Publication:

Role identities of adventure tour operators in national parks

As the demand for adventure tourism in national parks increases, the number of adventure tour operators also increases, and the debate regarding their presence in national parks ensues. This paper focuses on the operators' interpretation of adventure tourism in New South Wales (NSW) national parks, and explores why the operators have particular perspectives on adventure tourism in national parks. This paper draws on identity theory as a foundation for exploring the operators' perspectives. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 24 adventure tour operators based in four NSW national parks. Based on the interview data, this study found the operators played a variety of roles in the operation of adventure tourism business in national parks, such as escape facilitators and stewards of the natural environment. These roles were related to the operators' concerns for clients, the natural environment and their businesses.