation s and satisfaction can be used to adjust and develop products and promotional campaigns.

Reports from the 2001 database are now available at the B2.1.1 Publications page and include:

• Whitsundays visitor profile
• Dissatisfied visitors: Who are they and why are they dissatisfied?
• Profiling visitors who are residents of the Great Barrier Reef region.
• Ecotourists who visit the Great Barrier Reef

Over 2000 surveys were collected during the second round of data collection from September to October 2002. With the assistance of over 30 operators, visitors were surveyed on large and small day trip boats, island day trips, dive trips, and bareboat cruises in Port Douglas, Cairns, Townsville and the Whitsundays.