Tourists' biggest fear of Queensland? Sunburn

Australia is well know for its array of deadly animals but travellers heading to Far North Queensland are more worried about spending too long in the sun than a encounter with crocodile, shark or snake.

An 18-month survey conducted at Cairns Airport by James Cook University found that sunburn was the number one concern for arriving tourists.

"Being sunburnt was the biggest factor people were worried about followed by being bitten by a snake and swimming in the ocean, falling ill and the impact of the Global Financial Crisis," said Professor Bruce Prideaux from the JCU School of Marketing and Tourism Management.

Professor Prideaux used a scale ranging from one to five in asking tourists to rate their concerns.

Fear of getting sunburnt rated 2.5, shark attacks came in at 2.45 and a mauling by a crocodile polled at 2.2.

"There was very little concern about any of the perceived dangers you might see in the media and in movies," Professor Prideaux said.

However, the fear of getting sunburnt may not be an indication travellers are discounting the risks posed by deadly creatures.

Instead, it may be a sign the Slip Slop Slap message may be hitting home, he said. "What it means is people are alert to the danger of sunburn in the destination and it shows public education campaigns have been working," Professor Prideaux said.

"When you see sunburn as high up I think you see the education campaign both domestically and internationally is working."

About 60 per cent of the study's participants were Australians visiting the far north, with the remainder overseas tourists.

The tourists least prepared to take risks were those from the United Kingdom, Ireland and the United States, the study found.

Germans were the most adventurous of overseas tourists, while Europeans in general were more willing than others to participate in risky activities.

Tourists from within Australia were most flippant about the risks of travelling to Far North Queensland and the most likely to take risks.

"Forty-three per cent of Aussies were in that group and were confident and safe in travelling to the location," Professor Prideaux said.

Published in Brisbane Times on 9th November.

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/travel/tourists-biggest-fear-of-queensland-sunburn-20091109-i4xa.html