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Art tourism: a new field for tourist studies, tourist studies - united states, doi 10.1177/1468797618815025.

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Art, tourism

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• Karolina Buczkowska 3 &
• Magdalena Banaszkiewicz 4  

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Art, as a vast subdivision of culture, is composed of many creative endeavors and disciplines. It encompasses visual/plastic arts (traditional fine, modern fine, modern visual, applied, decorative, literature, and music) and performing arts. To the world of tourism, it brings “style, culture, beauty, and a sense of continuity of living” (Heather Zeppel and Michael Hall, in Smith 2009 : 121), while tourism “arguably creates a channel whereby new art forms can gain support (both financial and moral), and helps to broaden the audience for the arts” (Smith 2009 : 22–23).

The relationship between art and tourism has been close since ancient times and tourists have had very frequent contact with art of various centuries and countries; similarly artists have always traveled. The two words have appeared in several combinations such as “arts tourists”, “artists-tourists” (artists as tourists), “tourists as an inspiration for artists”, and “tourist art”.

Arts tourists

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Crowley, D. 2000 Art. In Encyclopedia of Tourism, J. Jafari, ed., pp.30-31. London: Routledge.

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Hughes, H. 2003 Arts, Entertainment and Tourism. Burlington: Buttleworth-Heinemann.

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Smith, M. 2009 Issues in Cultural Tourism Studies. London: Routledge.

Tribe, J. 2008 The Art of Tourism. Annals of Tourism Research 35:924-944.

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Wieczorkiewicz, A. 2012 Apetyt Turysty. O Doswiadczaniu Swiata w Podrozy (The Appetite of a Tourist. The Experience of the World in Travel). Krakow: Universitas.

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Poznan University School of Physical Education, Poznan, Poland

Karolina Buczkowska

Jagiellonian University, Cracow, Poland

Magdalena Banaszkiewicz

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Correspondence to Karolina Buczkowska .

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School of Hospitality Leadership, University of Wisconsin-Stout, Menomonie, Wisconsin, USA

Jafar Jafari

School of Hotel and Tourism Management, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR

Honggen Xiao

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Buczkowska, K., Banaszkiewicz, M. (2014). Art, tourism. In: Jafari, J., Xiao, H. (eds) Encyclopedia of Tourism. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-01669-6_236-1

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DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-01669-6_236-1

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-01669-6_236-4

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Tourism Review

ISSN : 1660-5373

Article publication date: 13 December 2022

Issue publication date: 20 January 2023

The purpose of this study is to present a review of published academic work on art and tourism. A distinction between papers researching tourism and mentioning art just as one of tourism activities and papers covering “art tourism” specifically is proposed.

Design/methodology/approach

The review is grounded on a content analysis of studies containing the words “art” and “tourism” published in the Scopus database. Moreover, to analyze papers specifically consisting of the term “art tourism” a theory‐context‐characteristics‐methods structure was used – the authors call these papers art–tourism-specific papers.

While the number of “art and tourism” papers has been increasing in the past 40 years, little is known about “art tourism” as an independent form of tourism. This study finds limited work on art tourists’ characteristics, preferences and behaviors as costumers. No art-based research and little research with visual representations was found. Artists are very rarely participants of art tourism research.

Research limitations/implications

Most research is conceptual, and little applied research can be identified. Importantly, besides synthesizing and critically assessing the current corpus of knowledge on art tourism, this review presents a final roadmap with directions for future research. One of the limitations of this review is that only studies included in the Scopus database and published in English were considered.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study provides the first comprehensive systematic review of published academic research on art and tourism in the past 40 years. The results of this study offer directions to future art tourism researchers.

本文的目的是回顾已发表的有关艺术和旅游的学术著作。 提出了在研究旅游的论文中将仅将艺术作为旅游活动之一提及的论文与专门涵盖“艺术旅游”的论文进行区分。

该回顾是基于对 Scopus 数据库中发表的包含“艺术”和“旅游”一词的文章的内容分析。此外, 为了分析专门由术语“艺术旅游”组成的论文, 我们使用了理论-背景-特征-方法的结构——我们将这些论文称为艺术旅游特定论文。

虽然过去四十年来“艺术与旅游”论文的数量一直在增加, 但人们对“艺术旅游”作为一种独立的旅游形式知之甚少。 我们发现关于艺术游客的特征、偏好和作为顾客的行为的工作有限。 没有发现基于艺术的研究, 也没有发现很少的视觉表现研究。 艺术家很少是艺术旅游研究的参与者。

