Local Engagement in Economic Development and Industrial Collaboration around Australia's Gunbarrel Highway

Bibliographic Data

ID5942590
AuthorsGreg Cartan (Charles Darwin University), Dean Carson (0000-0001-8143-123X, Charles Darwin University)
Year2009
Volume11
Issue2
Pages169-186
Publication date2009-05-13
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueTourism Geographies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1461-6688 • E-ISSN: 1470-1340
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/14616680902827126
OpenAlexW1982191988
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited18

The four-wheel drive (4WD) tourism market has been identified as an important one for desert Australia. The market appears to be relatively large and likely to continue to grow in the foreseeable future. Desert 'tracks' are the core attraction for 4WD tourists, allowing them to disperse from the major road networks and service centres. While this presents an opportunity for economic development, little is currently known about the economic organization of tracks, and particularly how they contribute to local economies. This research maps out some aspects of economic activity around the Gunbarrel Highway to explore the extent to which local entrepreneurship and collaboration is apparent. The research shows that the 4WD market is unlikely to respond in the same way as other drive tourism markets to the introduction of new products and infrastructure, and there is a risk that local economic benefits from this activity will continue to be marginal. There appears to be little advantage taken of potential opportunities to diversify the market through collaborative arrangements

Business · Economic geography · Economic growth · Economic impact analysis · Economics · Entrepreneurship · Geography · Local economic development · Service (business · Tourism · Diverse Aspects of Tourism Research · Hospitality and Tourism Education · Tourism, Volunteerism, and Development · Finance · Marketing

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