> I think you would get similar results (and debate!) if you asked about
> cricket (although obviously not in the US!) - many people would be
> interested to the extent of wanting to know if we won or lost the Ashes. A
> smaller number would read the reports in the paper or watch highlights on
> TV. An even smaller number would watch it live on TV (especially when it is
> in the UK and involves staying up late) and a smaller number again would go
> to matches in Aus - and finally a few "hard core" types (like 700+ birders)
> would attend all of their team's matches no matter where they are. The last
> group would probably dismiss most of the previous categories as not being
> really interested!
Cricket is a great example! The question is, how many of these closet
cricket fans spend any money on their interest? The same goes for
closet birders - they may be keenly interested at home but if they
don't spend any money, they're of no more value to birding-based
tourist initiative than anyone else.
As I've been saying the reports cited here (and on other lists over
the year) are wildly exaggerating the number of birds out there, I
don't want to seem like I'm against more birders! Far from it. I
really think there are big opportunities on a community level in a lot
of places. Those bird-route circulars that are being more and more
common are fantastic as are the regional site guides.
I'd guess that there are lots of ways that birding can be used to
increase tourism to a specific area. Either by going after
general-interest tourists, families, or more dedicated birders. As an
example close to home, I've talked with Barbara Jones several times
about the Eden pelagic trips she first organized some years ago
(despite never being able to go herself!) From what Barbara's said:
* These trips brought in people from around the country and overseas
_specifically_ with the goal of going on one of the trips.
* Some people - again some from overseas - came repeatedly for the trips.
So, the Eden area got tourist dollars that wouldn't have otherwise
because a local created an opportunity. There are lots of
opportunities of this sort around. Heck, Green Cape is probably one of
the single best land-based places for deep sea birds on the continent
but I don't remember ever seeing any marketing along those lines. Eden
could have a "Albatross Week" or what have you. [I've been told by a
geologist that Green Cape is unusually close to the continental shelf,
hence the bill fish and Albatross coming so close to land.]
Aussies clearly love to be outside, to look at animals, and to have a
fry up at the end of it ;-) Given how popular zoos and 'nature
reserves' (small zoos) are, it seems like birding-based festivals
could work out really well. The hardest part about getting people into
birding is helping them over the initial hump. It's pretty hard to get
interested when you can't tell what is what. With a festival (or local
club), people can ideally see presentations, slide shows, real birds,
etc. in a fun setting. The best time to get people is when they're
kids or teenagers - it seems like that's the age when people can get
hooked most obsessively. Festivals and events are a great way to do
this!
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