Tourism Australia: Roles, Responsibilities, And Challenges Essay.

The roles and responsibilities that are assigned to me by the agency

Prepare a discussion paper proposing the preparation of a new tourism plan or policy to address an emerging tourism issue. For example, this issue might be an emerging crisis such as the global financial crisis or the Brexit; or an outbreak of a transmittable disease such as avian flu; or a long-term issue such as climate change, coral bleaching or even a
planned deviation of a major highway to bypass a tourist town.

You will have to make a number of decisions in order to narrow your focus. Remember the more focused the tourism issue you are addressing in your discussion paper, the more targeted your research will be and the easier it will be to write your assignment! We highly recommend that you identify a topic of your own interest, experience or knowledge and encourage you to discuss it with your tutor. Alternatively, you may choose one of the following:

? National tourism planning - e.g. propose a plan/policy to address issues arising for Australia from Brexit; or to address the effects of one of the six megatrends identified by CSIRO on Australian tourism 
? Regional/local destination tourism planning - e.g. propose plan to manage visitation to a cross-border region (e.g. Australia's Green Cauldron National Landscape in Northern New South Wales and Southern Queensland - propose a response plan to manage the effects of climate change on tourism in a local government area.
? Protected marine environments - e.g. propose a policy to manage the effects of a major coral bleaching event in a marine protected area.
? Protected lands - e.g. propose a plan to manage commercial tourism operator access to national parks.
? New Technologies - e.g. propose the development of a plan/policy to facilitate readiness for and optimisation of applying new technologies in the tourism industry
? Indigenous tourism - e.g. propose the development of a plan/policy to address identified gaps in supply and demand issues of Indigenous tourism in Australia (See Ruhanen, L, Whitford, M and McLennan, C 2013. Demand and Supply Issues in Indigenous Tourism:

Report Content
The report will contain the following information:
1. position statement (approx. 300 words) – this statement clearly indicates all the assumptions you have made about who you work for, the agency’s goals and the particular goals and objectives of the policy issue or problem that your paper is addressing. This serves as the introduction
2. background context (approx. 1000 words) – a discussion of issues that have influenced the emergence of this particular issue, ensuring that you have research and properly referenced your discussion Tourism Planning
3. a statement of need (approx. 1000 words) – a background statement on why the tourism plan is needed (consider the role of government, business and other stakeholders, and its possible reasons for government intervention)
4. scope of the proposed plan (approx. 500 words) – identification of possible policy approaches and instruments that the plan or policy will consider (this helps scope or provide direction to those who might be preparing the plan/policy)
5. proposed process (approx. 200 words) – an outline of a proposed planning process including details of consultation, implementation and review
6. a bibliography, including at least 20 references that you have cited in the discussion paper. No more than 7 references are to be web sources and at least In preparing this discussion paper you are to demonstrate your  nderstanding of the tourism planning environment.

You are also required to demonstrate a high level of professional report writing and communication skills, and critical thinking and analytical skills. As a way of demonstrating this, in your paper you are to include the following:
? clear headings and well-structured paragraphs
? no spelling, grammatical or typographical errors
? in-text referencing and a reference list in Harvard Style as per the library style guide:
? all data, information and sources are to be clearly acknowledged
? all quotes are to be properly referenced including author, date and page number. 

1. Position statement Explanation of the role I work for and the location

            I have been working in the organization named Tourism Australia for the past few years. The organization is mainly a government based agency which has the responsibility of attracting huge number of international visitors towards the country. The company operates in the tourism based sector of Australia and is able to offer effective services to the international tourists who visit the country. The different activities that are performed by the organization thereby include, media programs, PR programs, consumer research (Benur & Bramwell 2015).

The roles and responsibilities that are assigned to me by the agency

            The major responsibilities and roles that are played by the company in the industry are based on the development of effective policies in order to attract the international tourists. The research which is made by the company based on the consumers is my major responsibility. The online communication based activities are also considered to be an important responsibility which has been provided to me by the company (Tourism.australia.com 2018).

