Ecotourism Australia has warmly welcomed the Tourism in Protected Area initiative announced by the Queensland Government.
“We believe that tourism can play an important role in educating the public on the importance of preserving and protecting our unique environment,” Ecotourism Australia CEO, Ms Kym Cheatham said.
“Many protected area managers around Australia and the world are recognising that helping the wider population understand how special these places are, is integral to their conservation. The more people know, the more they are likely to want to protect these areas for generations to come.”
“However, it is important to ensure the successful tourism operators have the credentials in nature based tourism and environmental sustainability to behave responsibly in these significant environmental locations” Ms Cheatham said.
“Ensuring the tourism operators are certified ecotourism operators is absolutely essential in the credibility of Queensland as a tourism destination that really values its environmental assets.”
“It is also essential in these disrupted times, that tourism operators who invest in developing, delivering and marketing their eco experiences, have the certainty of business that longer permits give them”, Ms Cheatham said.
“Ecotourism Australia looks forward to working with the Queensland Government to help build Queensland’s sustainable tourism reputation.”
