Bird-watching Tourists in Australia. Ronda J. Green and Darryl N. Jones

Transcription

1 Bird-watching Tourists in Australia Ronda J. Green and Darryl N. Jones Ronda Green and Darryl Jones 2005

2 This project was funded by the Sustainable Tourism CRC.

3 Many thanks also to all the bird-watchers, tour operators and others who participated.

4 This was a nationwide survey

5 on the practices, needs and attitudes of bird-watching tourists in Australia

6 primarily by questionnaires I particularly like to see birds that are: Little or no Of some Very importance importance important to me to me to me unique to Australia... unique to the part of Australia I m visiting... rare... vulnerable or endangered species... species I ve never seen before... species my friends/colleagues/family have never seen... brightly-coloured, elegant or attractive in some other way... exhibiting unusual or intriguing behaviour... interacting with me (e.g. approaching for hand-feeding )... readily photographed big (eagles, cockatoos, herons etc)... predatory (eagles, owls etc)... singing or giving strange, memorable calls... species I ve read about or seen on documentaries...

7 to tourists, guides of bird walks and eco-lodge owners.

8 256 birdwatching tourists responded Nationality No. Australian 164 Australian & other 17 New Zealand 4 British & Irish 28 European 9 North American 9 South African 3 South American 1 Asian 1 Unanswered 20 Total non-australian 55

9 Completed forms were posted from: Southeast Queensland 72 Queensland - other 53 New South Wales 34 Victoria 5 South Australia 6 Western Australia 8 Northern Territory 14 New Zealand 1 Unknown 63

10 Covered (briefly) in this paper: Demographics Variation amongst birdwatchers Preferences Birdwatchers and the tourism industry Conservation aspects

11 female male 20 0 <14 yrs >65 age group Most respondents were well-educated and middle-age to elderly academic education finance/manage... medical tourism other profession

12 > 95% were very interested in seeing other wildlife

13 Most commonly expressed views % I [do not] enjoy hunting or wish to try it I want to see other wildlife as well as birds I [would not] rather disturb a bird from its nest than fail to identify it I'll probably be bird-watching on my next travel I can identify most birds around home I would join a tour to reach difficult places I plant bird-attracting species in my garden I [do not] mainly join bird-walks because family and friends want me to 81.74

14 Slightly less than half kept life-lists of birds seen

15 Most variable views I like to see birds doing something interesting I go bird-watching in places I like for other reasons I read about birds of my destinations Birds are my favourite animals I would willingly go camping to see a new bird I can identify females and juveniles of many %

16 Attitudes of life-listers R 2 B ir d - wat c h in g i s m y favo u r ite act iv ity I ca n i d e n t if y ma n y fe ma le s a n d j uv e n il e s I d l ik e t o id e n t if y a ll Au st ra li an bi r d s I r e ad a b ou t b ir ds b e fo r e v is it in g B ir d s a r e my favo u r ite an ima l I of t e n car r y b in oc ul ar s I m in te re st e d in b ir d b e h avio u r I m in te re st e d in b ir d e c o logy I of t e n vi si t n at iona l p ar ks fo r b ir d wa tching I of t e n tak e n ote s o n b ir ds s e e n 0.243

17 Group 1: keen birders Bird-watching is my favourite activity I can identify females and juveniles of many Australia birds I often record birds I see I d like to be able to identify all Australian birds I generally carry binoculars I read about birds of my destination I m very interested in bird ecology I would willingly camp to see a new bird I keep a life-list of all birds seen I m very interested in bird behaviour I like to see rare birds I ll probably do some bird-watching on my next travels I like to see birds unique to the part of Australia visited [I mainly go birding because of family or friends] R 2 Cumulative variance 18.9

18 Group 2: thrill-seekers Statement R 2 I like to see big birds I like to see predatory birds I like to see brightly-coloured birds I like to see birds interacting with me I like to see birds I ve read about I like to see birds doing something interesting I like to see birds that are singing I like to see birds my friends have never seen I like to see birds that are readily photographed I like to see vulnerable birds I like to see rare birds I like to see birds I ve never seen before Cumulative variance explained

