The Great Barrier Reef: A profile of tourism use patterns and visitors’ concerns

This paper investigates tourists’ environmental perceptions using a sample of tourists to Cairns, Australia. The first objective identifies if tourists consider whether destinations protect their environment in holiday decision-making. The second objective identifies tourists’ concerns about the Great Barrier Reef based on a series of scenarios. The findings demonstrate that how destinations care for their environment is factored into tourists’ decision-making, and the majority of tourists perceive Cairns to be protecting its environment. Furthermore, there is a high level of concern, among international tourists in particular, that the Great Barrier Reef could be damaged from either climate change or oil spills. Given the environmental concern among tourists, this paper argues that there is a need for accurate research that reflects tourists’ views on sustainability issues, and the importance of including these perspectives in effective policy making, product development and marketing.