Sustainable Tourism Assignment: STDP for Byron Bay, New South Wales

Question

Task: Attracting tourists is sometimes considered as an option for boosting a destination’s economy and ‘developing’ a place. Whilst this can be true, there are many other facets to tourism development that need to be considered if it is to contribute to sustainable economic, social, cultural and environmental outcomes. Sustainable tourism development plans (STDPs) are used to strategically assess the true value of tourism to a destination’s development. This assessment task is designed to encourage you to think critically about key aspects of tourism as a strategy for sustainable development in specific, applied contexts.

For this sustainable tourism assignment you are required to develop a sustainable tourism development plan for a location of your choice. The STDP should consider how tourism, as an industry, can address the social, environmental and economic aspirations of the community, by identifying and analysing key issues to be aware of and demonstrating why these elements are important. You should focus on those elements you think are important based on the destination the plan is for.

Answer

Introduction
Plan of sustainable tourism development prepared in this sustainable tourism assignment strategically concerns plans of preserving the environment, as well as this tries to encompass different researches and evaluation prior to ensuring decision on any step of development. All these operations will be done for not permitting intensive misuse of resources in Byron Bay, New South Wales, despite care regarding the preservation of resources.

Byron Bay is considered a small coastal town in the south-eastern Australian state of NSW. This is a famous holiday spot, considered for the beaches, surfing as well as scuba diving scopes (visitbyronbay.com, 2021). Cape Byron state conservation park is on a point with an old lighthouse. From June to November humpback whales can be seen from the lighthouse point and other higher viewpoints such as Captain Cook, Pat Morton, and Three Sisters Lookout (visitbyronbay.com, 2021). This place has also an incredible Minyon Falls to enjoy. This area is famous for the center of the country's cultural amalgamation where people live alongside surfers as well as locals prevented McDonald's from setting up its excellent impacts.

STDP aim
The sustainable visitation policy will introduce the approach of sustainable travel as a base for decision-making in Byron Bay. The results will be steps, which aim to develop the advantages to the environment, people, culture, and business while reducing the adverse influences of over-tourism.

Discussion of the key points of advantages over competitors Key points of attractions
With its vast green hills, rainforest, lush farm locations, and historic places, this location provides a cultural as well as attractive contrast to Byron's beach lifestyles. Cruise the maze of town rads and travelers will soon find various environment-friendly, alternative lifestyles communities as well as small, scenic villages (Atkinson, 2020). The locality is the center of some of the country's best fine dining areas and shopping along with World Heritage listing areas of historical, untouched rainforests (Atkinson, 2020). Visiting this place will provide opportunities for;

• Driving the beautiful background by the Byron Bay hinterland’s ancient villages as well as rainforests (Atkinson, 2020).
• Watching the sunrise from the top areas of an old volcano, Mount Warning
• Picking up a quirky locally made souvenir at one of the local marketplaces

Advantages over competitors
All the travelers will get the chance to visit one of the best local restaurants as well as cafes in Byron Bay with its surrounding pride for locally serving produce to all (Canosa et al., 2019). If travelers want to visit tastes of the Byron Bay hinterland, heading twenty kilometers southwest from the port to the village Newrybar is preferable. The local café and restaurant owners work with the locally sourced food ingredients and materials. If they are unable to locally source, travelers can get the foods from the local kitchen garden. On the other hand, homemade suppliers or picking up an innovative gift at the weekend markets in Bangalow is also another point of uniqueness from the competitors (Gurran et al., 2020). It is where Byron people come to dine, shopping and free themselves from the summer holiday mobs. The ancient core street shops strips have also a varied mixture of homewares, art, fashion items, and others (Gurran et al., 2020). Additionally, most of the place’s farms are considered as a lower influence, organic and some factories are run on a collaborative profit-sharing framework (Weiler et al., 2019). From the above discussion, it can be said Byron Bay has already an eco-friendly and sustainable tourism base for the people who want to visit this location. Thus, developing a sustainable tourism plan for this location will be easy against its competitors.

Discussion on key elements of STDP
The overall STDP elements are listed below.
Making ultimate utilization of eco-friendly resources, which include core elements in sustainable travel development, management of important environment procedures, and assisting to preserve the natural heritage of the location (Nesticò and Maselli, 2020).

Respecting the social and cultural heritage of hosting communities in the location and preserving their created and living heritage values, with the contribution to intercultural knowledge and acceptance (Dodds et al., 2018).

Ensuring visible, longer-term financial functions, offering socio-economic advantages to all stakeholders, which are effectively supplied involving stable employment chances, social service to hosting communities, and reduction of the poverty level (Dwyer, 2018).

The core STDP elements are discussed below.

