ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT QUARTERLY
Uluru and Kata Tjuta attract over 250,000
visitors each year from all over the world. In the
2011 Census, 52% (282) of the workforce were
employed in Accommodation and Food Services.
Tours to Uluru have been running since the 1950s,
with a base camp initially established to the west
of the climb. In 1958, 2,296 visitors made this
tour from Alice Springs. And with the addition of
a hotel, 4 motels, a store and service station, this
increased to 23,000 by 1968.
In 1973, partly to better preserve the natural and
cultural heritage of Uluru, it was decided to move
these operations (and the airstrip) to a designated
location outside the park. And so, in 1976, the new
town of Yulara was proclaimed. But even having
relocated from within the park, it still had a view of
Uluru itself.
Yulara has received significant government support
over the years, including basic infrastructure and
the initial creation of the Yulara Development
Company to develop tourist accommodation,
staff housing and a shopping centre. And being a
service town for Uluru, Yulara continues to be the
direct and indirect beneficiary of public funds for
tourism. This comes from a range of Territory and
Federal grants and programs.
But even with this support, the viability of Yulara
hangs on its proximity to the unique tourism
experience that is Uluru and the fact that you can
see Uluru from the town.
In the end, though, if you are not on the beach,
you need to be able to offer a view of the beach,
or make your own beach; if you are not on the
mountain, you need to be able to offer a view of
the mountain, or make your own mountain.
REFERENCES
AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS:
www.abs.gov.au
TOURISM RESEARCH AUSTRALIA:
https://www.tra.gov.au/
MARGARET RIVER:
http://margaretriver.wine/region/our-industry/
http://www.margaretriver.com/
http://www.swdc.wa.gov.au/
YULARA:
https://www.ayersrockresort.com.au/
http://www.tourismnt.com.au/
http://www.ntnews.com.au/
http://www.alicespringsnews.com.au/
http://eoi.uluru.gov.au/
QUEENSTOWN:
http://www.utas.edu.au/
http://www.abc.net.au/
http://www.themercury.com.au/
http://www.discovertasmania.com.au/
WALHALLA:
http://www.starhotel.com.au/
http://lva.vic.gov.au/
https://www.railexpress.com.au/
BE UNIQUE AND BE IN THE MIDDLE
OF IT
If these and the other case studies offer any
common theme about how to successfully
transition from resources to tourism it is that the
tourism attraction is unique and the town is either
in the middle of it, offers a view of it, or provides
complementary services and attractions.
Government support can help, but is not in itself
sufficient. Another case study not mentioned here
(Manjimup in Western Australia), illustrates this
point. After receiving significant support as part of
the WA Government’s South West SuperTowns
Initiative, it has yet to prove itself a success story
of this initiative. Of course, as Walhalla shows,
these things can take time and some patience
is warranted. In fact, allowing time to mature the
tourism element is as important as extensive
physical assets.
http://www.vhrf.org.au/
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A recent Geografia team member, Tom has
spent the last five years as an economist with
several national economic consulting firms,
before joining Geografia in July 2017. He
contributes to, and project manages the
research, analysis and presentation of many
projects to assist with policy formulation.
Tom’s expertise is in macroeconomic analysis and regional
economic development planning. He focuses on mining and
resources, property markets, tourism and accommodation and
agriculture. He is proficient in economic modelling and data
analysis, as well as consultation with government, industry and
community.
Tom also undertakes his own economic and political research
to further his understanding areas including financial crises (the
Great Depression, the Global Financial Crisis, etc.), monetary
and fiscal policy, income inequality, globalisation, exchange
rate regimes, political economics, international financial
markets/ banking systems, international demographic trends,
and international economic and political anomalies and history.
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