Changes in international tourism trends can have impacts on local tourism operators like TWPZ Dubbo. Whilst international guests make up only 1% of TWPZ's visitor numbers, global changes in the international tourism industry can still impact the enterprise. For example, the Covid-19 ban on Australian international travel has seen larger numbers of Australians travelling regionally within their own state, and states that are open to them.

Some of the main global tourism trends to effect the enterprise recently include:

• Climate change effects - Scientists predict that climate change will result in more severe weather events such as the 2019/2020 drought, which had a significant impact on the enterprise's operation costs. The cost of feeding animals increased by 60% as a greater quantity of food needed to be bought externally due to the inability to grow it onsite in exhibits, or in the browse plantation. The drought also had a significant impact on operations in relation to water supply. The zoo has two sources of water: potable water (drinking water - which at the time was not directly under threat but there were restrictions which had an effect on commercial operations such as accomodation) and non- potable water (non drinking water) which is used for moat containment, to create wallows for animals to cool down, and irrigation of the site. This non-portable water comes from the nearby Macquarie River which is fed from Burrendong Dam. In February of 2020 the Burrendong Dam dropped to 1.5% and the zoo was at risk of running out of non-portable water. The Zoo is currently negotiating alternative water supplies from Dubbo Council.

• Untapped indigenous cultural tourism opportunities - As the world becomes more homogenous, travellers are seeking interesting and unique travelling experiences. The Zoo has collaborated with the local Wiradjuri Aboriginal people to develop unique tourism experiences andshare cultural knowledge. The Aboriginal Programs Coordinator at Taronga Western Plains Zoo and the local community are involved in consultation and decisions making procedures related to new developments and programs on site.

• Increased transport technology - with greater use of air travel, regional towns like Dubbo have been bypassed for larger Centres which has been a limiting factor for Taronga Western Plains Zoo's operations. Dubbo is a long drive from large metropolitan areas like Sydney and it is also quite expensive to get a flight to Dubbo.

• Political decisions - the zoo is part of the Department of Primary Industries (DPI). The DPI report to the minister for Energy and the Environment. Any change in government or government policy could mean a change in priorities and thus potentially changes in the funding we receive. In addition, political decisions like border closures, international disputes with foreign governments, visa restriction and taxes on international visitors (like the Backpacker tax) can effect local tourism enterprises.

• Environmental consciousness - there has been an increasing trend towards sustainable tourism, whether holidaying closer to home, choosing eco certified venues or supporting environmentally sustainable tourism operators. TWPZ Dubbo is uniquely positioned to capitalise on this trends due to its strong environmental features and processes. In addition, with respect to Zoo tourism, there has been a trend away from displaying animals in cages, to more naturalistic displays for educational and conservation purposes. The public perception of zoos as conservation centres and industry leaders in environmental education has become increasingly common. This change in public perception and increasing recognition from the public of the importance of addressing conservation issues has likely had an impact on the zoo being able to successfully secure funding for a diverse range of programs that support animals in the wild from the government. A recent example of this was NSW government announcing funding for a Platypus Refuge at Taronga Western Plains Zoo (the first of its kind in Australia). This multi-purpose conservation centre will deliver a rescue refuge facility, research centre, rehabilitation and release and a visitor centre. Importantly the new facility provides an opportunity to engage and educate students and visitors about this unique species and its plight in the wild.

• Increasing information technology and popular culture impacts - the temporary closure of Taronga Western Plains Zoo and Taronga Sydney led to the opportunity for the organisation to explore other methods of engaging and sharing the zoo. This exploration led to the development of 'Taronga TV' which engaged audiences through live animal cams, keeper chats, animal antic videos, Taronga conservation programs and wildlife hospital videos. This use of technology showcased both zoos in a completely new way and potentially opened both sites up to a new audience which in turn could drive visitation from both domestic and future international markets. The popular local TV show 'Taronga, Who's who in the Zoo' also generated a strong local interest in both Zoos.

COVID-19 Pandemic - Impacts on Taronga Western Plains Zoo Dubbo

TWPZ has seen an increase in visitor numbers, largely due to people not being able to travel interstate (historically in NSW more people leave the state for holidays then enter) and not travelling to Sydney due to COVID. From July to November 2020 visitor numbers were up by over 50% on the same period in 2019. Last year however numbers were negatively impacted by drought, therefore it is important to remember that every year there are factors driving visitation up and down.

