HAT202 - Great Barrier Reef: A Report on Hospitality and Tourism

This report provides an overview of the hospitality and tourism market surrounding the Great Barrier Reef and Whitsunday Islands, highlighting their economic significance as major tourist attractions in Australia. It discusses recreational activities, management strategies by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, and the ecological importance of the reef as a breeding area for various species. The report also explores the social implications of tourism, including cultural exchange and potential cultural degradation, emphasizing the need for sustainable tourism practices like 'Green tourism' to ensure the longevity and survival of these natural attractions. Furthermore, it touches upon the employment opportunities generated by the tourism sector and the importance of collaboration between various stakeholders to protect the Great Barrier Reef from environmental degradation.

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Hospitality and Tourism Market
Name
Date of Submission

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Hospitality and tourism market
By: PkHHHX
The Great Barrier Reef is a tourist attraction site found in Queensland coast and was formed as a
ressult of grwth of red algae. This type of algae grows in coral reefs and therefore makes the
corals strong. It is made up of a stretch of 15 to 150 kilometers from the shore. The major role of
the Great Barrier Reef is that it acts as a point of recreation for local and international tourists
thus generating a high economic value to the region. Those who wish to visit this site are
required to make proper planning with the Great Barrier Reef management early in advance and
follow the provided responsible reef practices when they eventually visit the site. Some of the
common recreational activities include fishing, boat riding, diving sailing and swimming. Other
tourism operations and experiences at Great Barrier Reef include day time tours, overnight
hours, aircraft tours, glass bottomed boat viewing, and educational trips. The Great Barrier Reef
is managed by an agency known as the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority by use of
various management tools. This management also incorporates evaluations, planning and
regulatory programs for education purposes. This site is the breeding area for the rare fish
species like the humpback whales, green sea turtles and sea cow and thus it was listed by the
UNESCO as a world heritage center (The Guardian, 2015). Another important part of Australian
tourism sector is the Whitsunday islands that are made up of tropical islands, coral reefs, white
sandy beaches, lush and warm water (BBC NEWS, 2015). The Whitsunday resort has about
seven islands which offer various tourist services. These two attraction sites are termed as some
of the world largest natural attraction sites (Hughes et al., 2015). For instance, the Great Barrier
Reef is so beautiful such that pulling away from it and then viewing it from a distance, one can
certainly have a fascinating experience. It is this beauty which attracts so many tourists annually

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to this site. It is worth noting that the coral reefs are so sensitive to climate change (BBC news,
2014). However, the Great Barrier Reef is resilient since it is so big with a myriad of animals that
regenerate this ecosystem. The conservation of this tourist site is enhanced by the Great Reef
Marine Park Authority which works hard to protect this site from environmental degradation.
Moreover, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority works in collaboration with industries
such as the hospitality and tourism sectors, government agencies and commercial fishers to
enhance sustainability in this attraction site (The Australian Government and Queensland
government, 2015).
The tourism sector of the economy is very important because it enables human beings to explore
the environment, make fun and learn about different flora and fauna. This offers recreation which
enables people to be relieved from monotonous routines while recharging the body and mind
simultaneously. Moreover, bearing in mind that tourism is a highly flourishing industry, there are
so many benefits that it offers. For instance, the Whitsunday and Great Barrier reef offers many
employment opportunities to people, especially the local communities and other qualified
personnel (Balli and Tsui, 2016). This leads to a high economic growth of the sector since there
are many sectors that play different roles to enhance customer experience such as the hotels,
airlines, and surface transport.
However, there are social issues that are linked to tourism that can be beneficial and hazardous at
the same time. For instance, tourism encourages cultural exchange between people where various
cultures can assimilate to facilitate understanding and respect among each other (Coccossis,
2016). On the other hand, the social aspect of the communities might suffer drawbacks since
tourism can have damaging social and cultural effects. This occurs in the case where the local
communities may demean their cultures so as to imitate the culture, dressing styles, and lifestyles

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of the aliens. In order to facilitate sustainability in the tourism sector, the Great Barrier Reef and
Whitsunday should adopt Green tourism (Dunk et al., 2012). This is through the increased
promotion of tourism with care by maintaining the natural and man-made beauty for their
longevity and survival. The Great Barrier Reef also needs to adopt sustainable tourism, by
increasing the employment opportunities for the local community and minimize wastes.

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Reference List
The Guardian, 2015. Great Barrier Reef: Australia says Unesco decision shows it is a ‘world
leader’. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jul/02/great-barrier-
reef-australia-says-unesco-decision-shows-it-is-a-world-leader
BBC NEWS, 2015. In pictures: Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Retrieved from
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-32894862
The Australian Government and Queensland government, 2015. What Australia is doing to
manage the Great Barrier Reef. department of the Environment and energy. Retrieved from
http://www.environment.gov.au/marine/gbr/publications/what-australia-is-doing
BBC news, 2014. Australia great Barrier reef outlook ‘poor and deterioriating’. Retrieved from
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-28767993
Balli, F. and Tsui, W.H.K., 2016. Tourism demand spillovers between Australia and New
Zealand: Evidence from the partner countries. Journal of Travel Research, 55(6), pp.804-812.
Dunk, R.M., Gillespie, S.A. and MacLeod, D., 2016. Participation and retention in a green
tourism certification scheme. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 24(12), pp.1585-1603.
Hughes, T.P., Day, J.C. and Brodie, J., 2015. Securing the future of the Great Barrier Reef.
Nature Climate Change, 5(6), p.508.
Coccossis, H., 2016. Sustainable development and tourism: Opportunities and threats to cultural
heritage from tourism. In Cultural tourism and sustainable local development (pp. 65-74).
Routledge.