Environments for Tourism Planning Report 2022

Running Head: ENVIRONMENTS FOR TOURISM PLANNING
Environments for Tourism Planning
Student’s Name
Name of the University
Authors note

ENVIRONMENTS FOR TOURISM PLANNING
Table of Contents
Statement of Position.....................................................................................................2
Background....................................................................................................................3
Statement of need...........................................................................................................6
Scope of the proposed plan..........................................................................................10
Proposed process..........................................................................................................11
References....................................................................................................................13

ENVIRONMENTS FOR TOURISM PLANNING
Supply and Demand Gaps in Australian Indigenous tourism
Position Statement
Indigenous tourism is integral part of the Australia tourism product offering, and the
government is quite aware of this fact. Australia is the habitant of several indigenous groups
and cultures. In spite of the event, there remains a remarkable gap between supply and
demand equations in Australian indigenous tourism business. There could be various factors
affecting this scenario. In this report, we would discuss and analyse the reason for declining
and would try to suggest a plan to manage the adverse situation.
Indigenous Tour Agency is the company that arranges trips for the international and
nations travellers mainly to the places of indigenous acquaintance. The traditional tours and
travels to the aboriginal places are organised by this company. The plus factor of this
company is that this company is owned and managed by the indigenous people. It is one of
the leading sellers of traditional activities and tours. This company has its network in more
than 100 countries and comprises of about 9000 travel agents. The mission of Indigenous
Travel Agency is to promote traditional tourism all across the country and across the globe.
This agency is a distribution network of channels who provide products and destinations to
other companies and travel agencies. This agency connects the agencies and people who are
having a specific interest in indigenous tours. The company performs mainly on online
platforms. The company provides complete information on the traditional tour destinations,
specific cultural experiences, knowledge of indigenous groups and packages for the
convenience of the consumers (indigenoustouragency.com 2019). Like all other aboriginal
travel agencies, this company is facing challenges in managing the demands of the
consumers. This report is to address all those issues in a rational way.

ENVIRONMENTS FOR TOURISM PLANNING
Background
The declining status of Australian indigenous tourism is a matter of concern for the
government and the travel agencies. The number of international as well as nation travellers
in indigenous tourism has reduced. The Australian government is putting their efforts in the
development of this tourism sector, but this has certainly deteriorated after 2006 (Mahadevan
2018). The government and companies are claiming stativity in indigenous tourism, but there
are several proofs of its bad condition. The national tour of Australia is immensely affected
by this low market. Several external and internal factors could be at the background of such
term. These are discussed below elaborately (Whitford and McLennan 2013).
Instable Global economy
Turbulence in the global economic conditions is affecting every industry across the
world. The tourism industry is not an exception in this aspect. Customer demand depends on
economic factors. International tourism contexts change with the fluctuation nature of the
global economy (Wu, Wall and Tsou 2017). For example, a country that has strong economic
growth, have higher per capita income level, and these are the customers who would like to
invest in entertainment and tourism. The scenario is completely opposite in the country
having negative economic conditions. Therefore, the instability in international markets has
influenced the number of visitors in indigenous tourism. The number of inbound tourists has
decreased because of this instability. According to Fletcher, Pforr and Brueckner (2016), the
economic problems in the middle-east and Asian countries have cut off the number of visitors
from China, Japan, India and other countries. This serves as an external challenge for the
indigenous tourism industry of Australia.
Customer Perspective

ENVIRONMENTS FOR TOURISM PLANNING
Each and every tourism sector have to understand the nature and preferences of their
consumers. The problem with tourism sectors agencies in Australia is that there has been a
profuse misunderstanding (Seiver and Matthews 2016). The demand for indigenous tourism
products is overestimated by Australian travel agencies. Ageing, the trends of customer’s
preferences in their tours are changing. People are inclining more towards sightseeing and
relaxing activities than challenging tourism.
Figure 1: preference of the tourists in Australia
(Source: Sciencedirect.com)
From the above figure. It is quite obvious that the number of consumers interested in
the aboriginal tour experiences is less in number. The gap in demand of tourism products and
the supply is the result of the wrong estimation to some extent. Experts have the opinion that
the tourism agencies overrated and overestimated the demand of this sector (Zeng and
Gerritsen 2016). That is the reason that the gap has emerged between the supplies of
indigenous tourist products and the demand of the customers.
Lack in Capacity

