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VISITOR IMPACT RESEARCH OR SURVEYS OF VISITOR ATTIUDES/WANTS
The Rottnest Society has long urged the Rottnest Island Authority (RIA) to commission research designed to determine how many visitors Rottnes Island can sustain. To date there has been no such research. We understand that there is currently a research project underway covering the summers of 2008-09 and 2009-10.
The draft RIMP indicates that this is focussing on the use of a number of sites OUTSIDE tge settlement area. We do not know which sites or any parameters underpinning this project.
It is also not clear whether this research is not just another survey of visitor attitudes - an important thing but different to the study of visitor impacts.
VISITOR NUMBERS - RESEARCH
Rottnest Island receives about 500,000 visitors per year. To date there has been no research into the impact visitors have on the fragile physical environment, or indeed on the highly valued social experience. The Rottnest Society understands that a Sustainable Tourism Research (visitor impact) project was commissioned by the Rottnest Island Authority (RIA) and that will be completed in 2010.
The RIA should NOT be developing strategies and programmes to increase visitor numbers (particularly in summer) UNTIL the results of the research are available (so long as that research is not just another survey of visitor attitudes).