Logo image
Back
Potential economic implications for regional tourism of a Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak in North Queensland
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Potential economic implications for regional tourism of a Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak in North Queensland

D B Smorfitt, Steve R Harrison and John L Herbohn
Tourism Economics, Vol.11(3), pp.411-430
2005
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5367/000000005774352953
url
https://doi.org/10.5367/000000005774352953View
Published Version

Abstract

foot and mouth disease tourism impact feral pigs feral animals North Queensland Australia
International and domestic tourism are sensitive to disastrous events which make areas inaccessible to visitors, less attractive or more dangerous. One form of tourism disaster is the outbreak of an exotic disease, of which Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) is a prime case. It is now well documented that the 2001 FMD outbreak in the UK had a greater impact on tourism than on agriculture. It has been estimated than an FMD outbreak in Australia would impose a cost of about $13 million. The impact on tourism would be highly dependent on the extent and duration of an FMD outbreak, as well as on any management and containment restrictions imposed by the authorities in their attempt to control and eventually eradicate the disease. Public perception and thus the provision of accurate information and the way in which the media report disasters will also play an important role in determining the impact on the tourism industry. The economy of Tropical North Queensland relies heavily on international visitors, and an FMD outbreak in the region would impose a large cost to the regional economy, conservatively estimated here to be of the order of $200 million per year.

Details

Metrics

10 File views/ downloads
578 Record Views
Logo image