Developing a Sustainable Tourism Strategy in Adelaide

Question: Discuss about the Developing a Sustainable Tourism Strategy in Adelaide. Answer: Introduction Adelaide is worthy to be considered a sustainable city because it stands out from the other cities. It is special because it has a micro-climate which is as a result of Mediterranean type of climate in Adelaides suburb beach that provides a breeze in the larger part of Adelaide. It is important for tourism to be sustainable so that it can serve its purpose. Sustainability refers to biological systems remaining diverse and productive. Sustainable tourism means that the tourism endures. In cities like Adelaide, investors use their resources with the expectation that they will get finance and other results that are less tangible like reputation. This report focuses on the sustainable aspects of Adelaide city and how the aspects can be used to attract tourists into the city. The report follows the following structure, it starts by providing facts and information about Adelaide; then policies and plans for the city; it also provides a literature review of sustainable tourism and planning for sustainable cities; the sustainable assets that market Adelaide are identified; a SWOT analysis is provided; and lastly recommendations are provided after a discussion. This article shows how sustainable tourism makes Adelaide stand out from the other cities. Facts and Information about Adelaide There are various things that make Adelaide city distinct from all the other cities. Adelaide city is the fifth most popular city in Australia. It is also the capital city of state of South Australia. According to the census report in June 2014, the city had an estimated population of 1.31 million. The city is large enough, estimated to be 3,257.7 km2. The city is located on the Adelaide plain North of Fleurieu peninsula. Adelaide city stands out from the other cities in that it stretches 20 km from the foothills coast and 90km from Gawler. The city sits an elevation estimated to be 50 meters above the sea level (Wei and Li 2011, p.370). Before British settlement Adelaide was bush land with some variations of sand hills, swamps and also marshland which were prevalent around the coast. All these facts distinguish this city from the others and therefore becomes the best tourism destination. Adelaide is a special city and that is why it was referred to as RADelaide. First, the city is special over the others because it holds awesome festivals throughout the year. The city sells the highest number of tickets than all cities in Southern Australia combined. It is also special because it is surrounded by parks in the vast lands bordering the city. The city is well known for its free bike hires which are as a result of a promotion by Adelaide City Council. Adelaide has nature at its doorsteps in all its directions. In a few minutes one can take a walk to the hills, at the beach or in the countryside. The city is has become a base for international cuisines from Sri Lank, Vietnamese to Ethiopian. Adelaide has grown sustainably making it a good tourism destination. Policy and Planning Context for Adelaide and Surrounding Suburbs All the planning for Adelaide is future oriented and there comes the need for asking relevant questions such as who should make the decisions and whose future it is. Indigenous individuals have however always been able to plan for themselves and have their own way of planning depending on their values and worldviews. With the indigenous planning, the result is being grounded in place and having local relationships (Hall, 2008, p. 200). Paul Keating a former Prime Minister had recently talked about the issue of treaty as being a form of unfinished business in Australia. He later suggested that there was need to address unfinished business as Adelaides identity. At the international level, Adelaide maintains WTTCs vision, Tourism for Tomorrow, to make the future of tourism sector in Adelaide a sustainable one. Under the stewardship of WTTC, small businesses around Adelaide have been recognized and rewarded for stimulating interests of the consumer through sustainable tourism practice. At the national level, Adelaide works to achieve Tourism 2020, Australias tourism policy. Adelaide city builds on its sustainable tourism so that the nation can maximize on its economic potential. At the state level, Adelaide management makes the city sustainable in order to make South Australia to achieve its full potential of tourism within its State. In the States budget, Adelaide benefits from tourism funds that are geared towards achieving Tourism 2020. Every tourism business in Adelaide is made sustainable to achieve this State policy. Finally, at the local city council level, Adelaide city is committed to build a reputation of sustainable tourism through different strategic plans. Some of these plans include provision of sustainable credentials to businesses, commercial property and residents. Sustainability, Sustainable Tourism and Planning For Sustainable Cities- Literature Review Adelaide became sustainable after the release of the document Our Common Future. Since then, sustainability has affected almost each field of human endeavors not exempting the tourism field. The tourism industry has showed limits, restrictions and costs; the approach of tourism to sustainability has been named as green wash (Kirsh 2003, p. 115). Sustainability is essentially a kind of a development that fulfills the needs of the present and does not compromise the future generations ability in order to meet their needs. Practices that are sustainable support the human, ecological, vitality and economic health. It is through sustainability that there is an assumption that resources are not infinite and thus they should be conserved and used wisely with a long-term priority in mind (Moskwa et al 2014, p. 15). There should also be a view of the long-term priorities and consequences in which to use resources. Adelaide would not have become a sustainable city if some things did not happen. Application of the ecological concepts in the development of sites was a key foundation for building of sustainable places for the occurrence of tourism. Saving of old buildings contribute to sustainability because there is no use of additional material and natural resources. However, this cannot always be the case for there are buildings that lack energy and conservation features (SATC, 2008, p.3). I think sustainability in Adelaide would be maintained once total costs are ascertained. Such costs include environmental costs, products, materials, buildings and services that we create in our modern economies. This is a very important tool that can be used to secure sustainability. I also think that green building design is one of the ways in which embracing of sustainability can be used. In our modern contemporary economies and societies there is urbanization of development and populations of urban touris m precincts that changes the urban fabric quickly. Identification of Sustainability Assets- Tourism Assets Marketing Adelaide as A Model of Sustainable Urban Destination This section of the paper explains sustainable assets in relation to the ecological concepts analyzed in the above section. Sustainability is essentially a kind of a development that fulfills the needs of the present and does not compromise the future generations ability in order to meet their needs (Mayo, 2014, p. 270). It is projected that by 2017, most