The interests and values of the agency

            The value and interests of the agency is based on the ways by which international tourists can be attracted in Australia. The promotions and advertising based activities that are performed by the organizations are thereby considered to be important for the ways by which organizations operate. Tourism Australia is thereby responsible for attracting tourists towards the country. The major value of the organization is that it runs under the government and is able to provide effective services to the international and the domestic tourist in an effective way (Coccossis 2017).

The internal and external influences on the business

            The internal effects on the operations of the organization are based on the ways by which the employees and stakeholders of the company operate. The external influences are based on the changes which are taking place in the technological environment of the country on a continuous basis. The organization thereby needs to take these into considerations before taking major decisions (Dredge & Jamal 2015).

Specific objectives and goals of policy related issue

            The most significant issue which can be addressed with the help of the discussion paper is the lack of effective number of tourists in Australia and use of proper technologies in order to mitigate risks. The effect of these new technologies in the tourism sector is an important issue which will be addressed with the help of solutions provided in the discussion paper.

Plan made to address the issue

            The plan which can be recommended in the discussion paper is based on the ways by which the implementation of effective technologies can be increased in the Australian tourism organizations (García, Vázquez & Macías 2015).

2. Background context

Opportunities, challenges and issues facing the sector

            Opportunities – The tourism industry of Australia is able to affect the economy of the country in a huge manner. The industry thereby has huge number of growth based opportunities which can be used by the organizations in an effective manner in order to improve their operations. The economic value of tourism related services can increase in the future which is further able to affect the operations of the organizations. The rates of affordability of tourism activities can increase which will further lead to the effective advancement of the industry (Horner & Swarbrooke 2016).

The interests and values of the agency

            Threats – The debt based levels in the industry are important factors that can affect operations of different tourism based organizations. The different laws that are based on tourism are able to have a major effect on the ways by which tourism activities are conducted. New technologies thereby need to be used by the companies in such a manner which can have a major impact on the number of tourists. The proper of usage of technologies is thereby considered to be an important factor which is able to affect the tourism organizations (Huang et al. 2017).

The geographic focus of the sector

            The major geographic focus of the analysis which will be made in the discussion paper is based on the tourism sector of Australia. The changes which have taken place in the industry due to the application of new technologies will be an important part of the analysis. The decrease in number of tourists is thereby considered to be a major issue that is being faced in the area. The use of proper technologies in the increase of the tourism based growth in the sector will also be analysed in the paper (Lew 2014).

Number of visitors, employment and income based issues

            The tourism sector of Australia has been able to contribute in a huge way in the GDP of the country. The industry is able to provide huge number of employment opportunities to more than 500,000 people in the country. The earnings which are made by the country based on exports are also considered to be important for the effective operations of different tourism organizations. The levels of growth in the country is based on the ways by which tourists in the country can increase effectively (Amelung & Nicholls 2014).

Drivers of the issue

            The most important drivers of the issue in the industry are based on the necessity of the implementation of new technologies in the organizational operations. The new technologies can play a key part in the ways by which growth of the industry can be maintained effectively. The proper maintenance of growth is thereby an effective driver of the issues which have been faced by the tourism industry (Baum 2015). The issue based on proper usage of technologies is thereby able to affect the ways by which tourism organizations in Australia can attract the international tourists. The levels of awareness based on their services can also be increased in an effective manner with the help of new technologies. The reach of the companies can thereby be increased in an effective way with the help of different activities that are performed by them with the help of technologies.

Examples to be provided from the research

            The major example which can be provided from the research is based on the usage of new and improved technologies like, smartphones and booking of tourism packages from online packages. The different offers and packages that are provided to the customers are able to affect the ways by which technology can be implemented in tourism sector. Proper maintenance of the data of consumers is also important for offering them with effective number of packages (Baum et al. 2016).

The internal and external influences on the business

Importance of the issue to develop a new policy

            The technology based issue requires the formation of effective policies in order to the effective policies in order to solve the issues. The new technologies which are implemented in the sector are able to affect the ways by which different activities in the industry can be conducted in an effective way. The different examples which have been discussed in the paper have been able to show that technologies have played a key part in the effective operations of different organizations in the tourism industry. The development of new policies is thereby necessary in order to achieve the effective levels of growth (Bishop & Clegg 2018).

