Balancing the blend - tourist motivations, experiences, and satisfaction at remote World Heritage Areas: The case of Australia's Riversleigh Fossil site

Abstract:

World Heritage listing aims to provide protection for the precious natural and cultural sites on Earth. Listing can also increase awareness and visitation, particularly as 'presentation' is a tenant of the World Heritage Convention. Management, based on empirical research, is therefore required to ensure an appropriate balance between these, often conflicting, aims of protection and presentation. Many World Heritage studies have considered iconic, accessible tourism destinations with visitor congestion issues and threatened heritage values. To provide a balanced understanding of World Heritage tourism further research is required, particularly focusing on various site types. This paper reports on a survey of the motivations of visitors to the Australian Riversleigh World Heritage Fossil site, as well as their experiences and satisfaction. The outcomes of the research have informed the visitor interpretive plan developed by the State Government responsible for delivering on the Convention requirements for the Riversleigh site.