ENVIRONMENTS FOR TOURISM PLANNING
The aspects of indigenous tourism management are different from the regular tourism
sectors. The tourist agencies often lack the capability and knowledge to operate different part
of ecotourism and native tourism successfully. Indigenous tourism lacks the adventurous
aspects of tourism. This is the reason that people are losing interest in this kind of tourism.
This is not the only reason for this challenging condition of the business (Weaver 2016).
Another perspective of this tourism is that the agencies need to have skilful employees who
would help the tourist’s authentic experiences. Most of the time, they lack the knowledge,
motivation and perception to the whole thing (Triari, Jones and Satyawati 2017). There are a
number of barriers that have to be taken care of to arrange a successful indigenous tour. The
most important among them is the effective communication, accommodation arrangement,
understanding customers need, having knowledge of the cultural aspects of the specific native
people and at the same time having minimal impact on the regular lifestyles of the natives.
Sometimes, the customers have to pay more money for the arrangements in the deep native
lands. Another fact is that every tourist is not comfortable to stay with the indigenous in their
places (Holder and Ruhanen 2019). Agencies are unable to provide good accommodation and
transport facilities to the tourists as well. All these factors are influencing the increasing gap
in supply and demand in Australian indigenous tourism.
Marketing challenges
There has been a lack of market research and promotional attempts in the Australian
indigenous tourism sector. In spite of the events and advertisements of the Australian
governmental websites, the marketing of native tourism is not that effective till now. The first
reason for this condition of marketing lies in the fact that the tourism agencies have failed to
impress their customers with the indigenous tour planning. As opined by Carr, Ruhanen and
Whitford (2016), there is minimal information on the indigenous groups and how the tours
are to be managed. Other than that the companies to add some more activities and cultural

ENVIRONMENTS FOR TOURISM PLANNING
performance if possible. Government and the agencies, both need to take initiatives for the
promotion of indigenous tourism. The ecotourism aspect could be helpful in attracting the
attention of the customers.
It is seen that most of the national people do not have an idea of indigenous tourism
and its perks. Some agencies are imposing the natives from a racist perspective, and this is
reducing the interest of the consumers. The wrong presentation of the indigenous culture is
effecting the business revenue from the sector. Also, most of the indigenous cultures and folk
dances are same in nature. The tourists show less interest in various indigenous cultures as
that seems monotonous to them.
Statement of need
Government
The Australian GDP growth in recent years is influenced immensely by the tourism
industry. The indigenous industry is one of the most significant parts of Australian tourism.
The government of Australia have provisions that encourage the context of tourism in the
country. The role of government in indigenous tourism casts around the transport policies,
travel taxes and funding (Holder and Ruhanen 2017). It is the responsibility of the
government to reform the native tourism through the economic and political way. The main
problem in indigenous tourism is based on the appropriate infrastructure building and
availing them to the travellers.
The travel agencies that organise tours are depended on the aviation and
transportation policies of the government. Therefore, the government of Australia could
increase its flexibility of policies related to international tourism. The Indigenous Tour
Agency has suffered from getting some of the infrastructure complexity and poor
arrangement. Visa application process, managing and reviewing the tourism policies are to be

