PROCEEDINGS OF THE Third East-West Dialogue on Tourism and the Chinese Dream 23-25 November 2017 Surfers Paradise Marriott Resort & Spa, Gold Coast Hosted by: Griffith Institute for Tourism (GIFT) and the Griffith Tourism Confucius Institute (TCI) PROCEEDINGS OF THE THIRD EAST-WEST DIALOGUE ON TOURISM AND THE CHINESE DREAM Noel Scott Susanne Becken Peiyi Ding 23 - 25 November 2017 Gold Coast, Australia Abstracts were Anonymously Reviewed Disclaimer: The papers are generally in the original ‘language’ of the author but have been lightly edited for readibility and consistency. ii Reflections from the G20 Third East-West Dialogue on Tourism and the Chinese Dream This dialogue celebrated the China-Australia Year of Tourism and also the UN Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development. Therefore it focused on the topic of ‘managing tourism growth sustainably’. The event was co-hosted by the Griffith Institute for Tourism and the Griffith Confucius Institute. The conference was well attended with over 120 delegates, mainly from Australia and China, but also six other countries whose representatives offered complementary insights and perspectives. Following the Griffith Innovation Showcase on the first day, which demonstrated new research methods and approaches, it was great to welcome so many friends, colleagues and guests for drinks by the pool. The second day of the conference was opened by Prof Ian O’Connor, Vice Chancellor of Griffith University, Bob East, Chair of Tourism Australia and CEO of the Mantra Group, and Prof Bin Dai, President of the China Tourism Academy. What followed was a series of extraordinary presentations by 26 industry speakers and panelists. What did we learn? First, there is simply no way around the need to better understand China as a key player (or rather, the player) in the global tourism market. This became clear not only in some of the statistics that speakers shared (e.g. a middle class of over 800 million by 2030; 200 new airports currently being built in China), but also in the sophistication with which Chinese companies, such as Alipay and C-trip, have addressed the markets. Engaging with these trends, the digital platforms and big data analytics that come with them, is a must. We also learned about the customer experience and the increasing need to tailor experiences right from the start to the end of a trip. Participants discussed concepts such as “attention seeking” and “seizing”, and examples of leading practice in tourism provided. Dubai International Airport provides a fascinating example that raises the bar for other players in the industry. Dubai’s traditional border controls have been replaced with a walk through a virtual aquarium tunnel. The new system is not only faster and has greater detection accuracy rates, but also offers a novel visitor experience. It became clear that in a world of fast moving technology, it is critical for countries such as Australia to remain competitive and attractive for the higher yielding markets. Although not always linked, in this dialogue, the relationships between investments and sustainability topics were central to the discussion. Tourism investments often happen in or near gateway cities (including integrated resorts) and transportation routes, and whilst sustainability is increasingly considered, it does not yet appear to be integral into planning. Instead, sustainability projects are often implemented at a smaller scale with a people-focused approach. Two presentations, one on My Green Butler, a smart service system to reduce guests’ resource consumption in tourist accommodation, and a second on managing resources through the National Trust, illustrated a type of complementary. Creating new and sustainable experiences should, in theory, align well with the experience economy, but the link is not explicitly made in practice or on a large scale (yet). Growth, investment and design of new experiences has to address issues of over-tourism and crowding. It became clear that some parts of Australia lack the wider infrastructure to cope with the tourism demand they experience, and at the same time other regions lack investment that could help to spread visitors away from these major centres. Whilst some solutions were iii discussed (e.g. the youth market spreading further into regions), it appears that it is difficult to lure people away from the iconic attractions such as the Sydney Opera House. Possibly, direct marketing (e.g. using big data and customised approaches) might provide an opportunity – if there is interest in doing so. The New Zealand story highlighted the risks of “overtourism”, too much visitor pressure on communities and natural assets and it was made clear that a coherent tourism strategy to cope with growth is