4WD SelfDrive Tourism

1
Charge of the Might BrigadeDean Carson (BA
(Hons), MA, MSc, PhD) and Andrew Taylor (BA,
GCertMgt, MBus)
2

Consumers - Growing Source Markets Growing
Interest

• 41 4WD enthusiasts strong preference for
  desert
• Most to explore long itineraries and more
  destinations (5.3 versus 3.4)

3

But Tempered With

• Declining overall desert visitation
• Competing destinations (low cost carriers)
• Focus on iconic based trips (tracks, natural
  icons) - destination development difficult
• Product and experiences are homogeneous
• Difficult to identify and distribute
  product(what is the experience?)

4

Challenges to Developing a Competitive Market

• Economic, environmental, political, social,
  technological and industrial challenges
• Fragile desert environments
• Fuel prices/ global warming
• Impacts on livelihoods

5
Desert Tourism Systems of Innovation
Regional tourism destinations economic
systems Innovative where change is managed and
purposeful. Adapt and learn to identify and
recruit new markets.
Requirements

• Economic competence skills to identify
  resource requirements
• Resource clustering and critical mass
  suppliers, markets knowledge brokers etc
• Networks social and professional interactions
  driving innovation
• Entrepreneurship leadership, vision and risk
  taking
• Development Blocks points of focus inspiring
  options for development
• Public/ private sector interactions support,
  knowledge and know-how
• Production and distribution of knowledge
  capture data, transforming to knowledge
• Social, political and cultural capital energy
  and will for change and innovation

6
Challenges

• Identifying where there are likely to be
  immediate opportunities for sustainable and
  economically rewarding industry development (both
  destinations and markets)
• Identifying what products might be developed that
  can bring a more commercial focus to the
  activity, and how these might be distributed
  among a range of 4WD markets
• Exploring technological solutions to product
  distribution, land and visitor management that
  will lead to more responsible (and safe) travel
  patterns
• Examining the roles that different stakeholders
  might play in addressing fundamental innovation
  constraints.

7

Thank You!