ENVIRONMENTS FOR TOURISM PLANNING
considered in this context. Also, the government has laws for the indigenous people of
Australia. These laws could serve both as positive and negatively in the tourism business
(Pabel, Prideaux and Thompson 2017). The government could review these laws and
implement them ion away that would provide required facilities for both the indigenous
people and the tourists.
Stakeholders
Influence of stakeholders in any business is the most important part of the policy
setting. The interest of the stakeholders in an organisational and sector are different. The
organisations have to manage all these interests efficiently to get the utmost benefit out of it.
In the tourism industry, stakeholders are the government, tourism companies, agents, tourists
and indigenous people (Marrie and Prideaux 2019). The tourism companies have to take
special care that their tour plans are not casting any negative impact on the lives of the native
people. The native people could gain benefits from these tour arrangements. Sustainable
indigenous tourism planning could influence the lives of the people in all positive ways.
Stakeholders are an important part of the decision making the process. It is necessary
for the organisation to understand the needs and interest of the stakeholders and fulfil their
requirements to get success in business. Indigenous Tour Agency need to develop a skilful
employee base for their tourism business as the company works with the indigenous people
one positive aspect is that these people understand the culture of the natives of Australia and
they could easily get access to the core parts of the indigenous habitants (Espinosa Abascal,
Fluker and Jiang 2015). The problem might arise if there is a communication gap between the
company employees and the other agents or consumers. Employees are major stakeholders of
a company who control the functions and operations at every level. Other important

ENVIRONMENTS FOR TOURISM PLANNING
stakeholders are consumers. The company is facing some problems in earning revenue
because of the changing trends in indigenous tourism.
Business
An effective business plan is needed to achieve success in these challenging
situations. The Indigenous Tour Agency is going through a phase where the company has to
reconsider the business decisions and make plans work properly. In international tourism, the
aspects of market and promotion have to be given importance. The next step is to take care of
the stakeholders. The market research has to be done before thinking of any change in
operations of the company (Ruhanen and Whitford 2017). The target consumers for
indigenous tourism in Australia are mainly Asian and national tourists. Therefore, while
arranging the tours or contacting the agents worldwide, the company has to evaluate the
needs of the target markets.
The business scope in indigenous tourism is varied. The company that wants to get
profit in this sector could explore a number of aspects of the native life. This could be based
on the ecotourism, native cultures, lifestyles or life experiences with the natives. It would be
helpful for the travelling agency to decide whether it wants to use one aspect or all of them.
The agencies, on the other hand, should introduce a number of plans that would increase
interest among the people to be a part of indigenous tours.
Understanding Customers
It is the changing trends of the customer’s choice that influences the market the most.
Therefore, understanding the demand of the customers is significant for decision making.
Tourists from national and international countries have shown their interest in indigenous
races of Australia. The agencies need to introduce planning that would grow their inclination
towards the native tourism of Australia. There should be different plans for different

ENVIRONMENTS FOR TOURISM PLANNING
customers. Some of the customers might want to experience the native life closely, while
others might want to have a slight overview of it. Once the agents become aware of the
customer's type, they could be able to treat the customers accordingly (Whitford and Ruhanen
2016). Again, the variety of indigenous tourism products would increase the scope of
business and customer acquaintance at the same time.
National consumers are slightly aware of the cultural aspects of the indigenous
people. Therefore, they want some new touch to their tour schedule with the indigenous
people. While planning for international consumers are more challenging as the agencies
have to prepare a fascinating and knowledgeable tour itinerary with maximum utilisation of
time and money (Abascal, Fluker and Jiang 2016). The role of understanding the nature and
demands of the consumer lies in the fact that it would reduce the gap between overestimation
and real market demands.
State Interference
Importance of state government rules and provisions needed to be understood and
implemented in tourism planning. The government of Australia plays a pivotal role in
promotion and development of indigenous tourism. Tourism Australia has its own segments
that give information about the indigenous people and tourism related to it
(tourism.australia.com 2019). The companies have to know about the policies for indigenous
tourism before starting any planning. Sustainable tourism in the native lands is the pivotal
aim of aboriginal tourism. There could be government interference if any agency would
violate the regulations. Aviation policies, tourism taxes, indigenous people welfare laws- all
are the necessary government policies that a company has to keep in mind. The Australian
government has developed its regulations in a way that would benefit both the agencies and
the lifestyles of the aboriginals in this country (Ruhanen, Whitford and McLennan 2015).

