Evaluating Sustainability In The Tourism, Leisure, And Event Management (TLEM) Activities In Caloundra
Discussion
In order to flourish and thrive, TLEM (Tourism, Leisure and Event Management) needs to combine the natural social environment and quality. The growth and development of the TLE activities in any area must be matching with the positive influences of the activities on the socio-cultural, economic and the environmental conditions of the very area. However, this paper is going to elaborate on evaluating the sustainability of the activities related to TLW in the Caloundra region, in between the areas of the Bulcock Beach and the main street. A questionnaire, along with assessing the results will also be presented. This report shall shed light on highlighting the important role that is played by the smooth and sustainable TLE activities and its positive impact on all the sectors.
As per Lee (2013), sustainable TLE refers to the maintenance of the present fair, and ethical standards of ecological, social-cultural, economic and environmental impacts without compromising the requisite future standards.
The name of the field trip is Bulcock beach. This beach is a very unique foreshore and is based in Caloundra, Australia. There are several restaurants and board walks surrounded by this still water beach (Tourism and Events Queensland, 2018). With the same, the King Surf beach is bordered by the Bulcock Beach. It is the main beach in Caloundra which has a children and a picnic play area along with a swimming pool that is separated from the ocean but it also at the same time, reliant on the water of the ocean. It is patrolled by the ‘Caloundra-Metropolitan Surf Life Saving Club.
The Sunshine Coast Airport gives access to the area for the visitors from places faraway. It is supplemented by a comparatively smaller Sunshine Coast regional airport (Visit Sunshine Coast, 2018). It operates the Caloundra bus services along with the Cooma Terrace in the central business district. It is the Landsborough railway station that connects the region with the Brisbane by means of the Roma street railway station.
This area dates back to the year 1875 when Robert Bulcock purchased a big parcel of land in the region. Due to the presence of several beaches and authorization of land sale, the area developed to a tourist attraction region with hotels and guesthouses taking precedence of the most profitable economic ventures. In the year 1917, Robert Bulcock’s son subdivided the land into 404 slots in what came to be known as the Bulcock beach later on. In early 1968, the regional council chambers were relocated from The Shire of Landsborough to Caloundra. In 2008, the Sunshine Coast Regional Council commissioned the Place Design Group to be the lead consultants in the redevelopment project for the Bulcock Beach (Sunshine Coast Council, 2018).
The ability of the region to service the basic transport and infrastructural needs of the future visitors and communities residing around the region is questionable (Caloundra Chamber of Commerce, 2018). In June 2011, the federal government published a report indicating the risk posed by climate change to coastal infrastructural setup and buildings. An anticipated 1.1 meters rise in the sea levels would lead to erosion and flooding disasters at the coastal region (Sunshine Coast Council, 2018).
Relevance that Measuring Sustainability has to the TLEM
Another challenge facing the coastal town of Caloundra is aging infrastructure, and the lack of preparedness in disaster management and responsive design measures. The carrying capacity of the Bulcock Beach space is also inadequate. The redevelopment project undertaken by the Place Design Group sought to among other things address the problem posed by the influx of tourists and local residents during the holiday seasons (TripHobo, 2018).
TLE are inclusively highly evident at this site. The children’s play area, the swimming pool and the picnic events area at the Kings Beach provide amenities for leisure activities to visitors and the local residents. The coastal pathway at the Bulcock beach offers visitors an adventurous experience as they walk along the great walkway while enjoying the scenic view of boardwalks and cliffs. The benches and bike racks at the Bulcock beach provide amenities for recreational leisure activities. The Queensland Winter Racing sports event that takes place at the Corbould Park Racecourse encompasses all three aspects of tourism, leisure and event management (Tourism and Events Queensland, 2018). The presence of a strategic plan for formal events and event budgets at the local authority level provides proof of events management preparedness.
Stakeholders refer to the people or group of people who, either directly or indirectly, are affected by the decisions that are made on certain issues in which they are staked in (Jordan, Vogt, Kruger &Grewe, 2013). The problem can be of any type- environmental based, resource, any sort of practise or activity.
The table below shows the list of stakeholders for the field trip site:
|
Direct Stakeholders |
Indirect Stakeholders |
|
Sunshine Coast Regional Council |
Coloundra Chamber of Commerce |
|
Tourists |
Environmental Stakeholders |
|
Queensland Tourist and Travel Corporation |
Department of Tourism, Major Events, Small Business, and the Commonwealth Games |
|
The Federal Government |
Department of National Parks, Sports, and Racing |
|
Kings and Bulcock Beach communities |
The Aviation Industry |
|
Business Travelers |
Rail and Road Transport |
|
The Hospitality Industry Players |
Non-governmental Organizations |
TLE needs an ecological and social environment that is both attractive and conducive to the stakeholders. Hence, it is very important to come up with the standardised indicators for measuring and guiding the development of policy as well as for monitoring the progress of the socio-cultural, economic and the environment process of development Tanguay, Rajaonson & Therrien, 2013).
