November 1-5, 2000

You Are Not Alone
Ecotourism Association of Australia
8th Annual Conference
November 1-5, Lorne and Phillip Island, Oz
By Seth Davidson

No one involved in the nature tourism business Ð or more aptly, no one who has tried to link preservation and restoration of natural resources with the economics of tourismÐno one in this field has failed to experience the depressing sensation at least once of, "Am I the only one who sees these things? Is there no one else on planet Earth who recognizes the incalculable value of tying resources to sustainable, profitable business practices? Is there anyone else out there?"

Without a doubt, yes. There are large numbers of people who see things the same way that you do, who grapple with the same issues, who fight the same battles, and who are rewarded for their efforts with the same kind of empowering, elation-filled results. Every year some of the most progressive, innovative, committed people in the ecotourism field converge to discuss, share, debate, network, and plan the future of the field in Australia. This year, Fermata was privileged to not only attend the conference, but to also make a presentation on one of the key issues currently facing nature tourism planners: is bigger necessarily better?

Australia is the world leader in nature-based tourism by such an overwhelming margin that second place can hardly be considered to be running in the same footrace. Problems? The Aussies have them by the truckload. Impediments to market access, implementation, accreditation, planning, and product development? Down in Oz they wrestle with these demons continuously. So what makes them the world leader?

• First, Australia is the only nation that has awareness across all levels of government and industry that the protection and conservative management of natural resources represent a substantial and critical segment of the nationÕs gross domestic product, as well as representing keys to future economic growth. Do Australians have to fight tooth and toenail for every stand of old-growth forest? Yes. Do they have to constantly negotiate compromises with extractive industries as to the extent of environmental degradation that is acceptable? Yes. Are communities, businesses, and governmental agencies resistant to change? Yes. Despite this, no nation on earth has as much coordination and commitment to its natural resources as a fount of revenue, which fount must be sustained, restored, and revered.
• Second, Australia has no peer for sheer scope, scale, and quantity of outdoor, nature-based resources. Period. The country is a playground, no, a continental-sized playground, for anyone who loves the ocean, the mountains, the marshes, the forests, the grasslands, or the arid landscapes that comprise some of the greatest deserts on earth.
• Third, Australia has the worldÕs best ecotourism association, best because it encompasses government, large corporations, tour operators, state agencies, consultants, educators, and a variety of other entities that, directly or indirectly, have a stake in the outcome of nature-based tourism as it develops down under. By bringing together this motley crew of professionals for its annual conference, AustraliaÕs leaders in ecotourism can ferment ideas, foment change, and promote cohesion over fragmentation.
• Fourth, because the size of the country is grossly disproportionate to its population, entities that in other countries are unable to cooperate, in Australia end up working together at least as much as they compete with each other. Regional competition exists, but so do surprising levels of cooperation.
• Fifth, the breaking wave of ecotourism in Australia has committed itself to plunging ahead in partnership with the native Australians who called the continent home for the forty thousand years prior to the arrival of Europeans. The understanding on an industry level that natural resources can be more fully interpreted by linking travel experiences with the viewpoint and perspective of the first Australians is surely unique in the world today.
• Sixth, the Ozzies are simply more fun than anyone else. Sorry, rest of the world, but theyÕre quicker to smile, quicker to laugh, quicker to bury a grievance or strike up a friendship over a bottle of brew, better surfers, better bushmen, more authentic, more straightforward, and just generally nicer people than everyone else. It may sound biased, but itÕs true.

Fermata also came away from the conference with the realization that although Australia has forcefully pushed itself to the forefront of nature-based tourism by being the first nation to comprehensively address the social, cultural, economic, and environmental impacts of ecotourism, that is still only the first step. Australia has lunged into nature-based tourism full bore, but has now come to a critical stage that can be summed up in one word: marketing. Australia has the supply, the rest of the industrialized world has the demand, but as of today the two have not been formally introduced, much less started going steady. Once they get married, the offspring should be a monstrous hulk, and the way that Australia goes about making this union happen will be of critical importance to every other entity worldwide involved in nature-based tourism. Unfortunately, the conference devoted comparatively little time to exploring marketing strategies for small tour operators and accommodation providers Ð Fermata suspects that the lack was a function of the fact that very few people are competent to discuss it. We are eagerly awaiting the conference in 2001, where we expect this issue to be addressed in greater detail.

The conference was split between two venues, an inconvenient setup because it involved the waste of an entire day transferring to the Phillip Island site, and there was very little in the way of nature-based tourism field trips to illustrate some of the more pressing issues discussed at the conference. Another shortcoming was the fact that the two venues, Lorne and Phillip islands, had no apparent link to nature-based tourism and were, to the contrary, traditional travel destinations with more than their share of tacky attractions. Of course in Victoria there are very few towns that could have handled a convention of this size, so the choice of venues was understandable.

The industry is in its early childhood, having left infancy only a short time ago. We look forward to watching the toddler turn into a titan.

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