Sustainable Tourism and Public Opinion: Examining the Language Surrounding the Closure of Uluru to Climbers

The decision to cease the climbing of one of Australia’s major tourist attractions, the UNESCO World Heritage site Uluru, on 26th October 2019, has attracted much controversy, debate and worldwide attention. This case study explores traditional media commentary and reporting as well as social med...

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Main Authors: Tombleson, Bridget, Wolf, Katharina
Other Authors: Sigala, Marianna
Format: Book Chapter
Published: Springer 2022
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/87893
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author Tombleson, Bridget
Wolf, Katharina
author2 Sigala, Marianna
author_facet Sigala, Marianna
Tombleson, Bridget
Wolf, Katharina
author_sort Tombleson, Bridget
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description The decision to cease the climbing of one of Australia’s major tourist attractions, the UNESCO World Heritage site Uluru, on 26th October 2019, has attracted much controversy, debate and worldwide attention. This case study explores traditional media commentary and reporting as well as social media discussions in the lead up to the closure of the climb. Drawing on framing theory, three key frames emerge that illustrate the opposing perspectives on the role of destination tourism. Through the economic lens, UNESCO World Heritage attractions like the Uluru climb perform a crucial role in supporting a country’s economy . As a national treasure, the rock should be freely accessible to all Australians (entitlement frame). However, the inclusive sustainability worldview considers a site’s history, contemporary relationship with the (local ) community and potential for future generations. This case highlights issues in change management processes with regards to access to heritage sites. Insights into the narrative in the lead up to the closure of the climb enable readers to explore the complexities surrounding the desire to shift towards a more sustainable tourism model.
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-878932024-01-11T01:01:52Z Sustainable Tourism and Public Opinion: Examining the Language Surrounding the Closure of Uluru to Climbers Tombleson, Bridget Wolf, Katharina Sigala, Marianna Yeark, Anastasia Presbury, Rajka Fang, Marcela Smith, Karen A tourism Tourism marketing tourism management The decision to cease the climbing of one of Australia’s major tourist attractions, the UNESCO World Heritage site Uluru, on 26th October 2019, has attracted much controversy, debate and worldwide attention. This case study explores traditional media commentary and reporting as well as social media discussions in the lead up to the closure of the climb. Drawing on framing theory, three key frames emerge that illustrate the opposing perspectives on the role of destination tourism. Through the economic lens, UNESCO World Heritage attractions like the Uluru climb perform a crucial role in supporting a country’s economy . As a national treasure, the rock should be freely accessible to all Australians (entitlement frame). However, the inclusive sustainability worldview considers a site’s history, contemporary relationship with the (local ) community and potential for future generations. This case highlights issues in change management processes with regards to access to heritage sites. Insights into the narrative in the lead up to the closure of the climb enable readers to explore the complexities surrounding the desire to shift towards a more sustainable tourism model. 2022 Book Chapter http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/87893 10.1007/978-981-16-4671-3_22 Springer fulltext
spellingShingle tourism
Tourism marketing
tourism management
Tombleson, Bridget
Wolf, Katharina
Sustainable Tourism and Public Opinion: Examining the Language Surrounding the Closure of Uluru to Climbers
title Sustainable Tourism and Public Opinion: Examining the Language Surrounding the Closure of Uluru to Climbers
title_full Sustainable Tourism and Public Opinion: Examining the Language Surrounding the Closure of Uluru to Climbers
title_fullStr Sustainable Tourism and Public Opinion: Examining the Language Surrounding the Closure of Uluru to Climbers
title_full_unstemmed Sustainable Tourism and Public Opinion: Examining the Language Surrounding the Closure of Uluru to Climbers
title_short Sustainable Tourism and Public Opinion: Examining the Language Surrounding the Closure of Uluru to Climbers
title_sort sustainable tourism and public opinion: examining the language surrounding the closure of uluru to climbers
topic tourism
Tourism marketing
tourism management
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/87893