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  1. Surveys
  2. 2007
  3. March
  4. S
  5. Survey one
 


Welcome to this survey about marine
research tourism


*
This survey is estimated to take approximately thirty minutes.



Your participation in this study is completely voluntary. If you feel uncomfortable answering any questions, you can advance to the next question or withdraw from the survey at any time.




To begin the survey, click on the Continue button below.




For additional information on the PhD project, please read this href="http://www.marine-research-tourism.com/Docs/Information sheet.doc" target='_blank'>PhD research project information sheet.



Please read the informed
consent form and inform us of any confidentiality or other ethical issues if necessary.



Your survey responses will be stricly confidential and data from this research will be reported only in the aggregate. Your information will be coded and will remain strictly confidential.



If you have questions at any time about the survey or the procedures, you may contact Peter Wood at 07 4042 1762 or by the email address below. If you have any questions regarding the ethical conduct of the research project, please contact the James Cook University Ethics Officer, Tina Langford on 07 4781 4342 or size=2 face=Arial>[email protected].



For further information, contact Peter Wood on +61 7 4042 1372 or href="mailto:[email protected]">size=2 face=Arial>[email protected], or Dr. Heather Zeppel on +61 7 4042 1446 or href="mailto:[email protected]">size=2 face=Arial>[email protected]. Postal address is James Cook University, P.O. Box 6811, Cairns Mail Centre, Cairns, Queensland, Australia . 4870.
 
 
1. Would you briefly, tell us about your occupation.


Would you describe yourself as a?
 
Marine research tour operator
 
Marine research tourism consultant
 
Marine researcher
 
Marine manager
 
Marine tour operator
 
Representative of a marine research society
 
Representative of a marine education society
 
Representative of an environmental conservation organisation
 
Representative of an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander management organisation
 
Representative of a tourism planning organisation
 
Other
 
 
 


Supply and demand for marine research tourism
 
 
2. After considering the marine research tourism ventures listed in the marine research tourism web site,


Can you summarise other marine research tourism ventures that have not been listed?

Yes No
 
 
 
Please enter details of the first venture here
   
please enter details of any second venture here
   
 
 
4. From your point of view, what type of tourists are interested in marine research tourism?


Yes No Maybe
Adventure tourists
Ecotourists
Marine wildlife tourists
Regular viewers of nature documentaries
Backpackers
Scientists
Non ecotourists
Other
Volunteers
Gap year students
Natural history enthusiasts
Alternative tourists
Educational tourists
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
6. In your view, where would these prospective marine research tourists come from?


Yes No Maybe
France
Scandinavia
United Kingdom
Spain
Canada
Italy
New Zealand
India
Korea
Japan
Other
USA
Australia
China
Germany
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
8. From your experience, what sort of marine research programs or activities would be suitable for marine research tourism?
Yes No Maybe
Charismatic marine wildlife
Display and analysis of data in a Geographic Information System (GIS)
Deep sea marine research programs (including submersibles)
Seasonal migration and breeding marine research programs
Marine fisheries programs
Marine monitoring and sampling programs
Endangered species and habitats
Marine archaeology (e.g. ship wrecks)
Other
Coral reef marine research programs
Yes No Maybe
Marine survey programs
Island based marine research programs
Marine research using video or photograph technology
Coastal based marine research programs
Lesser charismatic marine wildlife
Vessel based marine research programs
Marine research programs with a conservation focus
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
10. Do you believe that marine research programs on marine research tourism tours should always be pertinent to Government marine research or management priorities?
 
Yes Maybe No
 
 
11. Following this, do you believe that marine research tourism ventures can be designed to involve popular science that does not always address Government marine research or management priorities?
For example, at a location, marine research tourism programs may focus on charasmatic dolphin, whale or turtle populations whereby a Government's marine research priorities may be water pollution and the sustainability of dugong populations.

Yes Maybe No
 
 
12. In your view, what are the driving forces for marine research tourism demand?
Yes Maybe No
An increase in the volunteering ethic within the travel market
An increasingly educated travel market
An increasing desire for environmentally responsible travel within the travel market
An increasing desire for an alternative travel experience with the travel market
The effect of marine documentaries such as those by Jean Michelle Cousteau and Richard F. G. Attenborough on the travel market
A need for increased funding by marine research and management agencies
A greater need for marine research and monitoring of Australian marine waters
Increasingly safe and comfortable marine tourism ventures
Marine research technology that is increasingly advanced and easier to use
Other
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
14. Do you think that marine research tourism is a tourism product that can be used to benefit marine research or management?
 
