QTS Chapter 2 - Introduction - Tourism Queensland
QTS Chapter 2 - Introduction - Tourism Queensland
QTS Chapter 2 - Introduction - Tourism Queensland
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Birdsville Hotel, Birdsville<br />
Social outcomes<br />
<strong>Tourism</strong> has both positive and negative effects on society.<br />
A key objective of this Strategy is to foster greater community<br />
involvement in setting desirable growth outcomes for tourism<br />
and promoting awareness of the benefits of tourism.<br />
Community engagement in planning the future of tourism is<br />
critical to creating sustainable communities.<br />
The role of tourism in the community is recognised in the<br />
Strategy’s fourth goal. The social benefits of carefully-planned<br />
tourism activities include:<br />
a growth in demand for new infrastructure and services<br />
benefiting visitors and locals;<br />
a growth in job opportunities that can sustain marginal<br />
communities;<br />
an improvement in community cohesiveness through<br />
partnerships built between local people, organisations and<br />
businesses; and<br />
opportunities for Indigenous communities to improve their<br />
quality of life through appropriate Indigenous tourism<br />
activity, based on unique and contemporary experiences.<br />
Theme one, Coordination, partnerships and community<br />
engagement, and theme two, Investment, infrastructure and<br />
access, include actions aimed at creating an inclusive regional<br />
planning mechanism for the tourism industry and raising<br />
community awareness of the benefits of tourism.<br />
2 <strong>Introduction</strong><br />
Making <strong>Queensland</strong> more accessible<br />
The tourism industry has a legal, economic and social<br />
responsibility to ensure travel is available to all members<br />
of the community. More than 3.6 million people in Australia<br />
have a disability, or almost 19 per cent of the population. 6<br />
With Australia’s ageing population, this figure is likely to<br />
increase in the next decade. The <strong>Queensland</strong> Government<br />
Strategic Framework for Disability details the obligations<br />
and responsibilities of all sectors to the disabled.<br />
The <strong>QTS</strong> provides a framework to ensure that <strong>Queensland</strong>’s<br />
tourism industry retains its position as a leading destination<br />
in providing the highest level of accessibility to tourism<br />
services, products and experiences.<br />
Access to public premises, the provision of goods, services<br />
and facilities, and accommodation are governed by a range<br />
Sea World, Gold Coast<br />
of federal, state and local government legislation including<br />
the Commonwealth Disability Discrimination Act 1992, the<br />
Disability Services Act 2006, the Building Code of Australia,<br />
and local government town plans.<br />
The <strong>Queensland</strong> Government has a key role in influencing<br />
the tourism industry to meet the demand for accessible<br />
tourism services, products and experiences. <strong>Tourism</strong><br />
<strong>Queensland</strong> has recently undertaken a number of initiatives<br />
to address the needs of people with disabilities including:<br />
undertaking consumer research on accessibility, the<br />
ageing population and people with disabilities, and<br />
establishing an Accessible <strong>Tourism</strong> Reference Group<br />
to discuss the implications of the research and formulate<br />
an action plan to address supply and demand issues.<br />
This may lead to the development of a national website<br />
providing information about the accessibility of tourist<br />
destinations.<br />
A key recommendation of the <strong>QTS</strong> is to provide information<br />
to assist industry to cater for disabled visitors. Actions<br />
include reviewing and updating the Accessible <strong>Queensland</strong><br />
Guide, completing an Accessibility Research Program to<br />
inform product development better and providing clear<br />
information to industry on their legal obligations regarding<br />
accessible tourism. Disability Services <strong>Queensland</strong> will assist<br />
in delivering on these actions.<br />
6 Disability, Ageing and Carers, Summary of findings 1999.<br />
11