19 The most commonly-preferred bird features: endemism to Australia and endemism to the part of Australia being visited

20 Aussies and others Number of responden ts in group % responding very important to see birds unique to Australia Lived only in Australia Lived in Australia & elsewhere Never lived in Australia Watched birds only in Australia Watched birds in Australia & elsewhere Never watched birds in Australia No apparent difference between Australian and visiting birdwatchers in desire to see birds endemic to Australia

21 read about I like to see birds that are birders nonbirders mean response unique to Australia unique to part of Aust rare threatened never seen before friends haven't seen brightly-coloured doing something inter... interacting with observer readily photographed big predatory singing/calling

22 The most common preferences on bird-walks were identifying birds and social contact.

23 Preferences on a bird-walk birders nonbirders prefer short bird-walk enjoy social contact like to see children prefer no talking like to identify all prefer to disturb than no... prefer to disturb at nest prefer to be alone watch what birds are doing mean response

24 Conservation-related responses % I want to see vulnerable or endanger ed species 61.7 During the past 10 years Ihave: 54.8 belongedto a conserva tion organ ization. attended ameeting related to bird conservation attended ameeting related to conservation generally 50.0 Feeding wild birds gives goodopportunities for photography 40.7 I havetended inju red or orphanedwildlife 37.5 Feeding wild birds is usual ly okayif the right foods are used 29.0 Feeding wild birds gives afeeling of interaction with nature 28.2 Feeding wild birds is okayin cleared or non-natu ral areas 18.1 It s okayto flush bi rds from grass or heathlands fo r a sighting 16.5 Feeding wild birds should beallowed in some nation al parks 9.3 I would rather disturb a bird than il fa to identify it 7.7 I enjoy hunt ing for sport or wou ld like to try ti 1.61 I would rather disturb it from a nest than il fa to ident ify it 1.6

25 Observations by tour guides suggest that serious disturbance of birds is a rare event.

26 Question How often do your guests: Talk loudly enough to disturb birds? Disturb birds while trying to identify them? [Behave as though they] would have disturbed birds if guide hadn't stopped them? No. of responses Never Rarely Sometimes Often

27 Feeding birds mean response mean response birders nonbirders okay in national parks okay in cleared areas good photo opportunity allows interaction okay if right foods used okay in national parks okay in cleared areas good photo opportunity thrill-seeker others allows interaction okay if right foods used NP cleared photo interact diet

28 Comment by a respondent From an ex-pat Brit's point of view, the opportunities for birdwatching are amazing. Also totally untapped as far as tourism goes. My local catchment area contains >190 spp. Why doesn't Brisbane market itself as the 'city of birds' (rather than 'most liveable', whatever that means!)

29 Travel agents and travel books were the least-used sources of information on where to go bird-watching. How I decide where to watch birds % I visit places I like for other reasons books (not travel) I do it at places I'm going to anyway national parks info friends/family natural history organizations internet documentaries travel book 7.98 travel agent 2.11

30 Most likely to join commercial tours: Keen birders (bird-watching named as favourite activity, often record what is seen etc) and Thrill-seekers (wanting to see big and colourful birds etc)

31 .. Respondents would go by self or small group in: no. Australia only 22 all regions 40 most regions (including Australia) 26 Australia (whetheror not elsewhere) 136 westerncountries&asia, not Africa or Latin America 62

32 total who wouldgo by self but never ona tour total who wouldtour but never go by self 51 24

33 Most common attitudes of birdwatchers who would join tours I lik e to s ee bi r ds I v e rea d a bout I ge t in f o on birdwa tch ing lo ca liti e s fro m n a tur a l h isto r y org a ni za tion I en joy s oc ial c onta c t w hil e bi r ding Bird- wa tching is my fa vouri te a c tivi ty [I do n t oft e n photog r aph bird s ]

34 mean response hotel budget camp lodge -1 birders nonbirder Keen birders were more likely than others to choose camping or lodges over hotels

35 but frequency of camping declined after the age of ehotel ebudge ecamp elodge 0 m <20 f m f m f m f m >65 f age group and g

36 The most common suggestions for improving the enjoyment of bird-watching in Australia were :

37 provide better information on where to see birds

38 and conserve bird habitat