大多数研究都是概念性的, 很少有应用研究可以被识别出。重要的是, 除了综合性地批判和评估当前关于艺术旅游的知识库外, 本次回顾还提出了一个最终路线图, 并为未来的研究提供了方向。本回顾的局限性之一是仅考虑了 SCOPUS 数据库中包含的并以英文发表的文章。

本研究首次全面系统地回顾了过去四十年来发表的有关艺术和旅游的学术研究。本研究结果为未来的艺术旅游研究者提供了方向。

Objetivo (límite de 100 palabras)

El propósito de este artículo es presentar una revisión de los trabajos académicos publicados sobre arte y turismo. Se propone una distinción entre los trabajos que investigan el turismo y mencionan el arte sólo como una de las actividades turísticas Y los trabajos que cubren específicamente el “turismo artístico”.

Diseño/metodología/enfoque (límite 100 palabras)

Esta revisión se basa en un análisis de contenido de los artículos que contienen las palabras “arte” y “turismo” publicados en la base de datos Scopus. Además, para analizar los artículos que contenían específicamente el término “turismo artístico” se utilizó una estructura Teoría-Contexto-Características-Métodos - llamamos a estos artículos específicos de turismo artístico.

Conclusiones (límite de 100 palabras)

Aunque el número de trabajos sobre “arte y turismo” ha aumentado en los últimos cuarenta años, se sabe poco sobre el “turismo artístico” como forma independiente de turismo. Encontramos trabajos limitados sobre las características, preferencias y comportamientos de los turistas de arte como clientes. No se ha encontrado ninguna investigación basada en el arte y poca investigación con representaciones visuales. Los artistas rara vez participan en las investigaciones sobre turismo artístico.

Limitaciones/implicaciones de la investigación (límite 100 palabras)

La mayor parte de las investigaciones son conceptuales, y se puede identificar poca investigación aplicada. Es importante destacar que, además de sintetizar y evaluar críticamente el corpus actual de conocimientos sobre el turismo artístico, esta revisión presenta una hoja de ruta final con directrices para futuras investigaciones. Una de las limitaciones de esta revisión es que sólo se han considerado los artículos incluidos en la base de datos SCOPUS y publicados en inglés.

Originalidad/valor (límite 100 palabras)

Este estudio proporciona la primera revisión sistemática exhaustiva de la investigación académica publicada sobre arte y turismo en los últimos cuarenta años. Los resultados de este estudio ofrecen orientaciones a los futuros investigadores del turismo artístico.

• Art tourism
• Cultural tourism
• Art-based research
• Art destination
• Turismo artístico
• Turismo cultural
• Investigación basada en el arte
• Turismo de arte
• Destino de arte

Acknowledgements

Authors have contributed equally in each aspect of the research process. 1. Conception or design of the work – Nataša Slak Valek and Paolo Mura, 2. Data collection – Nataša and Paolo, 3. Data analysis and interpretation – Nataša and Paolo, 4. Drafting the article – Nataša and Paolo, 5. Critical revision of the article – Nataša and Paolo, 6. Final approval of the version to be published – Nataša and Paolo.

Slak Valek, N. and Mura, P. (2023), "Art and tourism – a systematic review of the literature", Tourism Review , Vol. 78 No. 1, pp. 273-290. https://doi.org/10.1108/TR-05-2022-0214

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How Venice Might Remake Itself as a Contemporary Art Hub

As tourists flood the lagoon city, Venice has suffered something of an identity crisis. Looking ahead, might art light the way forward?

By Laura Rysman

Reporting from Venice

Venice is a magic trick, a city on stilts rising from the water. Yet that very magic trick has also created a seemingly intractable problem, as Venice has become famously overtouristed . Today, the city’s population has dipped below 50,000, while it contends with, by some estimates, 20 million to 30 million annual tourist visits. On an average day, that means there are more tourists on the city’s antiquated streets and canals than there are residents.

That leaves Venice feeling less magical and more like a cheap amusement park — a city whose very identity is being erased by the tourist onslaught. Political responses have been meager, though officials did roll out a new access fee for day trippers in April . (The fee, however, is projected to cost the city more to administer than it will actually collect.)

While the results of that initiative remain to be seen, some commentators — including those at the Art for Tomorrow conference in Venice last week — have suggested that one solution to the city’s loss of identity might lie in the growing contemporary art scene.