much needed. Tourism is not isolated from the broader bi- and multi-lateral relationships between countries, and the policies and politics that go with them. Discussing wider issues such as border arrangements (e.g. one custom zone for Australia and New Zealand and possibly key ports in China), foreign investment by Chinese companies, airline networks, and foreign policy, it become – once again – clear that the relationship between Australia and China is of great importance (at least to the Australian economy). Institutional partnerships, such as the one between the China Tourism Academy and Tourism Research Australia that facilitate the exchange of information, knowledge and data are integral to successfully managing tourism flows. The third day continued the information sharing and discussions in the form of academic presentations. Many papers provided interesting detail on very specific issues that further explored some of the macro challenges discussed the day before. For example, it was asked what an ‘ideal tourist’ is and how this could be measured to ensure that destinations secure long-term benefits along several dimensions. A new theme emerged from the presentations: food. The importance of food and cuisine was emphasised and analysed in several papers, and followed on well from the points made earlier on personalised customer experiences. The final wrap up reminded us of the need to link practical and academic work better so that theoretical research becomes more relevant to decision makers. Avoiding the pitfalls of sustained – yet unsustainable – growth will require critical thinkers to examine opportunities and risks and provide robust knowledge that is relevant to the problems of the industry. We thank everyone for their great contribution and hope you enjoyed the event as much as we did. Prof Susanne Becken iv Day 1 – Thursday 23 Nov 2017 16:00 – Griffith University tourism innovations showcase. 18:00 Together with research partners, we are showcasing research innovations and new technology, such as 3-D printing, Virtual Reality, 3-D scanning, Big Data analytics, Eye tracking. Find out what the new research methods are, what new opportunities exist for work, and what role technology might play. 17.00 - Registration 19.00 Welcome Reception – Poolside at Surfers Paradise Marriott Resort & Spa 18.00 - Welcome by Mr Paul Donovan, Chair of Gold Coast Tourism 19.30 Day 2 – Friday 24 Nov 2017 08.00 – Registration 09.00 VIP Group photo 09.00 – Conference opening and welcome 09.30 - Prof Ian O’Connor, Vice Chancellor and President, Griffith University - Address by Mr Bob East, Chairman Tourism Australia, CEO of the Mantra Group - Welcome by Prof Bin Dai, CEO of China Tourism Academy 09.30 – Elston Room 10.45 Managing tourism diversity and dispersal International tourist arrivals in Australia and New Zealand increased by almost 10% for the last year, reaching a total of 8.5 and 3.6 million, respectively. Some of this growth is driven by increased China outbound tourism; however, tourism in China is also growing rapidly at a rate of 11%. Some destinations are beginning to address distributional challenges from fast-growing tourism. Barcelona, for example, approved a new accommodation law that limits the number of beds available and freezes the building of new hotels. China has recently developed a Guideline for ‘measurement of carry capacity of scenic areas’. This session will discuss the problem of attracting tourism through destination marketing and managing to ensure sustainable outcomes from tourism activity. Keynotes: Ms Phillipa Harrison, Tourism Australia: Positioning Australia. Prof Ken Hughey, New Zealand Department of Conservation: Dispersing tourism in New Zealand: key strategies. Session chair: Prof Susanne Becken (Griffith University) Expert panellists: • Prof Janne Liburd (University of Southern Denmark, Chairman of the Board of the Wadden Sea National Park) • Prof Luo Qiuju (Sun Yat-sen University) v 10.45 – Morning tea 11.00 Elston Room Waianbah Room 11.00– Experience Economy: what do visitors More disruption? 12.00 want? What is smart tourism? How can Big Data Welcome to the Attention or Bit Economy. help us understand or manage tourism? Creating memorable and meaningful Technology – and in particular digital experiences has become the key to success. technology – has rapidly changed the How do we manage the change from industry, presenting many opportunities, but homogeneous group travel to offering also risks. individual experiences? The session will discuss trends, risks, and This session discusses the opportunities insights that are relevant for all those that the Experience Economy provides for involved in creating, developing or tourism. It positions Australia and China – managing tourism. and their