A Synthesis and Gap Analysis of Research on Visitors to Public Conservation Areas in Australia 1995–2010

Increasing the participation of New Zealanders and overseas visitors in recreation and tourism activities in public conservation areas is a priority task for the Department of Conservation (DOC). To help achieve this goal, DOC commissioned research to investigate and review the literature on outdoor recreation and tourism (nature-based, eco- and heritage tourism), focussing on visitor demand for and participation at public conservation areas, and the segmentation of those visitors, for both New Zealand and Australia. This report provides a synthesis of the information gathered in the Australian research bibliography, outlines the key trends and issues relating to visitation to conservation areas in Australia and identifies the key gaps in knowledge.