Water Planning and Management in Theme Park Tourism: a Comparison of Australian and Chinese Policy and Practice
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Water Planning and Management in Theme Park Tourism: A Comparison of Australian and Chinese Policy and Practice Author Xu, Bixia Published 2013 Thesis Type Thesis (PhD Doctorate) School Griffith School of Environment DOI https://doi.org/10.25904/1912/1431 Copyright Statement The author owns the copyright in this thesis, unless stated otherwise. Downloaded from http://hdl.handle.net/10072/365805 Griffith Research Online https://research-repository.griffith.edu.au Water Planning and Management in Theme Park Tourism: A Comparison of Australian and Chinese Policy and Practice Bixia Xu B.Sc. (Geographical Science) B.A. (English Language) M.Sc. (Human Geography) Urban Research Program Griffith School of Environment Science, Environment, Engineering and Technology Griffith University Submitted in total fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy September 2012 Abstract ABSTRACT Water security has emerged as a significant international concern in recent decades. Climate change, rapid urbanisation, and burgeoning global tourism are compounding water provision problems in many countries. Australia and China are two examples. The driest inhabited continent on Earth, Australia has recently experienced its worst drought in recorded history. The nation is also dealing with high urban population growth. Residents’ water demands are heightened by large numbers of tourists. China is the world’s largest fresh water consumer. Although China has many fresh water sources, rapid economic growth, unprecedented rates of urbanisation, and a burgeoning tourism industry are impacting water security. Paradoxically, both countries also have a thriving water-based theme park industry. Theme parks are a major element in global tourism and exact heavy environmental impacts, especially upon water resources. But there is scant environmental planning research on theme parks. Extant research has found that theme parks are fraught with environmental problems, including habitat degradation, pollution, and water resource depletion. Water-based theme parks (WBTPs) are especially water-intensive and have experienced substantial international growth in recent decades. Yet very few studies have assessed the environmental impacts of water-based theme park tourism, leaving a significant gap in our knowledge of water planning and management. My research has addressed this knowledge gap by investigating water planning and management in water-based theme parks. My research aims to investigate water planning and management in water-based theme parks. The research seeks to explore how theme park water use is regulated, how theme parks manage their water use and to explore park visitors’ and local residents’ perceptions of, and attitudes towards, water planning and management in such parks. There are two primary research aims: (1) to examine the factors that affect water planning and management policy-making and its implementation in theme parks; and (2) to explore the approaches to achieve water sustainability in water-based theme park tourism. To achieve my research aims, I have devised one general research question: “How do water-based theme parks manage their water use to achieve water sustainability?” This question aligns with three subordinate I Abstract research questions: (1) What are the factors that affect water planning and management policy-making and its implementation in theme parks?; (2) Are these factors significantly different in Australia and China?; and (3) What measures could achieve better water conservation and water-use efficiency in the water-based theme park industry? Using a “grounded theory” approach, I have identified five factors that may affect water planning and management policy-making and its implementation in theme parks. These factors inform a theoretical framework which conceptualises water use in water-based theme parks as a function of: (1) cost/price mechanisms, (2) the regulatory framework, (3) the impact of public opinion, (4) business and customer values, and (5) responsiveness to new technologies. To examine these five factors, my research has engaged with five groups of key stakeholders: (1) theme park visitors, (2) local community residents, (3) theme park managers/operators, (4) officials from local and regional governments/authorities, and (5) water service providers involved in water planning and management. My research has sought to examine how the above-mentioned factors affect water planning and management policy-making and its implementation in theme parks, and whether these factors are significantly different in Australia and China. To do this, I have compared the water planning and management policies and practices that guide the operation of two case study parks, and I have examined successful water planning and management practices from other popular water parks around the world. Through a case study approach – underpinned by intercept surveys (with park visitors), mail-back questionnaires (with local residents), and semi-structured in-depth interviews (with key informants), my research analyses Australia’s most famous water-based theme park, Sea World on Queensland’s Gold Coast, and the highly popular Water Park in Tianjin, China. Different techniques were used to analyse my data, including statistical analysis and content analysis. This research is perhaps one of the first explorations of water planning and management in the theme park industry, and, to my knowledge, is the first study that investigates these issues in water-based theme parks. As the thesis demonstrates, park visitors and local residents alike hold high expectations about sustainable water planning and II Abstract management practices in theme parks. The managers and operators of theme parks are aware of the need to improve wastewater treatment and water recycling in those parks but do not appear to be motivated to take action. My results show that despite, or perhaps because of, volatility in the industry, theme parks seldom engage in long-term water planning. Although significant differences exist between the two countries’ institutional framework of water planning and management, the Chinese Government appears to better promote water conservation in industries in general, but this has not translated into action within water-based theme parks. My research is the first that I am aware of that addresses water planning and management in water-based theme parks which are major users of water resources in the tourism industry. Given the economic and environmental status of water resources, promoting their rational use based on integrated planning and policies should be a primary goal for water resource managers. In water-stressed areas like the Gold Coast and Tianjin, this is even more important. I therefore propose approaches to achieve better water efficiency in theme parks from three perspectives – environmental planning, policy, and governance, and I have identified directions for future research. Keywords: water planning, water management, environmental planning, theme parks, tourism, Australia, China III Statement of Originality STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY This work has not previously been submitted for a degree or diploma in any university. To the best of my knowledge and belief, the thesis contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made in the thesis itself. ……………………………….. Bixia Xu September 2012 IV Table of Contents TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................... I STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY ............................................................................... IV TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................. V LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................................... XIII LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................ XV ABBREVIATIONS .................................................................................................... XVII ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .......................................................................................... XX Chapter 1 Introduction ...................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 1 1.1.1 Theme parks’ impact on water resources .......................................................... 2 1.1.2 Environmental planning and theme parks ........................................................ 3 1.2 Research Background ............................................................................................. 3 1.3 Research Aims......................................................................................................... 7 1.4 Research Questions ................................................................................................. 7 1.5 Research Design ...................................................................................................... 8 1.6 Significance of the Research and Expected Outcomes ........................................... 9 1.7 Thesis Structure ..................................................................................................... 10 1.8 Conclusion ...........................................................................................................