Penny Spoelder

Biography

Penny is a highly regarded professional with extensive experience in sustainable tourism, destination management, visitor experience, infrastructure, business and investment planning. She has led the planning and management of some of Australia’s most notable destinations including, Ballarat, Gippsland, Phillip Island, New Zealand,Quarantine Station North Head, and Fort Denison in Sydney, Port Arthur and Maria Island in Tasmania, the Houtman Abrolhos Islands in WA, and Fort Queenscliff, Victoria. She has also worked extensively in New Zealand, the South Pacific and for the UN in Mongolia. With her in-depth knowledge of sustainable tourism planning and delivery models, Penny specialises in helping destinations as they navigate the tourism development life cycle.

Penny’s expertise is held in high regard by national and local governments, private sector, community organisations, indigenous communities and NGOs. Her clients benefit from her guidance and in-depth knowledge of sustainable tourism planning and delivery models. She has extensive experience in engaging, managing and leading stakeholders through complex projects with great results.

Abstract

Reflect, Rethink, Reboot: tourism in 2020 and beyond

Sustainable tourism is now a business imperative for every destination in Australia. As we stare down each and every crisis from drought, flood, fire and global pandemic and stimulus packages are rolled out to ensure that tourism can support wider economic and social recovery, surely its time to reflect and rethink our approach to tourism - How do we unpick the things that don’t work, modify our brief, steady our focus and create positive change through tourism?

By rethinking what tourism can offer our communities and our visitors and the natural and cultural resources on which we depend, we can create value beyond economic return. Some places are inviting residents to co-create tourism strategies that affect them and their communities in which they live. They are ensuring that they take action to build resilience, amplify the benefits of tourism and reduce the impacts of major crisis.

This presentation explores a new way to ‘do tourism’ and presents some case studies from Australia, New Zealand and elsewhere on how communities are reflecting, rethinking and rebooting their approach to tourism.