David Flood Chavez gives presentation on his research on sustainable tourism
David’s PhD research focussed on the development of tourism in the Margaret River region in the Southwest corner of Australia. The region is famous for its high quality wines but tourists also come for surfing, beach and natural heritage. However, the first tourists to this region were originally attracted by – caves!
David employed an evolutionary economic geography perspective to trace the historical development of tourism in the region, and complemented this with a sustainability transitions lens.
The audience was in split minds about shark attacks impact on sustainability – if seen broadly, at regional level, shark attacks are hyped by the media, resulting in fewer (international) tourists which could be interpreted to increase the environmental sustainability of the region. However, if applied to the tourism industry and individual enterprises, their (economic) sustainability would suffer if shark attacks deter tourists.
A fascinating talk, well attended both onsite and remotely. Thanks to David and good luck with the viva in June!