Context

COVID-19 has had an immense impact on the operations of Taronga Western Plains Zoo Dubbo, as it has done with many organisations operating within the tourism industry. Taronga Conservation Society (under which Taronga Western Plains Zoo falls) has experienced the ongoing effects of the pandemic since early March, resulting in the closure of both Taronga sites to the public between 26/3/2020 - 1/6/2020.

Taronga is a not-for-profit organisation and despite being a NSW Government entity, reporting to NSW DPIE, Taronga is unique among government agencies as it is primarily self-funded through admissions, donations, and grants, with only a small portion of funding coming from the NSW Government. This revenue is critical in funding not only staffing and operational costs but the critical conservation and recovery projects that are coordinated by both Zoo teams.

Like all organisations moving forward and rebuilding, careful management of funding and resources will be crucial in ensuring financial sustainability during lean times. Taronga is committed to prioritising the fundamental conservation projects and securing a shared future for wildlife and people.

Key points

People (External):

- Overall visitation at Taronga Western Plains Zoo has been positive since reopening . The majority of guests have been NSW residents (travelling from around the state avoiding metropolitan areas that potentially carry a higher transmission risk due to physical distancing being more challenging and interstate travel heavily restricted by border closures), Zoo Friends members and local residents. During July and August Taronga Western Plains Zoo experienced visitation rates that were in line with pre-COVID predictions.

However it is important to take into consideration that:

- Zoo Friends members pay a yearly membership fee that entitles them to unlimited Zoo entry. During the closure, all Zoo Friends members received a complementary extension of their membership. Importantly, many members were quick to revisit the Zoo once reopened to make the most of their paid membership, but this high visitation rate of members results in a lower number of full admission paying guests, further limiting revenue.

- Another important factor to consider is that many domestic residents now have a much lower disposable income, due to both COVID-19 and ongoing hardship as a result of extensive drought and the 2019/2020 bushfires. While reducing ticket sales, this also impacts on-site guest behaviour through their purchasing, spending less at both retail and food & beverage outlets which are important commercial revenue streams.

People (Internal):

- Staffing is heavily funded by revenue generated through admissions and programs, and to a large extent is made up of casual and short-term temporary staff. With many zoo programs, especially guest-facing roles, being non-operational staffing was restricted to only critical roles that are essential for the core operations of the Zoo. Being a NSW Government agency, despite being self-funded, meant that Taronga staff were not eligible for many government employment programs. Taronga worked with other NSW Government agencies to redeploy some staff to areas of need, such as NSW Health and Energy NSW.

- During the reopening phases, staffing remains impacted as revenue gradually increases. Some staff are working reduced hours, casual staffing is restricted, and some critical staff are being rostered on to temporary reassignment shifts to support guest operations.

- Volunteers are a critical group of people within Taronga Western Plains Zoo , but their access has been restricted during COVID. A compounding factor for many of the volunteers was that they fall within a high-risk category, being aged over 70 and some with other pre-existing health conditions.

- From the onset of COVID-19, the majority of Taronga Western Plains Zoo staff, aside from those delivering a critical service on-site were required to working remotely. While many mechanisms were already in place for staff to do this pre-COVID, there was still a substantial investment in relocating office equipment such as ergonomic chairs, monitors, and peripherals to those working from home, as well as purchasing increased licenses for additional users to access resources remotely, such as upgrading the VPN capabilities and video conferencing software.

Operations:

- Since reopening in June some areas of Taronga Western Plains Zoo remained closed to the public where physical distancing was not possible, but all outdoor areas were accessible. Many modifications were made to the program offerings, with all zookeeper talks being cancelled until further notice to avoid crowding.. This is a critical piece of guest engagement and has been replaced by recorded zookeeper talk videos, that are easily accessible at most exhibits by scanning a code to access and watch. Guided tours (such as Savannah Safari and Pride Lands Patrol) and animals encounters were also cancelled due to Covid social distancing requirement.