Yes Maybe No
 
 
15. Do you think that marine research tourism is a tourism product that can be used to diversify marine tourism?

 
Yes Maybe No
 
 
16. Do you think that developing marine research tourism across Australia can be used to compete with overseas marine tourism attractions?

 
Yes Maybe No
 
 
17. In your view, can marine research tourism increase the economic viability of marine tourism operators?

 
Yes Maybe No
 
 
18. Do you think that a marine research tourism venture needs to be based near to a major town or tourism centre to succeed?
 
Yes Maybe No Other  
 
 
19. For marine research tourism ventures that require skilled and educated tourists,do you think that there is a commercial opportunity to formalise the training and education of those tourists?

 
Yes Maybe No
 
 
20. Do you have first hand experience with marine research tourism ventures?

For example, have you organised, operated or participated in a marine research tourism venture?

 
Yes No
 
 
 
 
   
 
 


Benefits, concerns, constraints and opportunities for marine research tourism
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
24. In your view, could marine research tourism be useful for researching the impacts of climate change on the marine environment?
 
Yes Maybe No
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
26. In your view, what are the constraints for expanding marine research tourism across Australia?
 
 
Uncertainty as to the quality of marine research by tourists
 
Difficulty of undertaking marine research and keeping tourists happy at same time
 
Successful collaboration between marine researchers, marine managers and marine tour operators
 
Not enough skilled marine research tourists to undertake quality work
 
Not enough marine researchers with tourism related skills
 
Increasing costs of diesel fuel and its hindering affect on marine travel
 
Other

 
 
 
 
   
 
 
28. Given the above information, do you think that there an opportunity to develop a marine research tourism guide role that:

1) Meets many of the needs of marine researchers, managers, tour operators and tourists, and 2) Addresses many of the above concerns and constraints?
 
Yes No Maybe
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
Example here
   
Example here
   
Example here
   
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
Australian indigenous people
   
Conservation NGO groups
   
Marine education societies
   
 
 
33. Given the information on the marine research tourism web site and your responses to the survey so far



Do you have a view that marine research tourism can be expanded across Australia?

 
Yes No Other  
 
 


A vision statement for developing marine research tourism across Australia
 
 
34. Would you like to contribute to developing a future vision for developing marine research tourism across Australia?
 
Yes No
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
   
 
 


Implementing your vision
 
 
37. If your vision statement was to be implemented, would this involve?

 
 
Active coordination by the Australian Federal and State Governments
 
Active involvement by Australian marine research and management agencies
 
Active coordination of marine research tourism ventures and destinations through a Destination Management Organisation
 
Developing a coordinated marine research tourism network comprised of interested stakeholders
 
Adopting successful business models from marine research tourism ventures across Australia and internationally
 
Active involvment of existing marine research tourism ventures from Australia and internationally
 
Active involvment of interested marine tourism ventures from Australia and internationally
 
Other

 
 
38. Given, your vision was implemented, how willing would you be to participate in expanded marine research tourism across Australia?
 
Willing Not sure Unwilling
 
 
39. Given, your vision was implemented, how able would you be to participate in expanded marine research tourism across Australia?
 
Willing Not sure Unwilling
 
 
40. Given, your vision was implemented, would you be confident that such an expansion of marine research tourism across Australia is probable?
 
Willing Not sure Unwilling
 
 


Developing the definition for marine research tourism
 
 
41. Would you like to contribute to developing a definition for marine research tourism?
 
Yes No
 
 
42. Thank you for partcipating in defining marine research tourism



An interim marine research tourism definition is;



Interim marine research tourism definition



Marine research tourism is a form of alternative, marine, ecotourism, volunteer, scientific, educational tourism, adventure and wildlife tourism that provides an opportunity for paying tourists and/or volunteers to participate in marine research activity (adapted from Benson, 2005). Features of a marine research tourism venture are:



1. Marine research is an important part of the attraction

2. There are researchers who are engaged in genuine marine research pursuits

3. There is an official research centre that supports research activity

4. The tourist is actively involved in the marine research experience

5. There is research supervision for any tourist marine research activity



Criteria for this definition include:



1) Delineating marine research tourism from other forms of tourism such as educational tourism, volunteer tourism and wildlife tourism

2) Marine research tourism is beneficial to marine research

3) The quality of research from marine research tourism is quality assured







* Please note, for this research, a marine research tourism venture should last for one or more days, be advertised publicly, take paying tourists or volunteers, and operate on a commercial basis (Adapted from Coghlan, 2005; Ellis, 2003).
 
 
 
 
   
What other comments would you like to make?
   
 
 
The survey is completed. Thank you!

 

If you have questions about this survey please contact Peter Wood at [email protected] or go to the marine research tourism web site.
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