A major turtle-breeding region in Queensland is gearing up for a busy summer as domestic and international tourists descend on the area in record numbers.
Key points:
- The Bundaberg region is expecting a record number of tourists this summer
- Bookings for local tourist attractions are filling up fast
- A local ranger says tourism plays a key role in conservation efforts
The Bundaberg region, 400 kilometres north of Brisbane, is renowned for its proximity to a range of natural attractions, including the southern Great Barrier Reef and the largest concentration of nesting endangered loggerhead turtles in eastern Australia.
Bundaberg Tourism acting chief executive Ellie Tonkin said tourist numbers were expected to decline when borders reopened, but that never happened.
“We are anticipating that we’re actually going to have a bigger summer season than we have ever seen before,” Ms Tonkin said.
“The moment those borders opened, all those Queenslanders stayed local and people right across Australia have been flooding into this region, as well as seeing that return of international tourists.”
Ellie Tonkin says the Bundaberg region may see a record number of tourists this summer. (ABC Wide Bay: Pat Heagney)
Ms Tonkin said visitors from the United States, Spain and Europe were calling to make bookings.
“Our operators are seeing people who they have never seen, people who are coming from countries that are literally on the opposite side of the globe,” she said.
Over the past six months, the number of people through the region has been “on par if not higher” than the peaks experienced since 2017.
Ms Tonkin says there has been significant international interest in bookings for the Mon Repos Turtle encounters.(ABC Wide Bay: Pat Heagney)
‘Wild blue yonder’
Tourism and Events Queensland research shows that since the pandemic, tourists are opting for transformational, outdoor, natural experiences.
“The people coming to the Wide Bay want to get out into the sunshine … the fresh air,” Ms Tonkin said.
“To be able to take your children out into the wild blue yonder that we live in and just let them run free, that is a very unique proposition of the region that we have here.”
Ms Tonkin says growing demand for outdoor experiences has seen more tourists flocking to the Bundaberg coastline.(ABC Wide Bay: Pat Heagney)
She said visitors’ experiences in the region showed it was not about ticking “off the bucket list”.
“It’s about really seeing and experiencing something that we have custodianship of and that we need to be preserving for the next generations,” she said.
Tourism helps conservation
Nikki Murnane is a ranger at Mon Repos Conservation Park, which hosted more than 16,000 visitors at its renowned turtle centre last year.
She said the influx of travellers was a boost for conservation as tourists played an important role in protecting the environment.
Nikki Murnane says more than 200 tourists visit the Mon Repos Conservation Park to see turtles each night.(ABC Wide Bay: Pat Heagney)
“It allows us to share our passion and to send those really strong conservation messages home with people so they know what they can do to help,” she said.
“Whether it be managing their light pollution, limiting single-use plastics, all of these things they can learn here and they can see how it impacts these turtles.”
She said the region’s natural assets and seeing endangered species in their habitat were a major drawcard for tourists from all over the world.
“We’ve had people travel all the way from England and Europe just to see these turtles and that is really promising, it means the messaging is really getting out there.”
Tourists can often be involved with relocating turtle nests and other conservation efforts on Mon Repos Turtle tours.(ABC Wide Bay: Pat Heagney)
Bookings come ‘thick and fast’
Brett Lakey, the owner of reef tour company Lady Musgrave Experience, said a greater awareness among tourists of the region’s natural assets coincided with their desire for authentic, natural travel experiences.
He said the volume of international and interstate tourists was “coming thick and fast” and would help propel growth in the region.
Brett Lakey says increasing demand for outdoor and natural experiences has seen summer bookings fill quickly.(ABC Wide Bay: Nicole Hegarty)
“A big portion of our days are already fully booked in that peak period over Christmas to New Year and beyond, so it’s looking great,” he said.
“There are so many flow-on effects to the community, especially for local cafes, and restaurants. It keeps accommodation full and helps all our other tourist attractions in the area.”
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