409 Dive Log Australasia December 24

Major factors impacting the long-term sustainability of recreational scuba diving tourism Important reading for all dive professionals and divers.

With over 50 years in the dive industry Terry Cum mins in 2021 was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) from Central Queensland University’s School of Business and Law. The data to support his thesis took thousands of hours of research time. His re search focused on the major factors that impact the long-term sustainability of recreational scuba diving. He used Cairns on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) as a case study, but the findings can be just as relevant anywhere on the planet where both large and small dive operations exist. T his important document is for people in the scuba diving industry. It is filled with vital and relevant information. Scuba diving on the GBR experienced a steady growth through the 1970’s and 1980’s. Cairns was number one in terms of world-wide scuba diving tourism for many years. This explosion of diving ac-tivity coincided with the development of scuba equipment and the boom in dive travel. However, Cairns-based dive tourism and indeed the broader Australian dive industry has been pro-gressively losing status to many overseas dive destinations. Some of the reasons include the lack of regulations and cheaper labour in developing coun-tries which reduce operating costs. Nevertheless, diving is big business in Australia worth hundreds of millions of dollars, but on the broader scale it stumbles and many feel it is in seri-ous decline. Amongst other things, Terry identified the socio-economic and demographic profiles of over 530 visitors to the reef to ascertain what their needs and perceptions were. Then, he interviewed 43 major stakeholders to gauge their perceptions of the challenges of promoting dive travel to the reef. These two approaches plus an extensive literature review and analysis of the content of several dive magazines identified barriers to diver interest. Major impacts included poor media coverage and financial constraints . In particular he identified that some of the media has been totally irresponsible re-garding the generation of sensationalism through bad press on the condition of the GBR which in turn impacts potential visitor perceptions. On the other hand, he found what drives divers and where opportunities lie for reef tourism stakeholders. Some of the most significant and original practical contributions of this research have become potential ‘game changers’ in the way the dive industry is, or could, be managed and how some stakeholders such as the local council,

gov ernment authority, chambers of commerce, tourism NGOs and dive operators can work on ways to benefit from his findings. For example, these organ-isations and businesses could benefit from the es-tablishment of new networks of collaboration, the exchange of knowledge associated with manage-ment and business principles to provide better ser-vices to divers. Collaboration could even lead to the production of new products. Terry’s research also revealed the strong presence of financial support for diving tourism by the se governments and tourism NGOs of our competitors. There is no doubt that scuba diving tourism associations have (and still are) playing a huge role in places like Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, PNG and Fiji in pro-ducing, divers and dive professionals and sub-sequently creating local jobs and constructing new dive resorts. For example, when you go to dive shows, especially overseas, you often see large stands which have been sponsored by governments and tourism associations. Meanwhile, support from Australian tourism at Federal, State and Local gov-ernment levels is close to zero. This has to change, and the Australian dive industry has to start using its voice to make that change! The findings from Terry’s Thesis Doctorate, although focused on Australia’s largest dive market, has so many vital features that can provide real help for dive professionals (shop owners, charter boats, dive instructors. His wake-up call to the dive industry is equally important to recre-ational divers, As the industry fades away, so do your dive opportunities. Read Terry’s thesis at: An investigation into the major factors impacting the long-term sustainability of recreational scuba diving tourism in the Cairns section of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. Dr. Terrence (Terry) Cummins, OAM., PhD., B.A. (Hon)., Dip Ed., Dip CM., FAMI., CPM., is CEO, Ter-rence Cummins International Business Coaching & Consultancy and Principal Partner at Dive Queens-land. Over his 50 plus years in the dive industry he has been an underwater photographer, writer, and educator. Has been a senior executive of diver train-ing agencies and currently sits on several NGO and government committees. He has a long list of pres-tigious awards and accomplishments, including an Order of Australia Medal for his contribution to scuba diving. By Mike Scotland

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DIVE LOG Australasia #409 - December ‘24

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