In this paper, the initial results of a survey of the strategic business relationships between
nature based tourism operators in Tropical North Queensland are presented. While
operators in the region cooperate in their collective competition with other tourism
destinations, they compete with each other for the business of the tourists who visit the
region. These simultaneous cooperative and competitive relationships between tourism
businesses define the structure of the region’s tourism industry. The findings in this
paper pertain mainly to the areas of cooperation between tourism operators in Tropical
North Queensland. The two major areas of cooperation are destination promotion and
activities regarding environmental protection.