Teeming with tourists since the Middle Ages, Venice drew merchants from abroad and religious pilgrims setting sail to the Holy Land, but only with our era’s explosion of cheap and easy travel has the city tipped toward crisis, as the number of visitors has skyrocketed. There are almost 10 times as many tourists as there were two decades ago, and the city has been grappling with the familiar problems that arrive when masses of vacationers descend: overwhelmed city infrastructure, environmental strains and an inflated real estate market.

As vacation rentals eat up local housing, the city has been suffering from human erosion — the loss in Venice’s center of about 1,000 inhabitants per year. Its current population represents less than a third of its postwar level. A national law passed in 2022 permitted Venice to curb vacation rentals, but no restraints have gone into effect, despite outcry from activist groups like Ocio, which tracks housing.

As the city succumbs to tourism, it has slipped into an identity crisis. After all, without its locals and its traditions, what exactly is Venice?

Last week, during the Art for Tomorrow conference — an annual event convened by the Democracy & Culture Foundation, with panels moderated by New York Times journalists — thinkers on a panel titled “Sustainability and the Pitfalls of Beauty” debated how Venice and other beloved ports of call could be saved from their popularity and the resulting tourist deluges.

“One of the main reasons for the existence of Venice is art and beauty,” said Toto Bergamo Rossi, the director of Venetian Heritage, an organization dedicated to preserving the city’s culture. Challenging the mayor’s wisdom on the new access fee, he suggested that it could be replaced with a city reservation system — capping the number of spots available to tourists.

But for now, many people’s hopes for Venice lie in its cultural regeneration, as the last few years have seen artists, collectors and gallerists moving into Venice and opening new contemporary art venues. Many of Venice’s new adoptees hail from elsewhere, drawn in by the city’s archaic charm, and by the Venice Biennale.

Created in 1895, the Biennale has become a premier event of the art world, and its significance has rendered Venice a capital of contemporary culture. The 2022 edition drew 800,000 ticketed attendees — a fraction of the millions of visitors arriving in Venice annually.

However, as Scott Reyburn, a Times contributor, put it during the panel discussion, rather than merely consuming the city with social media’s “click-and-run tourism,” Biennale visitors come for the city’s culture, and their presence helps to invigorate it. It’s an event that does not reduce the quantity of the tourism, as Bergamo Rossi acknowledged, but it does increase its quality.

The Biennale also sees collateral exhibitions in palazzos, churches and other locations around the city, filling all of Venice with contemporary art and rendering it an attractive stage for new art sites — including Berggruen Arts & Culture, the Stanze della Fotografia, the Vincenzo De Cotiis Foundation, and galleries like those of Lorcan O’Neill, Tommaso Calabro and Patricia Low.

“Look at where we are now,” said Bergamo Rossi, pointing out that the main location for the Art for Tomorrow conference, the 18th-century Palazzo Diedo, became an art foundation because Nicolas Berggruen, an investor and philanthropist in Los Angeles, was drawn to the city’s cultural spirit.

“Venice has an unusual magnetism,” Berggruen explained in a phone interview.

In the last year, he has inaugurated two locations of his Berggruen Institute in the lagoon city: first Casa dei Tre Oci, which welcomes thinkers from various disciplines, and then Palazzo Diedo’s Berggruen Arts & Culture, which opened its doors with a show featuring site-specific works by Hiroshi Sugimoto, Urs Fischer, Mariko Mori and other artists. The Palazzo also hosts residencies, so artists can spend time interacting with and creating in Venice.

Berggruen said that the city “has always had a role between East and West that transcends Italy and transcends Europe.”

He added: “We felt that Venice could again be a crossroads for creation and ideas.”

To resist total touristification, a city needs to be a place worth living, not just visiting.

Venice, now rich in champions of the arts, is strengthening its cultural identity. At the same time, though, it remains to be seen exactly how willing politicians are to limit vacation rentals and tourist numbers and to protect local businesses ever more displaced by tourism.

And yet, art is flourishing — a harbinger of an invigorated city.

“Venice teaches you that human creations can be incredible, like a city built on water,” said Paolo Rosso, a founder of the Floating Cinema, where art films and performances are shown to an audience which, he said, was composed primarily of “Venetians and the new Venetians who moved here because they love the city.”

The uniquely Venetian event, Rosso continued, “creates a shared terrain dedicated to art — because, art creates communities.”

An earlier version of this article incorrectly spelled the first reference to the last name of a founder of the Floating Cinema. He is Paolo Rosso, not Russo.

