The Knowledge Economy - 2020 and beyond: future innovations, implications and challenges for Australian tourism

Abstract

Towards 2020, the future houses many exciting options for major tourism nations. The Australian tourism industry, aware of the many forces impinging on its future activities, should target its global market by adopting multiple virtual and physical integrated value adding approaches. The future tourist customer may be targeted via an array of response driven approaches, and through a range of markets, market levels and localities. Strategic positioning (as an early-mover national industry block), along with planning, trialling and incorporating emerging technologies, may deliver future competitive advantage. Incorporating multiple market strategies, and value-adding products will likely also deliver new revenue streams, thereby further strengthening the industry's competitiveness. Service Value Networks deliver a nimble means to cater for the magnitude and ranges of global tourism generated by 2020. Cheap, yet sophisticated, one-on-one ('customerised'), innovative virtual (e-tourist) customer options will be accessible, including e-tourist houses, brain-uploads, and robotic experiences. Such systems will relieve the physical demands placed on limited physical tourism sites, but will be tourism revenue generators. Many countries will pursue the global tourism market towards 2020, so complacency within the Australian tourism industry is not an option.