- Health and well being of all animals in the Taronga Western Plains Zoo population remains the highest priority and there has been little to no disruption to their feeding, hygiene, and enrichment schedules. There have been some minor impacts in accessing some food products by the Animal Nutrition Team due to international supply chain issues, but these have been easily substituted for suitable alternatives while delays are in place. There have also been some minor increases in costs due to product availability. Fortunately, the care of animals at both sites has been a popular reason for both private and corporate donors to support the zoo through philanthropic funding.

- Capital works and the construction of precinct upgrades or additions remain relatively unchanged, such as the Water Hole, as these developments are already allocated funding which has generally been committed by donors and grants for a specific purpose and cannot be redistributed for other purposes.

Accommodation & Food and Beverage:

- Accommodation facilities at Taronga Western Plains Zoo are important in both guest engagement over a sustained period of time and from a commercial perspective. This is an area that was initially impacted due to internal and domestic travel restrictions. Capacity for Zoofari Lodge was significantly reduced and Billabong Camp was closed for an extended period of time. The tours offered as part of the Zoofar accomodation packages were also modified in response to Covid with behind the scenes bus tours replaced with physically distanced walking tours. In contrast accommodation at Taronga Western Plains Zoo has seen a significant surge when reopening was possible, due to its regional location, which during July and August performed higher than what was originally predicted pre-COVID.

-In line with Covid Safety Plans changes were made to the food and beverage operations to reduce potential for gathering of people. Some of these changes included limited numbers inside the cafe, increased take away options and card only payment options. The food and beverage operation at Taronga Western Plains Zoo operate with a highly casualised staff many of whom we almost immediately displaced from work when Taronga Western Plains Zoo closed its gates. Operations have gradually increased since reopening in June with the recruitment of many new food and beverage casual staff.

- In order to reopen safely, Taronga Western Plains Zoo has had to implement a number of COVID-safe measures beyond site modifications. These have included the additional provision of hand sanitising stations in all locations, additional disinfecting equipment, additional cleaning staffing, and the procurement of protective face masks and PPE for all guest-facing staff.

Events and Functions

In line with NSW Government COVID restrictions all functions and events were cancelled at Taronga Western Plains Zoo resulting in significant loss in revenue.

Taronga Western Plains Zoo has worked closely with NSW Health on all on-site protocols for staff and guests, including modified site access for all and the implementation of contact-tracing systems for all to be utilised in the event of a suspected or confirmed case.

Staffing has also needed to be modified to assist in reinforcing physical distancing protocols in place in areas where this may be challenging, such as at a vantage point for a popular animal.

Impact of Covid 19 on Australia in 2020

ABS data shows arrivals to Australia dropped 60% in March, the largest ever drop in overseas travel as the impacts of Covid -19 spread worldwide.

In March there were 331,000 short term visitors to Australia, compared to 836,000 in March 2019.

In April 2020, overseas arrivals to Australia fell 99% due to Covid-19 travel restrictions. Border controls resulted in just 22,000 arrivals through April, more than two thirds of whom were Australian citizens returning home from overseas. Just under 7000 were foreign citizens.

As of August 2020, Victoria is in lockdown again, and borders are tightening severely effecting the movement of people. The future of tourism in Sydney is uncertain.

Impact of Covid 19 globally in 2020

United Nations World Tourism Organisation UNWTO data for January – March, shows globally, international tourist arrivals dropped by 22% with arrivals in March down by 57% following the lockdowns, travel bans and border closures implemented by many countries including Australia. This represented a loss of 67 million in international arrivals in the first quarter of 2020 compared to the same period in 2019. The economic impact of the downturn resulted in a US$80 Billion hit in terms of lost exports.

Find more updated statistics at https://www.unwto.org/international-tourism-and-covid-19

Currently the WTO estimates the full year impact of the pandemic could be a decline of 60-80% in terms of international arrivals compared with 2019. This would result in a decline of between 850mill – 1.1billion tourist arrivals costing US$910 billion to 1.2 trillion in lost revenue export. This loss compares with a 0.4% decline during SARS in 2013 and a 4.0% drop in 2009 following the global financial crisis.

Source:

Grant Kleeman – GTA Global Tourism Update

United National World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO)

Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)