ENVIRONMENTS FOR TOURISM PLANNING
This country is the place of a number of aboriginal races, and the government is active in
preserving their authenticity. At the same time, it is helping the tourism sectors to flourish
through funding as well as flexible policies.
Scope of the proposed plan
The policy for getting better results in indigenous Australian tourism and reducing the
gap between the supply and demand of this sector products need to be executed in several
steps. These steps or approaches are described in this section, elaborately.
Examining the market
First, the company needs to do the required market research for understanding the
status of aboriginal tourism in the present context. This could be done by going through the
data that are available in the official websites of the Australian government. The market
researches would help a tourism agency to get an overview of the problems that the market is
facing (Whitford and McLennan 2013). Discerning the reason for the declination is a
business is necessary to develop the solution plan. This examination would be done in the
context of trends, consumer’s preference, types of consumers and government initiative to
improve indigenous tourism.
Identifying the potential customer’s needs
The second step of the planning is to identify what the consumers actually want from
their agents. The Travel agency might run some survey as to what the customers want in their
activities when they are visiting Australia. Whether they want to have a whole someday with
the communities or they want to have a two hours walk with the indigenous guide. They
could simply want to visit the Aboriginal museum as a part of their total travel itinerary.
Planning the process

ENVIRONMENTS FOR TOURISM PLANNING
Next step is to plan the tour according to the market research and customer
preferences. The agencies could offer several types of tour experiences to the consumers. The
planning for the tours has to be done according to the budget and interest of the customers.
Some of the researches show that some tourists do not show interest in indigenous tourism
because it is time taking and expensive. Therefore, the agencies have to take care of the
schedule and price variations to attract tourists. Effective planning could increase the scope of
the demands in aboriginal tourism.
Improvising tourism activities
Communication gap and lack of capacity are the two main factors in this tourism. As
the aboriginals are part of the agency, this could be used more effectively if they are trained
in customer management aspects. There should be initiatives to increase the awareness of the
cultures and aspects of indigenous people. The more the people would be able to know of the
exotic experiences, the more they uptake to explore the native lands.
Improvements in marketing
Identifying the gap between supply and demand in this context is very important.
Most of the researches state that the agencies are unable to provide the experiences to the
tourists that they are looking for. Promotions and marketing should be done effectively. The
government could also help in the marketing process (Wu, Wall and Tsou 2017). The agency
needs to set their budgets for marketing and promotional plans. First, they should target the
Australian consumers and then international consumers.
Proposed process
The steps and approaches to indigenous tourism could be effective if they are
implemented properly. The planning of the policies that would help to reduce the gap
between demand and supply need to be taken seriously. The main focus of this policy

ENVIRONMENTS FOR TOURISM PLANNING
planning would be in marketing and consumers identification. Development of mew
indigenous tourism products is also important. Government and the companies could work
together to improve the scopes of tourism for the customers. This would increase the interest
of the visitors towards aboriginal tourism.
The company Indigenous Tour Agency need to invest some money to appoint the
market experts who would give consultation to the company. The experts would do the
necessary market research and help the management to achieve success in customer
attraction. The agency could also consult government websites and other reliable sources to
understand the direction of their new policy setting.
Implementation is the most crucial part of the whole process. The company has to be
able to attract consumers through their new policy planning. Implementation of the plan
might be started through the introduction of some interesting discount offers for the
consumers. The management and agents are to be communicated about the new policies in
detail. This is necessary so that they could act accordingly.
Evaluation of the planned to be done regularly. There could be a pilot project which
should be implemented in a small section of the tour planning. If the pilot project initiatives
succeed, the company could think of implementing it completely. Reviewing the policy and
making necessary changes in the last step of the planning.

ENVIRONMENTS FOR TOURISM PLANNING
References
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