Managing Tourism

Nature based tourism has the potential to provide local communities with economic and social benefits, as well as benefit the wider Australian economy. However, cooperation between the tourism industry, management agencies and the community is essential for the long-term success of nature based tourism. Elsewhere in the world, places have been 'loved to death' by uncontrolled tourism. With cooperative management, the result is an economically viable industry which recognises the needs of the host community while protecting the long-term ecological health of the World Heritage Area.

Tourism companies which use the World Heritage Area are encouraged to support Australia's duty under the World Heritage Convention to 'protect, conserve, present, rehabilitate and transmit to future generations' the special values of the World Heritage Area. This is achieved by ensuring tourism activities do not harm plants and animals or the local ecology. Nature based tourism is helping to achieve regional, national and international recognition and appreciation of the World Heritage Area. Sometimes it can also contribute directly to rehabilitation of the World Heritage Area through tree planting and maintaining tourism sites.

Working with the tourism industry

To improve communication with the industry, the Wet Tropics Management Authority has established a Tourism Industry Liaison Group which meets several times a year. Representatives are drawn from regional tourism associations and the wider industry.

In August 2000 the Authority released a Nature Based Tourism Strategy to provide the basis for tourism management in the World Heritage Area. The Strategy divides the World Heritage Area into 12 tourism precincts according to their distinctive features and tourism focus. The overall aim is to encourage a dynamic, sustainable and professional nature-based tourism industry in the Wet Tropics. The Strategy encourages cooperative partnerships between the tourism industry, managing agencies, indigenous people, conservation groups and the community. More detailed information and downloads are available on the Nature Based Tourism Strategy page.

In October 2001 the Authority released the Wet Tropics Walking Strategy. The strategy identifies over 200 managed walks and potential walks in the region and aims to provide a coordinated approach to walking management throughout the region. More detailed information and downloads are available on the Walking Strategy page. You can search for information about all the individual walks in the Wet Tropics on the Search for a Walk page.

In 2005, a new system was developed to monitor the environmental and social impacts of visitors to the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area. The Rainforest CRC, the Wet Tropics Management Authority and Tourism Queensland developed the new Visitor Monitoring System so that land managers and the tourism industry can work together to rapidly assess the health of visitor sites and detect any impacts as soon as they begin to occur. More information is available in the media release and in the research section.

Marketing

The Authority has also worked with the industry to provide tour operators with accurate reliable information about the WHA. Products such as the Daintree Tour Guide handbook, the Wet Tropics Image CDs and the World Heritage tour operator branding initiative have been produced specifically for tour operators in the WHA to use. You can download World Heritage Maps and view the UNESCO World Heritage emblem and WTMA logo here.

Tourism Facts and Figures

The World Heritage Area is an internationally acclaimed visitor destination. A survey of visitors in 2002 revealed That the Wet Tropics receives about five million site visits each year. These visits may be by locals, other Austalians or international travellers. Of course many people would have have visited more than one site. Visitors to the Wet Tropics are estimated at about two million each year. These visits may be for tourism, business or other reasons. Visitor surveys have found that domestic travellers account for more than 80% of visitors to Queensland.

A survey of visitors to the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area was undertaken in 2002. You can view a summary of the results in the brochure Living with World Heritage. Detailed survey reports for individual sites are available in the research section.

The tourism industry contributes significantly to the economy at both a local and regional scale. In 1993 direct tourism use of the World Heritage Area was estimated to generate over $179 million, based on expenditure associated with commercial tours, hire cars and running costs for private vehicles. Total gross expenditure for the region (which includes flow-on effects to the local economy) was estimated to be $753 million a year.

A study on theEconomic Values of Tourism in the Wet Tropicswas completed in 2007. The gross economic value of tourism directly generated by the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area (without flow on effects) was valued at $426 million.

For further information, visit the web sites for Tourism Queensland and Tourism Tropical North Queensland.