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As the strong dollar in Australia drive Aussies overseas, many in that country believe that Australia could benefit from building its ecotourism sector and attract more international visitors.
According to Tourism Conference for Ecotourism Australia organiser Tony Charters, eco-tourism arrivals in Australia have remained steady over the past 20 years and a boost in the sector could fill the void left behind by domestic travel.
“We know Australians have developed a taste for international holidays and that growing international visitor numbers is now critical,” Mr Charter stated.
Not much has changed since the sector launched down under two decades ago, according to Mr Charters, with The Great Barrier Reef still hosting 1.3 visitors per year, Fraser Island and Shark Bay seeing small rises since the 1990’s while Kakadu witnesses a drop in visitor numbers.
He suggests Australia look at utilises one of its key unique qualities in the industry, offering travellers the opportunity to meet Indigenous Australians and learn from them.
“Maybe Australia needs to re-read the book on ecotourism – the book it wrote in the early 1990’s,” Mr Charters added.
He stressed the sector could become Australia’s ‘Swiss watch’ with focus on quality, reliability and reputation.
“Currently the opportunities are too few and far between.”
Mr Charters will be speaking at the upcoming Global Eco Conference to be held in Sydney this year from 7-10 November.
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