Strategies <strong>for</strong> cultural values conservationOtway National Park <strong>and</strong> the Otway ForestPark. Community participation in managementhelps managers underst<strong>and</strong> social values(section 9.3). Interpretation <strong>and</strong> promotingcommunity awareness contributes to visitors’underst<strong>and</strong>ing of the social significance ofspecial places (sections 6.2 <strong>and</strong> 9.1). Socialvalues research <strong>and</strong> the development of asocial values framework <strong>for</strong> the parks willprovide important in<strong>for</strong>mation to help guidethe management of socially significant sites.Management strategy• Encourage research projects that willimprove knowledge of social values <strong>and</strong>support or improve the management <strong>and</strong>value of parks to the community.36 Great Otway National Park <strong>and</strong> Otway Forest Park Management Plan
6 STRATEGIES FOR VISITORS6.1 Tourism <strong>and</strong> recreationdirectionsAims• Provide <strong>and</strong> enhance a sustainable range oftourism <strong>and</strong> recreation opportunities <strong>and</strong>products within the parks. Contribute tothe region’s tourism <strong>and</strong> recreationopportunities <strong>and</strong> profile.• Provide high quality, memorable, authentic<strong>and</strong> educational experiences <strong>for</strong> visitorsthat capitalise on the <strong>Otways</strong> uniqueattributes, to generate an underst<strong>and</strong>ing<strong>and</strong> appreciation of park values, <strong>and</strong> meetor exceed visitor expectations.• Increase opportunities <strong>for</strong> participation ofcommercial <strong>and</strong> community partners in theprovision of tourism <strong>and</strong> recreationexperiences, particularly the Aboriginalcommunity.• Ensure that tourism <strong>and</strong> recreationactivities <strong>and</strong> infrastructure are conducted<strong>and</strong> managed in a way that respects naturalsettings, conservation requirements, <strong>and</strong>cultural sensitivities.Basis<strong>The</strong> Great Ocean Road Tourism Region, ofwhich the parks are an integral part, is one of<strong>Victoria</strong>’s major tourist destinations. <strong>The</strong>region has a 15% market share of visitors toregional <strong>Victoria</strong>, the second largest share ofall regions (Tourism <strong>Victoria</strong> 2004). <strong>The</strong>tourism industry supports a significant part ofthe region’s economy <strong>and</strong> accounts <strong>for</strong> 5.3% oftotal employment (Tourism <strong>Victoria</strong> 2004).Nature-based activities are strongly associatedwith destinations in the region, making upmore than 60% of activities undertaken byvisitors, compared to 46% <strong>for</strong> regional <strong>Victoria</strong>as a whole (Tourism <strong>Victoria</strong> 2004). Recentgovernment initiatives have built on this,aiming to enhance nature-based tourismopportunities particularly in the Otwayhinterl<strong>and</strong>.Nature-based tourism is defined as ‘Tourismthat relies on experiences directly related tonatural attractions’ (Tourism <strong>Victoria</strong> 2008).<strong>The</strong> parks play an integral two-fold role innature-based tourism in the region as theyprovide:• a base <strong>for</strong> many nature based tourism,ecoadventure <strong>and</strong> recreation activities suchas bushwalking, organised tours, wildlifeviewing, cycling <strong>and</strong> horse riding• the setting or backdrop <strong>for</strong> many activitiesin the region that draw on the parks’features, such as touring the Great OceanRoad, visiting the Cape OtwayLightstation <strong>and</strong> holidaying in coastaltowns.Nature based tourism activities are diverse, <strong>and</strong>have varying appeal <strong>for</strong> local, national <strong>and</strong>international visitors. A collaborative approachbetween government <strong>and</strong> industry targetsmarketing to those more likely to be interestedin nature-based tourism experiences. <strong>The</strong>approach aims to provide enhancedexperiences <strong>and</strong> increased visitor satisfactionwhile catering to <strong>for</strong>ecasted growth invisitation. It is also predicated on providing themaximum economic returns to <strong>Victoria</strong>.<strong>Parks</strong> <strong>Victoria</strong> <strong>and</strong> DSE recognise that tourism<strong>and</strong> recreation are integral to parkmanagement, successful tourism provides localcommunity benefits, increasing localemployment as well as appreciation <strong>and</strong>support <strong>for</strong> park values <strong>and</strong> assets.Key overarching policies are:<strong>Victoria</strong>’s Nature-based Tourism Strategy2008–2012 (Tourism <strong>Victoria</strong> 2008) aims toprovide a coordinated <strong>and</strong> strategic approachto policy, planning, development <strong>and</strong>marketing in the sector to optimise theeconomic, social <strong>and</strong> environmental benefits to<strong>Victoria</strong>. <strong>The</strong> strategy identifies the GreatOcean Road as one of the key nature-basedtourism development areas in <strong>Victoria</strong>, <strong>and</strong>proposes that nature-based tourismaccommodation <strong>and</strong> activity hub projects bedeveloped <strong>for</strong> the <strong>Otways</strong> <strong>and</strong> Great OceanRoad.<strong>The</strong> Great Ocean Road Regional TourismDevelopment Plan 2004–2007 (Tourism<strong>Victoria</strong> 2004) provides the strategic direction<strong>for</strong> tourism development in the region. Itidentifies that the creation of the Great OtwayGreat Otway National Park <strong>and</strong> Otway Forest Park Management Plan 37
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