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How does the Great Barrier Reef affect tourism?

As the largest economic contributor to the Australian economy from reef-dependent activities in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, marine tourism supports more than 60,000 jobs and provides access for more than 2 million tourists each year.

What would happen if the Great Barrier Reef died?

Coastlines would take a battering Without them, shorelines would be vulnerable to erosion and rising sea levels would push coast-dwelling communities out of their homes. Nearly 200 million people rely on coral reefs to safeguard them from storms.

Why is the tourism industry so important to the Great Barrier Reef?

From another perspective, tourism is particularly valuable to the reef because it is a relatively clean industry that relies on the preservation, rather than depletion, of the resource for its own survival. The Great Barrier Reef is a resource of value to both tourism and other industries.

How does the Great Barrier Reef dying affect the economy?

The death of coral also represents a huge loss—as much as $375 billion annually—for the local economies along the globe they support. Reefs support local tourism and the commercial fishing industry. They also protect coastlines from flooding during extreme storms.

How does tourism affect marine life?

Tourism has a huge influence on water pollution, but a huge source is from cruise ships. These ships, which are a popular vacation choice for many, dump a lot of waste into the ocean every year. In these unregulated areas, they’ll dump the untreated sewage waste of the thousands of people that they have on board.

How does tourism impact on the environment?

Tourism puts enormous stress on local land use, and can lead to soil erosion, increased pollution, natural habitat loss, and more pressure on endangered species. These effects can gradually destroy the environmental resources on which tourism itself depends.

What would happen if we lost all coral reefs?

The disappearance of coral reefs from our planet could lead to a domino effect of mass destruction. Many marine species will vanish after their only source of food disappears forever. Climate change and bleached coral will make coral-based tourism unappealing or non-existent, which will lead to job losses.

How would the loss of coral reefs affect humans?

In many places, the loss of coral reefs would amount to an economic disaster, depriving fishermen of their main source of income, forcing people to find more expensive forms of protein and undermining the tourism industry. Some of the countries most dependent on coral reefs are also among the largest polluters.

When did tourism start in the Great Barrier Reef?

In the 1890s, Green Island became one of the first destinations for pleasure cruises off the coast of Cairns, starting what was to become organised tourism on the Great Barrier Reef. By the 1930s tourist resorts were being developed at Green Island and at Heron Island further south.

How does coral bleaching affect tourism?

Reefs damaged by coral bleaching can quickly lose many of the features that underpin the aesthetic appeal that is fundamental to reef tourism. The resultant loss of revenue from reduced tourist activity can threaten the livelihoods of local communities.

How does Australia benefit economically from tourism at the Great Barrier Reef?

The Great Barrier Reef has a economic, social and icon asset value of $56 billion. It supports 64,000 jobs and contributes $6.4 billion to the Australian economy.

What negative impact does tourism have on the environment?

How does tourism affect the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park?

Tourism on the GBR is geographically concentrated, with 85\% of tourist visitation taking place in the Cairns and Whitsundays Areas, which cover about 7\% of the area of the Marine Park and are the focus for tourism management. As a result, impacts of tourism are low and diffuse over the remaining Park area.

How much does the Great Barrier Reef contribute to Australia’s economy?

The marine park authority estimates that the Great Barrier Reef Park contributes about $5.76 billion (AU$7.55 billion) a year to the Australian economy, mostly through tourism and recreational fishing. But while some scientists fear the worst, it appears their dire predictions over the reef’s future have yet to put a dent in the tourism industry.

What are the negative aspects of coral reef tourism?

Although it is wonderful that tourists come to visit, there are negative aspects of this. Coral Reefs live in very precise, fragile and balanced marine environments. The slightest change can have a huge impact on the entire coral ecosystem.

What would happen if the Great Barrier Reef became extinct?

Since corals are the main attraction to these national parks, their destruction will cause a significant decrease in the ecotourism in these areas. If coral becomes extinct in the Great Barrier Reef, the money and jobs created from the reef will become obsolete as well.