• Developing proactive measures for protecting the location’s environment and coastal areas
• Investing in developing community-based tourism
• Making famous of the local foods
• Investment in technology and virtual travel products

It has been seen that beyond the co-operative efforts, Byron Bay requires to increase as well as apply strategies for utilizing their present energy sources (Oviedo-García et al., 2019). There is a need for developing solar power energy sources in this area. The element of STDP will also focus on developing more community engagement in Byron Bay. This will help local people to source their foods, hand-made products, and other suppliers to travelers and small businesses. It will help in developing their income level (Oviedo-García et al., 2019). Whether the niche, the technology will offer a chance for locations to start and increase development in niche travel products going beyond basic videos, promotions as sales agent training, and customer promotional technique.

STDP Goals
The STDP goals are listed below.
Within the edge of 2 workshops the below matters have been discussed;

• Sharing map of the sustainable infrastructure
• Developing as well as agreeing on a common vision for sustainable travel within 5 years
• Discussing and agreeing on pilot actions for the tourism action planning
• Discussing application aspects (resources, duties, and others)

The objective of the plan
Development of the awareness for as well as the understanding regarding the biosphere reserve (actions will be increased collaboratively with local stakeholders that are sensitization, proper offers, and others).

Action plan
The sustainable tourism action planning will work for certain desired outcomes and actions: knowledge regarding the biosphere reserve in Byron Bay, knowledge regarding sustainable travel, and develop sustainable travel as well as thus outline the below points.

• An inclusive survey of present offers is important for collecting all present sustainable offerings in the locality
• This is important for establishing proper systems and an enabling eco-system for guaranteeing proper knowledge, accountability, caution, ensure tourism visible, joining forces, and developing the local collaboration (Angelevska-Najdeska&Rakicevik, 2012).
• Through increasing new offerings and helping, partners in new local offers, sustainable and unique travel will be promoted.
• Collaborated with proper training and education providers for local actors in the area of sustainable travel and careful behavior with the living area, quality will be developed in the future (Amerta et al., 2018).
• The effective offer does not assist if this is not articulated, visible, and effectively accessible. Thus, this is important for promoting and clarifying offers for rising the knowledge by inclusive communication and data operations (Angelevska-Najdeska&Rakicevik, 2012).
• In the end, this is important for checking, evaluating, and improving the efficacy of undertaken operations and to get more knowledge regarding travelers (characteristics and requirements) by analyzing and monitor for developing a sustainable development of travel in Byron Bay (Amerta et al., 2018).

Specific measures are listed below.
i. Traveler surveys
This action plan will include a survey question in travel accommodations (intervallic) however also at the planned events (constant) and might also be online.

Application

Table 1: Traveller survey action plan
(Source: Created by the learner)

ii. Byron Bay biosphere reserve partnership system
Increasing the awareness regarding environmental reserves and a sustainable trip is one of the core significant factors in this action planning. Local organizations, actors, and stakeholders do not effort to the development of the locality and offer offerings, however are additionally significant multipliers of the concept of the environment reserve (Job et al., 2017). This action plan targets developing a network of environmental reserve partners from various areas, to advertise the marketing of local products and conversation skills and experiences.

The criteria will present in various core areas, however, above all they will associate with special operations in the biosphere and nature-related services and qualities (health of travelers, energy and climate, local products, sustainable transport, recognition, and collaboration with the environmental reserve and others) (Job et al., 2017). Stakeholders of the process will be provided with proper help by a joint appearance as well as the certificate, also, the internal discussion will be developed and therefore, an effort to the local added values will be created (Hardy & Pearson, 2018).

Application

Table 2: Biosphere reserve partnership system
(Source: Created by the learner)

iii. Training and education efforts
For developing the awareness and make sure a consistent quality, a training policy will be developed, which will outline areas such as local features, nature, and well-being, interaction, improving profiles (Purnomo et al., 2020). These actions will open for staff, businesses, municipality, and operations providers in Byron Bay tourism. A special concentration will be there on core topics of ecological reserves. Those aimed offers must not only interact with the treasures of local areas but also increase knowledge about respectful behavior in this biosphere. Specific emphasis will be there on the engagement of local professionals from travel, agriculture, volunteers, and conservation.

Application

Table 3: Training and education efforts
(Source: Created by the learner)

iv. Development of present communication channels
For informing travelers and locals along with possible regarding sustainable travel, offers and to develop the information and increase the knowledge for the special lifestyle, a modified information webpage is important (Hardy & Pearson, 2018). Thus, the system of the webpage will be revised and modified as well as significant data and contents on sustainable tourism, travel time will be developed and uploaded.

Application

Table 4: website and contents development
(Source: Created by the learner)

v. Yearly core event for travelers and locals
For drawing the concentration to local environmental diversity, a yearly event on recent topics will be arranged. In this framework various thematic areas will be preached and as per developed.

