Are alcohol restrictions bad for tourism? An exploratory study of tourism trends in Western Australia.

IF 2.4 3区医学 Q2 PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health Pub Date : 2025-08-05 DOI:10.1016/j.anzjph.2025.100256

Martyn Symons, William Gilmore, Naomi Henrickson, Tanya Chikritzhs

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Objective: Potential negative impacts of alcohol policy on tourism are a controversial issue, particularly for regional Australia. We aimed to understand tourism activity in the context of Section 64 area-wide alcohol restrictions implemented in Western Australia.

Methods: Restrictions information allowing placement of conditions on liquor licences limiting alcohol sales in specified communities was collated (e.g. off-premises trading hours). Time-trends in visitor trips across tourism regions with/without restrictions were examined for changes. For domestic trips, regional trend-fitting and time-series cross-correlations were conducted for restricted versus non-restricted non-metropolitan regions.

Results: Subsequent to restrictions in North-West and Golden Outback regions, areas affected by restrictions increased over time. International trips contributed < 20 % of total trips. All domestic series were either stable or in decline up to 2009/10, and thereafter all experienced growth. Combined trip numbers for restricted versus non-restricted non-metropolitan regions were significantly cross-correlated (0.48, p=0.03).

Conclusions: Restrictions aimed at reducing alcohol-related harms in regional WA do not appear to have negatively affected tourism.

Implications for public health: Evidence-informed policies that reduce community-wide alcohol availability are critical to addressing risks to public health and safety. Objection to restrictions on the basis of negative tourism effects may be misguided and counter-productive to sustainable tourism growth.

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酒精限制对旅游业有害吗？西澳大利亚旅游趋势的探索性研究。

目的：酒精政策对旅游业的潜在负面影响是一个有争议的问题，特别是对澳大利亚区域而言。我们的目的是了解在西澳大利亚州实施的第64条全区域酒精限制的背景下的旅游活动。方法：整理允许在酒类许可证上放置限制在特定社区销售酒精的条件的限制信息（例如，场外交易时间）。考察了有无限制的旅游地区的游客旅行的时间趋势变化。对于国内旅行，对受限制和不受限制的非大都市地区进行了区域趋势拟合和时间序列相互关联。结果：在西北和黄金内陆地区的限制之后，受限制影响的地区随着时间的推移而增加。国际旅行占总旅行的比例低于20%。所有国产系列在2009/10年度之前要么稳定要么下降，之后都出现了增长。受限制和不受限制的非大都市地区的总旅行次数显著交叉相关（0.48,p=0.03）。结论：旨在减少西澳地区酒精相关危害的限制措施似乎并未对旅游业产生负面影响。对公共卫生的影响：循证政策减少社区范围内的酒精供应对于解决公共卫生和安全风险至关重要。基于旅游业的负面影响而反对限制可能会被误导，并对可持续旅游业增长产生反作用。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health 医学-公共卫生、环境卫生与职业卫生

CiteScore

4.20

自引率

5.70%

发文量

121

审稿时长

6-12 weeks

期刊介绍： The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health (ANZJPH) is concerned with public health issues. The research reported includes formal epidemiological inquiries into the correlates and causes of diseases and health-related behaviour, analyses of public policy affecting health and disease, and detailed studies of the cultures and social structures within which health and illness exist. The Journal is multidisciplinary and aims to publish methodologically sound research from any of the academic disciplines that constitute public health.