Tasmania releases plans for eco-tourism

Aiming to compete with Australian eco tourism efforts from Queensland, Tasmania’s State Government has released plans to relaunch the region as a eco-friendly based tourism destination.

Working with Melbourne, Global Eco Asia Pacific Tourism Conference convener Tony Charters explained the two states would team up to build tourism to southern Australia.

“Going on current form, that will pair Melbourne as the lead tourism city with Tasmania as the heartland of ecotourism, making southern Australia a formidable destination,” Mr Charters said.

Mr Charters said the benefit of building an eco destination had fallen short with many Governments down under while locations in Asia are “running at 100mph” with the sector.

He explained that while establishing the state as an eco-destination, the long term benefits would more than cover the efforts.

“Ecotourism is not a ‘quick fix’ option for governments to plug the holes after a resource boom, for example,” Mr Charters said.

“It is a very logical and forward thinking choice for Tasmania, but it will take 15 years to bed the industry in.

“Once that is done, ecotourism will provide more jobs than logging, be sustainable and form an important plank of an export oriented economy.”

Mr Charters added that as a whole the country needed to invest more into its natural attractions and utilise them to increase visitor numbers.

According to the convener, the Great Barrier Reef’s figures are sitting around the same as 20 years ago while Kakadu numbers fell compared to visitors in the early 90s.

“National parks for example need ongoing support from government, not just a one-off injection of funds,” he explained.

“Other states can take the lead, with long term vision and investment roughly equivalent to one sports stadium each year, but spread across the state’s protected areas.

The Global Eco conference is being held in Sydney from November 7th to 10th.

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Brunei targets Australian Tourists for Ecotourism

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Brunei is targeting the tourists and residents of Australia, especially Victoria, as a wonderful place to visit, with magical opportunities in eco-tourism especially with its unspoilt pristine jungle compared to many other tour destinations around the world. It becomes the Sultanate’s principality and Australians are well known for their interests in eco- tourism.

We hope Royal Brunei Airlines (RBA) has very successful fly in the sky for many years to come,” said Bruce Atkinson, President of the Legislative Council and state member of Eastern Metropolitan region in a speech to senior government officials from Brunei Darussalam marking RBA’s inaugural flight to Melbourne.

“We are always delighted to welcome a new airline to Victoria.

“We have better airports in Australia. Melbourne is clearly one of the most important gateways to Australia.

Victoria is an important state for Australia particularly in food manufacturing which is of interest to Brunei and increasingly to tourism.

One of the interesting aspects about tourism is Victoria has no natural wonders like some other states have.

“A lot has been said about our shopping and the Formula One Grand Prix which was held last week and many other sporting, convention programmes and cultural activities.

“We are very fortunate to bring many people to Australia through Melbourne.

When we have another opportunity to bring another airline, Royal Brunei Airlines (RBA) to Melbourne, RBA passengers find it convenient to go to Australia via Melbourne, as a gateway to Australia.

“We see opportunities for more Australians and more visitors from other parts of the world to Australia looking at RBA as an alternative to go and perhaps experience Brunei, which is a terrific opportunity.

RBA is the 27th airline to come into Melbourne and effectively puts around another 120,00Q international seats into Melbourne each year as RBA flies four times a week.
“I think it is going to be an effective and successful route for RBA and a bridge to many events perhaps like exports and trade opportunities and in working with the Brunei government, its agencies and companies particularly in Halal branding,” he said.

“There are terrific markets out there for Australian food and beverage manufacturers to try and match in business through the export market.

Certainly Halal endorsement is a very significant marketing tool worldwide.

With us working to some extent with Malaysia and now with Brunei Darussalam to extend their Halal brand in food, it certainly gives a good opportunity,” he added.

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Australia’s Great South Coast Penguins to be conserved

A PROPOSAL to allow guided tours to the the penguin colony at London Bridge, between Peterborough and Port Campbell, has alarmed local wildlife conservationists.

They claim the beach is too dangerous and further interference with the birds could harm their sustainability.

Parks Victoria will outline the plan to invited stakeholders at a meeting in Colac on January 12.

The meeting was called to discuss environmental risks associated with the coastal area.

Peterborough wildlife carer Annie Fraser has snubbed the invitation and will boycott the meeting that she descibed as offensive and insulting.

“It is dishonest and unfair that other people of the local area are not given an opportunity to speak up,” the long-time wildlife shelter volunteer said in a letter to Parks Victoria .

“I want no part of your so-called workshop which has obviously been conjured up to appease a few locals at a venue completely unrelated and at a time completely impossible for most persons to attend.

“The fact that this is an area of ‘special protection’ points to the complete disregard of Parks Victoria for anything we may hold dear as Victorians.”

According to the meeting agenda the main aims are to identify environmental hazards, priority risks for management and incorporate the views of stakeholders.

Another local conservationist said the proposed beach tours were not necessary because the evening penguin procession could be seen adequately from a clifftop viewing platform about 50 metres from the colony of fairy penguins at London Bridge.

The idea for guided tours down the steep steps was put forward about five years ago by Bridgewater eco-tours operator Joe Austin.

Mr Austin told The Standard yesterday he had not been invited to the meeting and expected that if Parks Victoria approved the concept it would be put out to public tender.

“This has been dragging on and on,” he said.

“We had a meeting on the beach with Parks Victoria two or three years ago and we met department chiefs in Melbourne in late 2008.”

Mr Austin said his proposal was to have the steps upgraded and have a lockable trapdoor built for access to the beach.

“A qualified guide would accompany a small group of people down to the beach, who would sit quietly on the beach to watch the penguins waddle past back to their burrows at night,” he said.

“Availability would be seasonal, depending on the ocean conditions,” he told The Standard.

“Guided penguin tours would encourage more tourists to stay overnight in the area.”

Mr Austin said it used to be quite common several decades ago for local residents and tourists to climb down to the beach and watch the evening penguin procession.

“The only reason why they stopped it was because of foxes and silly idiots who used to poke sticks down the burrows,” he said.

Mr Austin holds qualifications in eco-tourism and has been running his Seals by the Sea tour business at Cape Bridgewater for 12 years.

Mrs Fraser said the London Bridge beach was dangerous and had unpredictable tides.

“Where is the public consultation,” Mrs Fraser asked yesterday.

“Why is there not a public meeting?”