How we handle corrections

Laura Rysman is a Florence-based contributor to The Times. She also writes for Monocle and Konfekt. A longtime resident of Italy, she reports on fashion, art, and travel in the country. More about Laura Rysman

Inside the Venice Biennale

The 2024 venice biennale features work by more than 330 participating artists from some 90 countries scattered throughout the city..

A Case for Returning Looted Artifacts:  For years, activists and politicians have led discussions about whether disputed museum objects  should go back to their countries of origin. At this year’s Biennale, artists are entering the fray.

Raising a New Flag:  Dread Scott’s unabashedly activist art once led to a Supreme Court ruling on free speech. Now during the Biennale, he tackles racist immigration policies .

Balance on the U.S.-Mexico Border:  In a show this spring and summer between two museums on either side of the border , artists tell fresh stories about a contentious region.

Archie Moore Wins Top Prize:  The Indigenous Australian artist won the Golden Lion  for his installation, “kith and kin,” which draws on what he says is 65,000 years of family history.

A Work’s Context:  Rather than having a solo retrospective, Julie Mehretu chose  to have a show in Venice that includes works by her artist friends.

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EXPLORE THE ART OF AKWESASNE Mohawks to Host Art Market and Juried Show on July 6

Jun 18, 2024

AKWESASNE — ( Ohiarí:ha/June 18, 2024) With summer just around the corner, plans are underway for the third Akwesasne Art Market & Juried Show. The Akwesasne Art Market & Juried Show, the North Country’s premier Indigenous arts and culture event, is slated to take place on Saturday, July 6 at Generations Park in Akwesasne, New York. The Art Market is presented by Akwesasne Travel, the cultural tourism initiative of the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe’s Economic Development Division.“We want our friends, neighbors and visitors from all over to experience Akwesasne’s vibrant arts and culture,” said Economic Development Director Dwayne Thomas. “By showcasing the world-class creativity of our artists right here in our community, we’re offering a unique experience for visitors to learn about our people, our culture, and artistic tradition right from the source.

”Generations Park transforms as artists and makers gather to exhibit their work and demonstrate cultural art practices. The juried art show will feature the best traditional and contemporary works by some 60 Mohawk artists of Akwesasne, who will be on hand throughout the day. The event is expected to include more than 100 local and regional vendors and will feature live music, demonstrations, and entertainment. The line-up includes exciting Smoke Dance and Hoop Dance performances, as well as Haudenosaunee social songs and dances led by the Native North American Travelling College.

The day kicks off at 10:00 am with the presentation of a $1000 Best of Show award and honors across 12 categories, followed by the opening of the Market. The public is invited to attend.

For more information, visit www.akwesasne.travel or call (518) 358-4238.This project is supported by a Market New York grant awarded to Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe from Empire State Development and I LOVE NY/New York State's Division of Tourism through the Regional Economic Development Council initiative.

About the featured art:

Kit Thomas, The Weaving of Identity, 2023, acrylic, mixed media and bingo cards, 16 in. x 20 in., Akwesasne, New York. First Place, Mixed Media, 2023 Akwesasne Juried Art Show.

About Akwesasne:

Akwesasne is the name of the Mohawk territory that extends into Northern New York, Southeastern Ontario, and Western Quebec. In the Mohawk language, Akwesasne means “land where the partridge drums.” The picturesque community of some 25,000 Mohawks is located along the shores of the St. Lawrence River.

About Akwesasne Travel:

Akwesasne Travel is based within the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe’s Office of Economic Development in Akwesasne, New York. Its cultural tourism offerings include experiences with Mohawk experts in the traditional arts of wooden lacrosse stick making, splint basketry, loom beadwork, and herbal remedies. Guided museum and cultural center tours explore the past, present, and future of the Mohawk and Haudenosaunee through storytelling, art, and artifacts. Akwesasne Travel received a Tourism Excellence Award in 2023 from the New York State Tourism Industry Association for sustainable tourism stewardship. The American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association named Akwesasne its 2022 Tribal Destination of the Year.

Oshkosh's Paine Art Center one of just six organizations to win a 2024 Governor's Tourism Award

The paine beat out 18 other nominees across the state to win the arts, culture and heritage award..

OSHKOSH ― The gifts just keep coming.

One year after celebrating its 75th anniversary, the Paine Art Center and Gardens made it big yet again, winning a prestigious 2024 Governor’s Tourism Award at the Wisconsin Governor’s Conference on Tourism in Lake Geneva.

Competing against 18 nominees across the state, the local historic estate won the Arts, Culture and Heritage Award for a record-setting year that saw the Paine attract more than 100,000 visitors to its Algoma Boulevard grounds.

