Thorp, Justine Margaret (2005) The development of the tourism cultural landscape of the Cairns Region, 1890-1970. PhD thesis, James Cook University.

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Abstract

The tourism cultural landscape of the Cairns region was ephemeral and mostly insubstantial until 1970 because the tourism industry was built on ideas, fantasies, myths and natural attractions. From the outset tourism in the region has been based on natural attractions such as rainforest, waterfalls, caves and the Great Barrier Reef. These have remained basically the same throughout the period 1890 to 1970 but individual attractions emerged and declined according to popular taste. They were reinvented according to changes in social and cultural preferences such as the Romantic, the picturesque, the scientific, the exotic and ecological 'ways of seeing.' Large engineering works such as the Kuranda railway and later the Tinaroo Dam were touted as tourist attractions in themselves, but proved to be secondary to the region's natural values. The changes in imagery in response to popular taste lead one to question where the 'authentic' tourist experience really lies. The infrastructure of the attractions was generally minimal, with the most obvious exceptions being Paronella Park and the Green Island Underwater Observatory, and suited to the image projected, and was built on the back of major infrastructure such as railways, ports and towns provided for other economic development. Paradoxically, this often threatened the natural values on which the tourist industry was based, a tension which still exists today.

Item ID:	30081
Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Keywords:	Cairns Region; Cairns Tourist District; Chillagoe Caves; culture; early tourism; Far North Queensland; FNQ; GBR; Great Barrier Reef; Green Island Underwater Observatory; heritage; history; Malanda Falls; Malanda; Millaa Millaa Falls; natural attractions; tourism development; tourist attractions
Date Deposited:	20 Aug 2014 23:40
FoR Codes:	15 COMMERCE, MANAGEMENT, TOURISM AND SERVICES > 1599 Other Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services > 159999 Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services not elsewhere classified @ 50% 21 HISTORY AND ARCHAEOLOGY > 2103 Historical Studies > 210303 Australian History (excl Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander History) @ 50%
SEO Codes:	90 COMMERCIAL SERVICES AND TOURISM > 9003 Tourism > 900302 Socio-Cultural Issues in Tourism @ 70% 90 COMMERCIAL SERVICES AND TOURISM > 9003 Tourism > 900303 Tourism Infrastructure Development @ 30%
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