Tools and Resources

The Kangaroo Island Ambassador Program supports businesses to build skills and capacity in the workforce and builds fundamentals to becoming a customer service champion.

KITA Members receive discounted access to the Program. If you are not a member, then consider joining here.

To access the Ambassador Program, use the link below.

TOURISM IS A KEY CONTRIBUTOR TO ECONOMIC GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT ON KANGAROO ISLAND.

The Tourism Optimisation Management Model (TOMM) was developed to monitor the effect of tourism on Kangaroo Island from a variety of perspectives (including environmental, economic, socio-cultural, and visitor experience) in the interests of both residents and visitors.

The model is a community-based initiative responsible for monitoring and managing the long-term sustainability of tourism on the Island. The initiative is overseen by a Management Committee with support and representatives from the community, industry, and Government agencies.

At the core of TOMM is a practical set of indicators that monitor tourism on Kangaroo Island. These indicators measure changes in the economic, environmental, socio-cultural, and experiential environments.

Through the TOMM program, the TOMM Committee conducts two different surveys, a Visitor Exit Survey that is conducted annually and a Resident Survey that is conducted every two years.

One of the strengths of the TOMM surveys is capturing trend over time and telling us what ‘is’ happening rather than what industry and residents ’think’ is happening.

Visitor Exit Survey 2022 2023

In this regard, the TOMM Committee has noted a significant downward trend in a number of indicators contained within the recently completed TOMM Resident Survey Report. The TOMM Committee is particularly concerned about the trend which identifies generally that survey respondents, (Kangaroo Island residents) feel that there is a growing disconnect between achieving a balance between the economic gains of tourism and the impact that tourism is having on their lifestyle, environment, and infrastructure.

One of the core elements of the TOMM program is the implementation of adaptive management regimes. That is, once the Committee has analysed and established what the Reports are telling us the Committee determines the level of importance and priority, what intervention measures can be taken, and ‘who’ (which agency or group) will be responsible for delivering the intervention measures. The TOMM Committee is currently going through this process and is in the process of determining what action can be taken to address what could be referred to as the negative impact of tourism. This is proving to be a challenging task. The Resident Survey Report identifies the growing disconnect mentioned above, but it does not identify causative factors. The establishment of this information, causative factors, is an important component in determining what action can be taken to address the downward trends identified in the report. Accordingly, the Committee is addressing the trends in the Report and will be considering mechanisms through which causative factors can be established. This is a work in progress that will help inform the decisions related to the introduction of intervention measures.

If you have any queries related to the TOMM Resident Survey, please do not hesitate to contact us.