3. Statement of need Need of the plan

The main requirement of the plan in the tourism planning environment is done as this helps in analysing the several kinds of issues which are being faced by the tourism industry of Australia. The main issue which is being faced by the Australian tourism industry is that there has been huge loss of customers in the market which is affecting the overall efficiency of the industry. Due to the climate change along with non-advancement of the different technologies, this has led to lack of tourism in the entire environment in an inappropriate manner.

Role played by the government or the business

            The Australian government played a key part in the proper implementation of different advancement of technologies in the tourism industry. Furthermore, with the help of the different technologically advanced features in the different aspects of tourism, this will help in improving the overall effectiveness of the firm in a positive manner. The government of Australia can provide with various kinds of subsidies which will help the tourism sector in Australia in becoming more competitive in nature (Sinclair-Maragh & Gursoy 2016).

            Furthermore, the government can promote the tourism by encouraging the growth of professionalism and proper emphasis is required to be provided on the different technological advancements. This has been seen that technological advancements such as providing different website information to the customers along with travel and tour updates are required to be introduced in the different companies of tourism in entire Australian society (Boukas & Ziakas 2014).

Stakeholders of the company

            The different kinds of advancements in the technology will be done for the various stakeholders of the company who plays a major role in managing the different kinds of aspects in an efficient manner. The different international tourists are considered to be one of the most active stakeholders in the company and the international group of tourists are the major stakeholders of the company. The different kinds of operations which are being performed by the organization are based on the external stakeholders as they have the entire right to analyse the different kinds of aspects in a positive manner.

            Furthermore, this has been seen that there are various internal stakeholders of the tourism companies which is inclusive of the employees or the human resources or the different government agencies. The government of Australia therefore plays a major and crucial role in managing the various kinds of aspects in a positive manner without much difficulties and with implementation of proper plan which will be discussed in the discussion paper.

Specific objectives and goals of policy related issue

Key trends which are able to affect the issue

            There are various key trends which are able to affect the tourism business in Australian economy in an effective manner. The major changes which can be taken into consideration are the introduction of the smartphone communication applications which will help in communicating to the different individuals regarding the different kinds of usage of the company applications which will be effective in managing the different operations in an efficient manner (Sharpley et al. 2018).

            Furthermore, the tour systems can be changed in the tourism industry in Australia in which this can be seen that there can be self-guided tours and group tours which will be able to create more effectiveness in the different programs and this will enhance the overall appropriateness of the organization as well (Powell et al. 2017). The travel website applications along with booking can be done through the company website directly by the companies in Australia as this will help in completing the steps which are necessary within the specified time (Baum 2016).

Challenges to be responded by the agency

            There are various kinds of challenges which can be faced by the company in the organization that can affect the overall effectiveness of the firms. The main challenge which can be faced by Tourism Australia is that implementation of the different kinds of aspects which is inclusive of the lack of the different financial resources and cost which is too expensive in nature. This has been noticed that reduction of the financial kinds of capabilities is the major challenge which will be encountered by the different organizations in the tourism industry in Australia (Moscardo 2014).

Reasons behind the intervention of the government

            There are different reasons which is present in intervention of the formation along with implementation of technologically advanced features in the organization. Furthermore, this has been noticed that the government of Australia plays a major role in the organizational success which will be quite effective in the success of the tourism industry (Ellis and Sheridan 2014).

Lastly, the proper maintenance of the growth through implementation of various applications in the organization is considered to be one of the major responsibilities of the government. This is efficient and appropriate in order to become successful in their approach of becoming technologically sound and reach out to the customers (Porter, Orams & Lück 2018).

Desired effects, outcomes or benefits of the plan

            The entire policy will be effective in nature in managing the technologically advanced applications in the entire organization. This has been seen that industry of the tourism is capable of being providing different types of services for the different international tourists in the organization which will be efficient in nature in becoming more conscious in adopting the different kinds of enhanced technologically advanced features in the different kinds of approaches which are being taken by the company.

