The politics of tourism and conservation organisations: the case of the Victorian National Parks Association 1952-1996

Abstract

The debate over conservation and protected areas is driven as much by political opportunism as by ideological persuasion. This paper traces the changing attitudes of the Victorian National Parks Association (VNPA) to tourism since its inception in 1952. The VNPA is the Australian State of Victoria's peak protected area lobby group. During the past 40 years, the organisations attitudes to tourism have changed at least 12 times. It is argued that the fluctuation in attitudes is influenced by the VNPA's political agenda. When opportunities arose to create national parks or to expand the park system, tourism was courted. When the opportunity passed, or when successes were achieved, tourism was more likely to be cited as a major problem that posed a direct threat to parks and park values. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.