Use of Wetlands for Sustainable Tourism Management

The Boondall Wetlands Reserve, which is located fifteen kilometres north-east of Brisbane, Queensland,are one of Australia's largest remaining habitats for conservation and environmental education. They areinternationally recognized as an important feeding and resting habitat for migratory wading birds from Alaska,China, Japan, Mongolia and Siberia. In 1996, the Boondall Wetlands Visitor Centre was opened in order to: (i)promote environmental awareness within the local and regional communities; (ii) provide community education andinformation about wetlands systems within the local, regional and global context; (iii) offer nature-based recreation,tourism and eco-tourism services; and (iv) demonstrate how wetlands can be used to diversify the tourism industry.This paper analyses the patterns of visitor flows to the Boondall Wetlands, and provides a qualitative assessment ofthe management, marketing and monitoring of the Centre's activities.