One of the incidental consequences of the rise in tourist numbers in Australia, and around the world, has been a very similar rise in the number of locations offering – or sometimes requiring – guided tours.
However, it seems that there are also a growing number of rogue operators out there offering tours which aren’t officially authorised.
For example, the ABC recently reported on the presence of unlicensed tour guides taking groups to an environmentally sensitive attraction on Queensland’s Gold Coast.
It specifically refenced the hugely popular ‘glow worm caves’ in Springbrook and Tamborine national parks.
Tours are on the rise. PIC: Viridiana Rivera / Pexels
While individuals can enter the national parks and explore on their own, tour operators require a valid permit from DETSI to conduct guided tours.
Queensland’s Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation (DETSI) has reportedly issued two fines in the past year to operators who ran glow-worm tours without the required permits in caves at Springbrook National Park.
A DETSI spokesperson told the ABC that the department conducted regular compliance checks on tour operators in national parks.
“Anyone wanting to book a glow-worm tour should confirm the operator holds the relevant permit,” the spokesperson said.
The ABC reports that eight tour operators are licensed to run tours at Curtis Falls in Tamborine National Park, while only three hold permits for tours at the Natural Bridge section of Springbrook National Park.
Griffith University entomologist, Roger Kitching, said permits played a vital role in balancing tourism with conservation.
“Control is really important, especially in places like the Gold Coast where we have a dense human population living next to all sorts of great bits of wildlife like the glow worms,” he said. “I think licences are unfortunately a necessity of having wildlife experiences within a built-up area.”
Professor Kitching told the ABC thaty uncontrolled visitor numbers could disrupt the fragile conditions the glow worms relied on to survive.
“There is [also] always the danger of vandalism, especially as people try to get desperately close to these things to generally take photographs so they can prove that they existed,” he said.
While there are some places which offer visitors the option of either taking a tour or visiting independently, there are a growing number of locations where tours are being pushed either for cultural, environmental protection, or safety reasons.
For grey nomads travelling on a budget, tours can become a significant expense and – with so many incredibly places to visit and so many potential tours to take – difficult decisions sometimes have to be made.
Veteran traveller, Mark David, has a pretty hard and fast rule, though.
“I’ve seen a lot of changes since I did my first Lap 20 odd years ago but I still stick to my basic principle of not paying for a tour unless I really think it’s a must-do … like the Yellow Water Cruise in Kakadu,” he said. “I just think there’s so much out there that, once you acknowledge you’ll never see everything, you might as well just concentrate on the things that you can see on your own and that are, by and large, free.”
However, Mark remains a little bit flexible.
“I’m not obsessive about it though,” he said. “I can see that things are changing quickly and, ultimately, if I have to pay I have to pay … and you do only live once!”
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