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Vic
Govt launches Adventure Tourism Action Plan
By Tony Barnett
Sunday March 3, 2002
Victoria's diverse
adventure tourism attractions could be expected to develop a higher profile,
following the release last month of the State's Adventure Tourism Action
Plan, the Minister for Tourism John Pandazopoulos said.
Speaking at the launch
of Victoria's Adventure Tourism Action Plan 2002 to 2004 (ATAP), Mr Pandazopoulos
said it had identified a number of opportunities to ensure the continued
development of adventure tourism.
"From surfing through
to horse riding - adventure tourism activities contribute to the State's
diversity which is a key strength of Victoria, complementing our successful
Jigsaw Strategy," Mr Pandazopoulos said.
"We want to ensure
that this tourism sector, which has recently faced rising insurance premiums,
continues to grow."
"This plan has a
strong emphasis on partnership with industry and is critical to the future
of adventure tourism."
"The plan addresses
the sustainability of these businesses and proposes a way forward, including
the development of training packages on improved sustainable practices
for the tourism industry."
The launch of the
plan follows the recent announcement by Mr Pandazopoulos of $100,000 funding
from the Bracks Government's tourism rescue package to assist operators
in the development of risk management strategies.
These funds are to
be matched on a dollar-for-dollar basis and will be managed through VTOA.
"The Bracks Government
was the first State Government in Australia to take steps to alleviate
some of the hardships being experienced by the adventure tourism industry,"
Mr. Pandazopoulos said.
"We continue to call
for the Federal Government to take a coordinated approach to this national
issue of rising public liability costs in order to formulate a national
strategy."
The Tourism Action
plan has also identified the need to raise awareness of Victoria's adventure
tourism products and recommends a statewide adventure tourism audit as
well as a national and international marketing campaign.
"Research will also
be undertaken to develop a better understanding of the potential market,"
Mr. Pandazopoulos said.
"Partnerships within
industry will also be encouraged to support this sector."
"Indeed, it is a
close partnership with one of the industry's key stakeholders, the Victorian
Tourism Operators Association (VTOA), which has led to the development
of this plan and I commend the association for its leadership."
Mr. Pandazopoulos
launched the plan at the base of Mt. Buller, amid local calls for support
from operators facing huge increases in public liability insurance premiums.
Mayor Don Cummins
introduced the Minister and explained that adventure tourism is a vital
industry to Mansfield and Mt. Buller.
"It attracts
thousands of visitors, injects vital dollars into our local economy and
employs mums, dads and our youth."
"The biggest
challenge currently facing our adventure tourism operators is the massive
increases in public liability premiums."
"Many of our
operators are struggling with the added expense and some are wondering
for how long they can stay in business," Mayor Cummins said.
"Mansfield is
serious about continuing to be a leader in the provision of adventure
tourism experiences, we will be looking to leverage every opportunity
afforded to us by the Government and by the Adventure Tourism Action Plan
to protect and sustain this vital industry."
After the launch
the Minister departed on horseback, accompanied by icons of the High Country
Chris Stoney, Charlie Lovick, Bruce McCormack, Chris Dunlop and Michael
Watson to experience a taste of the local adventure tourism product for
himself.
"By continuing
to work together, we can harness the growing enthusiasm visitors have
for Victoria's adventure tourism industry and secure long term sustainability
for this important and vital sector," says VTOA Chief Executive,
Simon von Saldern.
"I encourage
all adventure tourism operators to become involved in the initiatives
we have developed."
The first section
of ATAP provides an overview of the industry and a market positioning
statement. Potential target markets are indentified and a competitive
analysis outlined. A number of key issues pertaining to the adventure
tourism sector are also identified, including increases in the cost of
public liability insurance.
Adventure tourism
has been defined in ATAP as "A nature-based tourism activity that
involves a perceived element of risk and is physically or personally challenging
to the partcipant."
Adventure tourism
providers have been classified into four broad sectors following the Adventure
Tourism Forum held at Mt. Buffalo Chalet.
Extreme Adventure
includes activities such as abseiling, rafting, caving, mountain biking,
snow sports and scuba diving.
Horse-riding includes
activities such as horse trail-rides and camel rides.
Soft Adventure includes
activities such as bushwalking, hiking, cycling, aviation and fishing.
Vehicle Touring includes
4WD, bus and motorcycle.
The second section
of ATAP contains four key objectives including a number of relevant actions.
1. To raise awareness
of Victorian Adventure Tourism experiences and subsequently increase the
potential yield.
- Develop a cooperative
domestic and international marketing campaign.
- Improve the Adventure
Tourism component on the visitvictoria.com
website.
- Raise the profile
of Adventure Tourism product within regional campaign committees.
- Generate media
and public relations interest in generalist and strategic publications.
e.g. outdoor magazines.
2. To ensure that
professional and sustainable management practices are developed in consultation
with operators.
- Minimum activity
standards for operators to be developed.
- Develop training
packages and host forums to address the need for improved marketing,
business knowledge, risk management and sustainable practice techniques.
- Promote the benefits
of and encourage participation in accreditation programs.
- Support the operator
licensing program managed by Parks Victoria.
- Investigate opportunities
to minimise the impact of PLI increases on operators including development
of an insurance proposals and claims committee.
3. To provide relevant
research data in a format that satisfies the needs of adventure tourism
operators.
- Conduct an audit
to identify availability and range of adventure tourism product in Victoria.
- Develop and maintain
a comprehensive database of adventure tour operators.
- Survey adventure
tourism product to identify data requirements and provide regular updates
about market trends and visitor statistics.
4. To strengthen
and improve partnerships that support adventure tourism operators.
- Coordinate networking
forums to encourage effective communication between operators and supporting
organisations.
- Distribute information
pertinent to adventure tourism providers through existing industry publications.
- Host an annual
summit on Adventure Tourism to include latest research, accreditation,
insurance, websites, marketing cooperatives and training workshops.
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