“It’s definitely a huge honor because we’re competing against a wide and broad range of organizations and events such as music festivals, street fairs and other types of attractions,” said the Paine Art Center Executive Director Aaron Sherer.

“We were definitely surprised, but that’s also a testament to our growth and how we can quantify the impact we’ve made in the community, as our estimated economic impact for last year was more than $6 million.

“We’re driving traffic into the community that wouldn’t be here otherwise and we’re only going to grow from here,” he added.

Oshkosh Public Museum: Oshkosh Public Museum earns praise for ‘enduring effect’ as it marks 100 years with centennial celebration

The Paine Art Center was just one of six organizations and individuals to be awarded at the Governor’s Tourism Awards, which were started in 2010 to recognize excellence and leadership in travel and hospitality.

It came in recognition of a historic 75th anniversary, where the Oshkosh tourist attraction expanded its programming, set record-breaking attendance numbers and had its biggest operating budget.

The Paine’s outdoor lighting exhibition, The Nature of Light, attracted 50,000 people alone, and led to another successful holiday light show during Christmas.

“We have a historic property with a great art collection, and with our gardens, we’re so multifaceted, so we have something for everyone,” explained Sherer.

“But we’re considering it a launching pad as we’re going on and upward from here.”

Museum wins statewide award: Oshkosh Public Museum wins statewide award for 2022's Helen Farnsworth Mears exhibit, and more news in weekly dose

More than 800 people attended this year’s Governor’s Tourism Awards, including Gov. Tony Evers, who personally handed out the six individual awards.

Sixty-two individuals, businesses and destinations were nominated for the six categories, which included Rising Star; Service Excellence; the Innovation Award; the Legacy Award; the Diversity, Equity, Accessibility and Inclusion Award; and the Arts, Culture and Heritage Award.

“These hardworking partners help drive the success of Wisconsin’s tourism industry, which is a critical economic engine for our state, generating $23.7 billion in economic impact,” Evers said.

“I want to congratulate all the winners on this well-deserved recognition and thank them for their leadership, dedication and innovation that help support our state’s tourism industry and make Wisconsin a place that people from all over choose to visit."

Have a story tip or public interest concern?   Contact Justin Marville at  [email protected] .

Interactive “Cha Chaan Teng” experience at Art Basel Hong Kong in March (Photo: Hong Kong Tourism Board)

HONG KONG--( BUSINESS WIRE )--The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) and Art Basel are delighted to announce a new three-year global partnership. The HKTB is the first tourism organisation to enter into a global strategic partnership with Art Basel. Announced during the press conference of Art Basel in Basel, the collaboration will extend beyond Hong Kong to all Art Basel shows worldwide, beginning with Art Basel Paris this October.

As part of this exciting alliance, HKTB will serve as a Show Partner of Art Basel and celebrate Hong Kong art and culture on the world stage. Over the next three years, HKTB will be present in four annual shows, including Art Basel in Paris, Miami Beach, Hong Kong, and Basel, with different thematic experiences or activations.

Mr Dane Cheng, HKTB Executive Director, said: “Our strategic alliance with Art Basel underscores our commitment to promoting Hong Kong as the East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange, and a valuable gateway to the Chinese art market. By sharing the city’s unique character through immersive experiences and exhibitions at the world’s most prestigious art platform, we hope to inspire travellers to visit our city and discover its thriving creative community and rich cultural experiences.”

Noah Horowitz, Art Basel CEO, said: “We are thrilled to build on our longstanding collaboration with Hong Kong Tourism Board and launch this ambitious initiative. By shining a global spotlight on Hong Kong’s vibrant art scene, this partnership will enhance the experience for our fair visitors while unlocking new opportunities and fostering deeper connections between Hong Kong and art communities around the world.”

Debuting in Hong Kong in 2013, Art Basel has collaborated with HKTB on several successful projects together since 2020. This March, the tourism board joined hands with the fair to present a local “Cha Chaan Teng” experience that aimed to highlight the vibrant living culture of Hong Kong. Inside a colourful, purpose-built cha chaan teng (Hong Kong-style café), visitors enjoyed local delicacies, such as the city’s iconic pineapple buns and milk tea, while experiencing Hong Kong’s East-meets-West heritage firsthand.

The organisations’ three-year partnership will kick off with Art Basel Paris, taking place at the Grand Palais in the French capital from 18-20 October 2024.

