Dr David Dunstan.

Monash lecturer Dr David Dunstan believes Australia needs to rethink its tourism strategies.

"It has been argued that we cannot compete with Europe for culture and sophistication, that we should go with our competitive strengths - our beach culture, our natural attributes, our indigenous cultural attractions," says Dr Dunstan, who teaches a course in cultural tourism at Monash University's Berwick campus.

"There is some merit in this, but tourism’s contribution needs to be spread more evenly. Our cultural institutions, heritage and off-the-beaten-track attractions can make a greater contribution."

Tourism attracted more than 3.8 million visitors to Australia in 1998, those tourists spending more than $8 billion. Yet most take in only the top sites – Sydney, the Great Barrier Reef, Ayers Rock. "States out of the usual tourist loop could benefit from more inclusive national strategies," Dr Dunstan says. 

Figures suggest the golden age of Japanese package tourism may be waning. And it has been some years since the sizzling success of Paul Hogan's ‘throw another shrimp on the barbie’ promotions. Significant tourism contributors are often not package tourists as much as independents like backpackers, who tend to be explorers, stay longer, and in the long run, spend more. 

"It appears that the great flush of international tourism interest in Australia has waned and that we have to think less in terms of ‘big fix’ attractions like the Olympics, to prop up flagging interest. Perhaps smaller-scale, more evenly spread and more sustainable forms of tourism are required," Dr Dunstan says. "We seem to be more concerned with edifices and pork-barrelling than building quality, depth and authenticity in cultural tourism product."

He cites Museum Victoria's new campus at Carlton Gardens and the federally funded National Wine Centre in Adelaide as examples.

"Most of the money spent at Carlton Gardens has been on the new building," he says. "It opens next year but the public know little about what it is going to do, and why. There has been no debate. No discussion."

The National Centre for Australian Studies will offer a new postgraduate/Open Learning course in cultural tourism at Monash's Berwick campus in 2000. The course will include a study tour of North American museums and cultural institutions. For more information, contact the centre on (03) 9905 5241.

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