Tourists doubting value of trip to Great Barrier Reef, dive operator tells inquiry

‘Last-chance tourism’ spurs on other visitors but there has been lull in bookings after coral bleaching, senators toldOverseas tourists have begun to doubt the value of a trip to the ailing Great Barrier Reef and it is getting increasingly difficult to “show people what they expect to see”, a dive operator has told a federal Senate inquiry.A Port Douglas operator, John Edmondson, said “last-chance tourism” was spurring on other visitors but there had been a “weird” lull in bookings this year after back-to-back mass bleaching events made dead coral an unavoidable sight on reef visits. Related: Great Barrier Reef tourism: caught between commerce and conservation alarm Related: Tourism industry funds research trip to most damaged part of Great Barrier Reef Continue reading...