Learning from the locals: the role of stakeholder engagement in building tourism and community resilience.

ABSTRACT

This article explores the role of stakeholder engagement in building resilience to the impacts of bushfire. The discussion is informed by a study of Harrietville – a nature-based tourism destination in NE Victoria, Australia, that was affected by a major bushfire in 2013. Harrietville is a small town that acts as the gateway to premier ski fields and provides access to abundant nature-based attractions including iconic bushwalks, touring routes and rivers. The research aim was to investigate the impact of bushfire on the tourism economy and was based on a visitor survey and in-depth interviews with representatives from across stakeholder groups. A Destination Sustainability Framework (DSF) was applied to identify key vulnerability and resilience characteristics of the town as well as to identify opportunities for adaptation to future fires. Fragmented stakeholder communications and a lack of community engagement in planning for bushfire prevention, emergency management and recovery are identified as a key vulnerability. In response, government has successfully implemented initiatives to strengthen stakeholder relationships and engage the community in emergency planning processes. The article provides an important case study of resilience building by small tourism destinations as well as highlighting the importance of connecting with local knowledge in bushfire management.

KEYWORDS:

• Nature-based tourism
• community resilience
• bushfire
• stakeholder engagement
• regional development

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.