 Furthermore, with the implementation of the technologically advanced feature in the tourism industry in Australia, this will help in enhancing the overall growth of the company and this will increase the overall revenues and the profitability of the company in a positive manner as well. With technological advancements, this will help in increasing the number of tourists and this will increase the overall efficiency of the company and their approaches will be become more popular in the entire tourism industry.

Plan made to address the issue

Lastly, the mitigation of the different business risks will be helpful in managing the different kinds of aspects in a positive manner. Social media along with search engine optimization will help in managing the overall profitability of the firm and provide the different customers with wonderful experience.

4. Scope of the plan

Policy or plan based approaches

            The approach which can be applied in order to achieve the highest development in the industry is based on the increase of the use of modern technologies in the operations. The new technologies which can thereby be implemented in the organization mainly include, the app for development of websites, communication based app and app required for the development of tours. The lack which has been experienced in the income of the tourism industry due to the lack of effective numbers of tourists can be fulfilled in an efficient manner with the usage of technologies (Char-lee, Becken & Watt 2016).

Instruments required for the plan

            The major instruments that are required for the plan are based on the new technologies and different types of effective software and financial resources. The proper use of the software is thereby able to affect the methods by which the industry can implement new technologies in the different processes. The financial resources can also play a major role in the ways by which the technologies can be used by different tourism organizations in the industry (De Grosbois 2016).

Ways of using the instruments in an effective manner

            The government of Australia can play a key part in implementation of effective technologies in the organizational processes. The policies that are related to the organizations are also able to affect the proper implementation of the plan.

Types of resources required for the plan

            The most significant resource that can be used for the implementation of new technologies are the financial resources of the company, the employees of the company and the support which is provided by the government as well. The government support is thereby able to play an significant part in the proper operations of different tourism based organizations (Fyall 2018).

Pros and cons of the plan or the policy that will be implemented

            The major advantage based on successful implementation of the plan is related to the increase of number of tourists in Australia. On the other hand, the requirement of huge volumes of resources can be considered to be a major disadvantage of the plans which have been suggested in the paper (De Grosbois 2016).

Direction provided by the policy

            The activities that are able to affect the effective operations of the tourism based companies are based on the proper implementation of the plans. The growth of the tourism industry can be maintained in an effective method with the proper help of the plans. The new technologies can thereby improve the services that are provided to the tourists.

5. Proposed process

Planning process

            The process of planning is based on the methods by which the new technologies can be implemented in an effective manner. The growth process of tourism industry can be maintained with the help of proper application of the technologies or policies (Char-lee, Becken & Watt 2016).

Background context

Ways by which it will be done

            The different promotional activities can be implemented by the company with the help of new technologies. The company can also reach the tourists faster with the help of different apps. The facilities which are provided by the technologies are able to affect the levels of profitability and revenues of the company.

People who will be consulted

            The people who can be consulted in order to implement the plans mainly include, the employees or human resources, the financial managers and the brand managers of the company as well (Ellis & Sheridan 2014).

Ways by which the policy can be implemented

            The policy can be implemented in the company with the help of active channels that include, digital platforms and social media. The use of effective technological platforms like the social media plays a key part in the methods by which the firm is able to provide effective opportunities to the tourists (Moscardo 2014).

Ways of reviewing the policy

            The review related process of the plans or policies is related to the ways by which feedback can be collected from the tourists based on the effectiveness of the app that is used by the industry. The feedback will be able to play a key part in the improvement of the plan after it has been implemented effectively (Brouder et al. 2016).

Ways of determining the lack or the success of the policy

            The customer feedback can also play a key part in deciding the success levels of the plan or policy which has been implemented. The lack or the achievement rates of the plan can thereby be detected with the help of reviews and feedback that are offered by the organizations (Horner & Swarbrooke 2016).

References

Amelung, B. and Nicholls, S., 2014. Implications of climate change for tourism in Australia. Tourism Management, 41, pp.228-244.

