A new report has highlighted the need for further strategic planning of our tourism destinations, with less focus on marketing and more focus on actually developing the product.

With the publication of the Analysis of National, State, Regional and Local Tourism Strategies and Plans report from Sustainable Tourism Cooperative Research Centre (STCRC) analyses 76 tourism strategies.

“One of the issues highlighted by this report is the lack of a coordinated planning approach to the supply of visitor services and experiences at national, state, regional and local levels,” said Ian Kean, CEO of Sustainable Tourism Cooperative Research Centre.

“The report highlights the predominance of marketing and promotional organisations in tourism planning and a lack of sufficient involvement from organisations with a responsibility for addressing product supply issues.

“[Organisations like] infrastructure and investment, labour training and skills, the competitive use of natural resources such as water and strategic planning for infrastructure including roads and airports.”

STRCRC says that there is a “structural weakness” in our current tourism development plans, which are mainly organised by marketing and promotional bodies.

Calling on more developers within the sector to play a role, the STRCR asks for a more streamlined and consistent approach to planning.

“This research has identified opportunities for regions, states and national bodies to learn from each other’s planning processes and to improve their outcomes,” adds, National Tourism Alliance CEO.

“The industry needs a “best practice” approach to planning, where destination management plans are better coordinated with state and regional infrastructure planning as well as local and state environmental plans to enable development to occur in a way that best meets the needs of tourism.”