Economic values of tourism in the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area

Bruce Prideaux and Fay Falco-Mammone

Over 800 visitors to the Wet Tropics were surveyed to estimate the economic contribution of tourism in the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area. The gross economic value was estimated to be $426M - 21.8% of of all tourism expenditure in the region (about $2B). Visitors spent an average of 3.17 days in the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area out of an average stay of 7.36 nights in the region.

The estimation is considered to be conservative. It did not include any multiplier to calculate flow-on economic benefits, nor did it include the expenditure of local residents.

Cultural Tourism in the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area:
A strategic overview for Bama
Sarah Ignjic

The Rainforest CRC together with traditional owners of the Wet Tropics saw a need to undertake a project that would help Rainforest Bama with tourism development in the Wet Tropics. The goal of the project was to identify practical strategies that would assist in cultural tourism development.

The Rainforest CRC would like to thank all of the Aboriginal people, government departments, Aboriginal organisations and other individuals and groups that assisted in the compilation of this Strategic Overview.

 
CONTENTS

• Introduction
• Land Tenure and Management
• Aboriginal Views of the Economic and Cultural Purposes of Tourism
• Aboriginal Tourism in the Wet Tropics
• Critical factors for Aboriginal Cultural Tourism Development
• Rainforest Cultural Tourism Hubs to Facilitate Tourism Enterprises
• Recommendations for Taking a Strategy Forward
• Conclusions