Baum, T. ed., 2016. Human resource issues in international tourism. Elsevier.

Baum, T., 2015. Human resources in tourism: Still waiting for change?–A 2015 reprise. Tourism Management, 50, pp.204-212.

Baum, T., Kralj, A., Robinson, R.N. & Solnet, D.J., 2016. Tourism workforce research: A review, taxonomy and agenda. Annals of Tourism Research, 60, pp.1-22.

Benur, A.M. & Bramwell, B., 2015. Tourism product development and product diversification in destinations. Tourism Management, 50, pp.213-224.

Bishop, M.L. & Clegg, P., 2018. Brexit: Challenges and opportunities for small Countries and territories. The Round Table, pp.1-11.

Boukas, N. & Ziakas, V., 2014. A chaos theory perspective of destination crisis and sustainable tourism development in islands: the case of Cyprus. Tourism Planning & Development, 11(2), pp.191-209.

Brouder, P., Clavé, S.A., Gill, A. & Ioannides, D. eds., 2016. Tourism destination evolution. Routledge.

Char-lee, J.M., Becken, S. & Watt, M., 2016. Learning through a cluster approach: lessons from the implementation of six Australian tourism business sustainability programs. Journal of Cleaner Production, 111, pp.348-357.

Coccossis, H., 2017. Sustainable tourism and carrying capacity: a new context. In The Challenge of Tourism Carrying Capacity Assessment (pp. 19-30). Routledge.

De Grosbois, D., 2016. Corporate social responsibility reporting in the cruise tourism industry: a performance evaluation using a new institutional theory based model. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 24(2), pp.245-269.

Dredge, D. & Jamal, T., 2015. Progress in tourism planning and policy: A post-structural perspective on knowledge production. Tourism Management, 51, pp.285-297.

Ellis, S. & Sheridan, L., 2014. A critical reflection on the role of stakeholders in sustainable tourism development in least-developed countries. Tourism Planning & Development, 11(4), pp.467-471.

Fyall, A., 2018. Tourism Destination Re-positioning and Strategies. In The Future of Tourism (pp. 271-283). Springer, Cham.

García, F.A., Vázquez, A.B. & Macías, R.C., 2015. Resident's attitudes towards the impacts of tourism. Tourism Management Perspectives, 13, pp.33-40.

Horner, S. & Swarbrooke, J., 2016. Consumer behaviour in tourism. Routledge.

Huang, C.D., Goo, J., Nam, K. & Yoo, C.W., 2017. Smart tourism technologies in travel planning: The role of exploration and exploitation. Information & Management, 54(6), pp.757-770.

Lew, A.A., 2014. Scale, change and resilience in community tourism planning. Tourism Geographies, 16(1), pp.14-22.

Moscardo, G., 2014. Tourism and community leadership in rural regions: Linking mobility, entrepreneurship, tourism development and community well-being. Tourism Planning & Development, 11(3), pp.354-370.

Porter, B.A., Orams, M.B. & Lück, M., 2018. Sustainable entrepreneurship tourism: An alternative development approach for remote coastal communities where awareness of tourism is low. Tourism Planning & Development, 15(2), pp.149-165.

Powell, R.B., Green, T.F., Holladay, P.J., Krafte, K.E., Duda, M., Nguyen, M.T., Spencer, J.H. & Das, P., 2017. Examining community resilience to assist in sustainable tourism development planning in Dong Van Karst Plateau Geopark, Vietnam. Tourism Planning & Development, pp.1-22.

Sharpley, R., Kato, K., Horita, Y. & Yamada, Y., 2018. Special Issue: Tourism development in Japan: issues and challenges-a focus on regions and communities. Tourism Planning and Development, 15(1), pp.1-101.

Sinclair-Maragh, G. & Gursoy, D., 2016. A conceptual model of residents’ support for tourism development in developing countries. Tourism Planning & Development, 13(1), pp.1-22.

Tourism.australia.com 2018. Privacy Policy - Corporate - Tourism Australia. [online] Tourism.australia.com.