of Australias population will reside in urban areas. In order for a city such as Adelaide to support dense populations, they have fulfill the needs of every individual sustainably. Christie Walk was developed to sustain dense populations and to also offer lifestyles of quality to the residents. The 27 healthy and efficient households require less energy and less water than its neighbors. Solar energy have been made use of. The designs also provide a lot of outdoor space on the small pieces of land. Adelaide zoo is also an ecological asset that makes Adelaide what it is. Adelaide zoo is an ecotourism asset, a highly attractive conservation park which holds animals from different nations. The Panda closure and other variety of animals attract tourists to the area making the city economically sustainable (Midena, 2014, p. 20). The closure also acts as a conservation because it protects species that are endangered. This makes the zoo, and the larger Adelaide sustainable as an eco-tourism experience. The citys sustainability is also as a result of ascertained environmental costs, products, materials, buildings and services that create the modern economies. The city has in the past designed sustainability plans by investing on good transport systems, making its streets safe by providing security to residents and tourists and encouraging existence of multicultures through welcoming diverse populations. Residents are also urged to provide affordable precinct foods, live music scenes and make the cafes sustainable. SWOT Analysis Strengths One of the most stunning things about Adelaide is the beaches. Some of the beaches like Semaphore or Henley beaches are accessible by either simply hiring a car or driving to the hotspot of the beaches. The other stunning thing about Adelaide is that there is a meander along Torrens river linear train which is a major attraction (Blichfeldt, 2013). This comes along with Adelaides innovative transport systems that the city has acquired in its attempt to avoid change and save money. The north eastern suburbs are also home to the O-Bahn and hence the city is called the festival state and it is for sure a state. Adelaide is the only city is the only city in Australia that has more restaurants per capita when compared to other cities. It is important to know that Adelaide is known as a twenty minutes city for one can drive round the city for only minutes. The city is divided by the Torrens city into North Adelaide and Adelaide where both are surrounded by parklands that are green hence separating the city from the suburbs. Weaknesses Some of the weaknesses of Adelaide are that the city draws poorly in Cox Plate but the international big race clean sweep still looms (Mayo 2014, p.268). This would seem like an outside barrier and could be the only way for undoing the horse. The other weakness of is that the accommodation prices are higher compared to other cities in Australia. Opportunities The suburb located in the inner city of Adelaide presents one opportunity. The neighborhood of the city offers a lot more potential and it is a perfect scene for any tourist. There are more opportunities for Adelaide because it was first ranked the most cost competitive in the whole of Australia (Blichfeldt, 2013). This was in terms of commercials, tax, and labor and transport utilities. Threats The recent threat upon Adelaide has been on schools where malicious people threatened to bomb schools. This has also affected the suburb areas in the eastern part of Adelaide. Adelaide is a small city compared other cities and this threatens its ability to expand and include more sustainable tourism features. Discussion Sustainability is essentially a kind of a development that fulfills the needs of the present and does not compromise the future generations ability in order to meet their needs. The society and community of Adelaide has made the city sustainable through conservancies such as Adelaide zoo, Panda closure, minimizing water and energy costs and through urban centres like Christie Walk. It is important that when people construct buildings and structures in cities, they do so in a manner that the future generation will thank them for it. Like urban centres like Christie Walk, it means that the constructions must be long-term and be of historical conservation (Wearing, 2002, p. 240). To ensure that sustainability is fully observed, Adelaide city follows engages in appropriate polices at the international level, National level, state level and at the local level. Some things act as weaknesses and threats to the sustainability of Adelaide but also, strengths and opportunities maintain the citys sustainability. Adelaide needs to be developed as an evolving, living, diverse and interconnected place where the local people can identify with and tourists enjoy. Recommendations River Torrens, the citys strength is the main landmark of Adelaide and it is fortunate that there is a wide selection of spaces along the river bank. However, the river is a special part of Adelaide need to strengthen its importance position by being situated at the citys edge in the Parklands. Maintenance should be done around this strength. As a recommendation, the river and the city should be stitched together by making sure there is access and visual links River Torrens and North Terrace (Sklair, 2002, p. 117). The other recommendation is that there should be more activities being carried out by creating recreational program with various activities and options. Improving the security across the city is essentially crucial for sustainable tourism in Adelaide. This is because any sense of insecurity will keep away tourists whether from or outside the city. Minimizing the weaknesses is one way of transforming sustainable tourism and living. Consumers should change their ideologies and values about tourism. The alternative value and ideologies would be more conducive to ensure that people live sustainably in a finite world. Moreover, towns and cities should be developed into places that promote equity (Hall, 2008, p. 241). This would reduce the threat of expansion that Adelaide faces because of its size. Considering the way life is expensive at Adelaide, there is need that the old, young, the eccentric, the poor, the rich and the disabled to have their places in cities like Adelaide. Conclusion Tourism is an industry that changes with time and this requires investors to constantly adapt to the customers changing desires and needs. Both public and private sectors invest in attempt to provide tourists with services and infrastructure. Sarahs Caf is an example of a caf that supports sustainable tourism because it has been well managed and maintained with a holistic sustainability in mind. Practices that are sustainable support the human, ecological, vitality and economic health. It is through sustainability that there is an assumption that resources are not infinite and thus they should be conserved and wisely with a long-term priority in mind. Adelaide city is the fifth most popular city in Australia. It is also the capital city of state of South Australia. According to the census report in June 2014, the city had an estimated population of 1.31 million. Adelaide city the Australias city known for its food and wine has recently become the most exciting areas to live and tour. Emergence of nightlife scene and also the festivals and all topped-off by lovely landscape attracts many tourists. 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