For instance,

• Forest associated education, water, mountain
• Seasonal education
• Earth (local foods, soil condition, and others)
• Air quality and climate

Application

Table 5: Yearly core event for travelers and locals
(Source: Created by the learner)

vi. Environment Digital – traveler navigation in digital media
Providing inclusive, modified and state-of-the-art data is significant for raising the knowledge of travelers, informing them regarding the environment, and ensure present sustainable offers visible (Grilli et al., 2021). Presenting offers along with new ones requires to be conveyed. On the other hand, this is crucial for communicating the offers uniformly to travelers and locals. An interactive app for ads, visitor steering, management will be developed; free to access.

Application

Table 6: traveler navigation in digital media
(Source: Created by the learner)

Conclusion
From the above discussion and sustainable action planning, it has been identified that the policy will be enlarged and agreed on in 2021. This involves also proceeding application of pilot operations as well as other operations of the planning process. The entire procedure of inclusion in the control planning of the Byron Bay sustainable reserve committee is assumed to finish at the end of 2022. By this, this must be guaranteed, which the policy, as well as all actions, are a lasting and continuous part of the yearly program of the sustainable reserve, reductio for the upcoming 5 years. The sustainability goals would be possible to achieve within the time allocated as Byron Bay community and tourism management department have already developing their attraction management works and offering to visitors in a sustainable and locally sources manner.

References
Amerta, I.M.S., Sara, I.M.&Bagiada, K., (2018). Sustainable tourism development. International research journal of management, IT and social sciences, 5(2), pp.248-254. https://sloap.org/journals/index.php/irjmis/Vol.5No.2, March2018,ISSN: 2395-7492

Angelevska-Najdeska, K. &Rakicevik, G., (2012). Planning of sustainable tourism development. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 44, pp.210-220.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.05.022

Atkinson, L. (2020). Guide to Byron Bay's hinterland - Tourism Australia. Australia.com. Retrieved 27 April 2021, from https://www.australia.com/en-in/places/sydney-and-surrounds/guide-to-byron-bays-hinterland.html.

Byron Bay Tourism - Visit Byron Bay. Byron Visitor Centre. (2021). Retrieved 27 April 2021, from https://www.visitbyronbay.com/.

Canosa, A., Graham, A.&Wilson, E., (2019). My overloved town: The challenges of growing up in a small coastal tourist destination. Overtourism: Excesses, discontents and measures in travel and tourism, pp.190-204. DOI:10.1079/9781786399823.0190 Dodds, R., Ali, A. &Galaski, K., (2018). Mobilizing knowledge: Determining key elements for success and pitfalls in developing community-based tourism. Current Issues in Tourism, 21(13), pp.1547-1568.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2018.09.020

Dwyer, L., (2018). Saluting while the ship sinks: the necessity for tourism paradigm change. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 26(1), pp.29-48.https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2017.1308372

Grilli, G., Tyllianakis, E., Luisetti, T., Ferrini, S.&Turner, R.K., (2021). Prospective tourist preferences for sustainable tourism development in Small Island Developing States. Tourism Management, 82, p.104178.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2020.104178

Gurran, N., Zhang, Y. & Shrestha, P., (2020). ‘Pop-up’tourism or ‘invasion’ Airbnb in coastal Australia. Annals of Tourism Research, 81, p.102845.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2019.102845

Hardy, A. & Pearson, L.J., (2018). Examining stakeholder group specificity: An innovative sustainable tourism approach. Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, 8, pp.247-258.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdmm.2017.05.001

Job, H., Becken, S. & Lane, B., (2017). Protected Areas in a neoliberal world and the role of tourism in supporting conservation and sustainable development: an assessment of strategic planning, zoning, impact monitoring, and tourism management at natural World Heritage Sites. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 25(12), pp.1697-1718.https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2017.1377432

Nesticò, A. & Maselli, G., (2020). Sustainability indicators for the economic evaluation of tourism investments on islands. Journal of Cleaner Production, 248, p.119217.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.119217

Oviedo-García, M.Á., Vega-Vázquez, M., Castellanos-Verdugo, M. &Orgaz-Agüera, F., (2019). Tourism in protected areas and the impact of servicescape on tourist satisfaction, key in sustainability. Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, 12, pp.74-83.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdmm.2019.02.005

Purnomo, S., Rahayu, E.S., RIANI, A.L., SUMINAH, S. &Udin, U.D.I.N., (2020). Empowerment model for sustainable tourism village in an emerging country. The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics, and Business, 7(2), pp.261-270. https://doi.org/10.13106/jafeb.2020.vol7.no2.261

Weiler, B., Moyle, B.D., Scherrer, P. & Hill, M., (2019). Demarketing an iconic national park experience: Receptiveness of past, current and potential visitors to selected strategies. Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism, 25, pp.122-131.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jort.2018.06.001

Appendix 1
Action planning overview

Appendix 2
Travellers’ questions