Images can be accessed at:

https://assetlibrary.hktb.com/assetbank-hktb/action/browseItems?categoryId=1570&categoryTypeId=2&cachedCriteria=1

For media enquiries: Annice Li Tel: 2807 6578 Email: [email protected]

Claris Lam Tel: 2807 6209 Email: [email protected]

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The art of tourism

2008, Annals of Tourism Research

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Parts of Cape York elevated to the World Heritage 'tentative' list, but is it a blessing or curse?

Parts of Queensland's Cape York Peninsula have today been elevated to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative list, but experts warn what many regard as a coup could be a double-edged sword.

The decision has been decades in the making and was announced by the Queensland and federal environment ministers, alongside traditional owners in Cairns.

The region, which attracts about 150,000 tourists a year, is known for its rugged national parks, pristine waterways, secluded beaches, rich Indigenous culture and rock art.

Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said the Cape had plant and animal species that weren't found anywhere else and thousands of years of culture that needed protecting.

"We know that there's evidence of occupation of around 34,000 years and that history, that culture, and that tradition is in an unbroken line with the people who are standing with us today," she said.

Ms Plibersek said the listing wouldn't change existing land tenure but if there was development, it had to respect "globally important values".

A listing is often celebrated as a sign of cultural and natural significance which brings tourism dollars, but experts say it can lead to the degradation of historic and sacred sites and ultimately, "overtourism".

World Heritage expert Adjunct Professor Jon Day from James Cook University cited several international cities struggling to strike the balance.

"[It] can often be the worst thing for tourism," he said.

"A World Heritage listing for any property is like a magnet to people, who say, 'oh, that must be impressive'."

But he said it can cause problems if there were not enough resources to manage tourist numbers.

"Venice has now brought in restrictions and new fees for tourists because the influx of visitors was putting a strain on infrastructure, " he said.

"Maya Beach in Thailand, that has to close every year to tourists to give the area a break, and there are World Heritage sites in Scotland that are trying to bring in restrictions on cruise ships."

On the flip side, a well-managed listing provides much greater benefit, Mr Day said.

"There are around two million paying tourists a year who visit the Great Barrier Reef … they generate money and jobs."

It has been more than five decades since the international community put together a list of the world's most important cultural and natural sites.

The World Heritage Convention was signed, and the resulting World Heritage List — places of "outstanding universal value" — was formed.

There are now 1,199 sites on the list, including the Galapagos Islands, the Great Wall of China, and Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park and the Great Barrier Reef.

Australia is home to just 20 World Heritage Areas and Queensland Premier Steven Miles said five are in his state.

"I want iconic places like the Cape to be protected for future generations to love.

"This is monumental," he said.

Cape York's tentative listing is the first step in the years-long World Heritage nomination process.

The federal government has endorsed six other sites for inclusion on that list including:

• The Flinders Ranges in South Australia
• A remote Western Australia peninsula, home to more than a million Indigenous rock art paintings
• An extension to the Fraser Island World Heritage Area that will include the Cooloola section of the Great Sandy National Park
• An extension to the Gondwana Rainforest area
• The Parramatta Female Factory, which housed convict women in colonial times
• The Worker's Assembly Halls, including the Trades Hall in Broken Hill

Hindrance to development

Traditional owner and chairman of the Olkola Aboriginal Corporation Michael Ross said construction was underway on a new cultural centre near Laura at significant cost so it would be beneficial to bring tourists into the area.

"It's about looking out for our country, looking after significant sites and protecting cultural values in the area," Mr Ross said.

Mr Ross said opinion was divided in Cape York and that concerns had been raised about whether the listing would impede economic development, through development restrictions.

"There is some misinformation about what the listing would mean, but I believe that it will benefit a lot of people. We have a lot of significant sites across this country," he said.

Traditional owner Allan Creek, a Southern Kaantju man, also supported the listing, because it would give them a chance to look after the country for ever.

"So we don't have to bend this way and that way every time the government change their mind or a big company tells us what we need to do," he said in a statement.

'More red tape'

Jack Colquhoun and his family run Cape York Camping Punsand Bay, at the tip of Queensland, which welcomes thousands of tourists each year.

"On paper, it sounds wonderful from a tourism perspective, but it will impede development," Mr Colquhoun said.

"It will add another layer of red tape and will make it harder to improve infrastructure and community services, which Cape York desperately needs."

He grew up in the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Daintree rainforest, which still has no access to mains power.  

His own business at Punsand Bay is also completely off-grid.

"I saw that community struggle with red tape and it could happen here too under this listing. There's nothing wrong with our national parks the way they are."

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