The evaluation of sustainability in the field of TLE provides a ground for identifying challenges that are facing by different categories of stakeholders as well as the policy and other general measures for dealing with those challenges (Waligo, Clarke & Hawkins, 2013). Furthermore, the environmental sustainability evaluation makes sure that the natural resources and spaces are used in both economical manner as well as renewable and reusable manner. By means of measuring social sustainability, the social identity of the people residing in this area is taken into consideration. Through economic sustainability evaluation, the resources are set aside for gathering specific TLEM project needs (Andersson& Lundberg, 2013).
Notwithstanding the fact, measuring sustainability in TLE might sometimes, prove to be a very complicated process. Establishing a reliable, realistic and consistent set of indicators in 3-D spheres that involves the environmental, economic and social aspects of TLEM remains a very significant challenge (Veal, 2017). Evaluation of sustainability in the TLE takes place at regional and destination level. It makes the measurement of sustainability, one of the regional activity while overshadowing the vitality of other enterprises like the hotels that exist at an enterprise level. This entirely downplays the fact that a visitor’s decision to tour a place is informed by the region and the diverse characteristics it holds. The metrics used for measure the economic resources sustainability do not factor in the evolving nature of these resources due to the change in preferences and the technological improvements and advancement by the host region (Wise, 2016).
As per Mair and Laing (2013) Managing properly the ecological resources as an outcome of the evaluation of sustainability in TLE activities provides a competitive edge different TLEM industry players. Through the evaluation of sustainability in TLE, a balance between the economic, ecological and social-cultural growth has been identified.
TLE has been measured with the help of different TLE sustainability management and evaluation tools and they are:
Sustainability impact assessment is used for assessing the potential impacts of the TLE on the economic, environmental and the social-cultural pillars of Caloundra region. The people living around this site were asked their view points on the cultural exchange and the borrowing in between the residents and the visiting visitors
The environmental justice tool was to judge whether the communities that are living around the site are influenced or negatively affected by the problems related to environment ranging from the psychological, mental and physical exposures (Mowforth& Munt, 2016). The people living around the site were asked the questions for inquiring regarding their level of satisfaction on the preparedness of the disaster of the very region as well as the effects of the environmental pollution.
A questionnaire survey was carried out among a group of twenty sample stakeholders from different areas in the region with interest in the TLE activities around the sites. Every respondents of the survey were needed to fill a form with the written open-ended and closed-ended questions. Each of the questions employed in the questionnaire covered the three dimensions of sustainability ranging from environmental, economic and social-cultural issues in context to the area.
From the results of the questionnaire survey it has been analysed that about two-thirds of the total respondents who have been sampled, perceive mixed thoughts on the issues of environmental sustainability that the region is facing at present. The other one-third felt that the issues facing by the region might be natural or man-made. Furthermore, 80% of them felt that these issues could either be prevented if some responsive measures are put into the place by means of establishing environmental policy, which takes into account every foreseen and unforeseen environmental issues.
It is also recognized that the role played by the revenue that is generated from the TLE activities surrounding the region such as building and equipping of the hospitals and schools as one of the ways in which the resident communities have benefited. The aviation and hospitality industry players appreciated the economic value that is created by the TLE activities around the region along with the creation of employment opportunities as well as contribution in the region.
From the analysis I have understood that in order to understand sustainable TLE, socio cultural, economic and environmental sustainability is required to be balanced well. To achieve this, combining the good will from all the involved stakeholders is required and with the same, a strong administrative and regulatory framework should be encouraged and followed.
Following recommendations are made for further improvements in the TLE activities;
- a) Waste management measures needs to be improved for dealing with the problems of litters and dirt present around the site.
- b) The emissions of harmful gas from vehicles and locomotives that are plying the routes of the site needs to be regulated.
- c) The making of the vehicles needs to be regulated to a certain level which will prevent air pollution.
- d) Several guiding principles in the code of conduct and ethical or moral behaviour of the site visitors needs to be implemented and enacted. It would help in preventing the exchange of bad socio-cultural behaviours and habits from both the parts (Gallagher & Pike, 2011).
Conclusion
From the above analysis it is to be concluded that sustainable TLE requires continuous effort from all the associated stakeholders. Stakeholders play an important role in the process of implementation of sustainable TLE and its success. From the survey carried out in this case study, it has been assessed that the sustainability of TLE is intertwined in the balance in between the three dimensions of sustainability. Also, a more relevant and accurate result could be obtained right after classifying the indicators at different levels as well as taking into consideration that seasonal variations in different areas.
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