What role do tourism stakeholders play in air route development? Lessons from Australia

ABSTRACT

This paper aims to assess the role of tourism stakeholders in air route development (ARD). The differences in the ARD processes and engagement relationships among airports, airlines, and destination management organisations (DMOs) are analysed. The Australian air transport and tourism sectors, which exemplify a light-handed regime with low competition among airports due to Australia's large territory and liberalised economic environment, were selected as a case study. In-depth semi-structured interviews with 22 ARD experts/executives from airports, airlines, and DMOs and with independent consultants were used as the primary data collection tool. In the Australian case study context, tourism stakeholders play a crucial role in stakeholder engagement, particularly in regional and emerging international airports. Both international and Australian airlines agree on the relative uniqueness of Australian DMOs' stakeholder engagement approaches and strategies (at national, state, and regional levels) compared to those in other parts of the world. Some interviewees even identify tourism authorities as ARD influencers who can play a significant role in the Australian ARD post-COVID-19 recovery phase.