ABSTRACT
Thomas G. Bauer is Assistant Professor, Department of Hotel and Tourism Management, Hong Kong Polytechnic, University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China.
© 2001 by The Haworth Press, Inc. A l l rights reserved. 23
Latin America is a region of the world that contains beaches that are cleaner and less-crowded than the Mediterranean, pyramids and temples as great as the pyramids of Egypt, ancient relics as old as those in Europe, and art and architecture that can compete with the most famous that the Old World has to offer. From Mexico to Tierra del Fuego, there exists an abundance of attractions, and their aesthetic, cultural, historical, and environmental qualities can compete with similar features in other parts of the world. Given this multitude of attractions, one would expect that Latin America would be attracting a substantial number of international visitors from outside the region. A few attractions, such as Machu Picchu and Copacabana beach, are heavily visited but many others are underutilised. While attractions are plentiful, it appears that hesitations and concerns regarding a visit to Latin America are present in the minds of potential travelers and that these prevent them from visiting the region in larger numbers. By surveying Australian travel agents and tour operators, the authors sought to find an explanation for the small number of Australians who annually travel to what is an exciting destination.
