Operating in Great Barrier Reef-.com

Question: Discuss about the Issue faced by the Great Barrier Reef. Answer: Introduction The following article is on the Adventure tourism segment of tourism sector of Whitsundays and Barrier Reef. The article will be published in Brisbane times. Whitsundays islands are situated along the Queensland coast of Australia. The great barrier reef of Australia has been recognized as one of the seven natural wonders of the world. The location of Whitsundays is in the central region of Great Barrier Reef, it is the ideal destination and base for experiencing the aquatic life of Great Barrier Reef (Williamson eta al. 2016). The Whitsundays islands is protected by the Great Barrier Reef as it is surrounded by the Great Barrier reef, the huge swells of oceans are does not affect the tourism of that region because it is protected by the Great Barrier Reef thus making the place a safe destination for smoothest sailing. The heart reef is situated in the Great Barrier reef and it is very beautiful and one can experience its beauty from the air, through a seaplane or Helicopter (Gbrmpa.gov.au. 2017). Adventure tourism in Whitsundays Whitsundays is considered as one of the best destinations for Scuba diving, one can have a view of the aquatic life, where there are more than ten thousand different species of fishes, coral and other aquatic animals that include, Dolphins, whales and turtles. The tour operators of the region provide an exquisite diving experience for the tourists irrespective of the fact the tourist is an expert diver or an amateur (Wilson and Verlis 2017). The warm shallow waters of the Whitsundays Islands provide a clear view of fishes of various colors and the coral formation in the Marine Park of Great Barrier Reef. There are several underwater chambers and glass bottom boats for the tourists who do not want to get wet yet want to experience the aquatic life. The Whitsundays serves as one of the best fishing destination in Queensland region. Several kinds of activities can be carried out in Whitsundays in adventure tourism, like scuba, diving, snorkeling, apart from that surfing is also a very popular water sport of this region. Many tour operators offer tourism services in this segment who have well trained instructors who make sure that tourists have a wonderful experience. Adventure tourism contributes to the economy of the area as a lot of people are directly and indirectly employed in this segment. There are instructors, service providers, people of make necessary equipments for scuba diving, snorkeling and surfing. (Farr et al . 2017). Environmental factors of Great Barrier Reef Tourism in Whitsundays is one of the significant factors that positively affects the economy of the place. It is one of the most employment generation source in the entire region. According to the data provided by the tourism board of Queensland, tourism directly employs more than 2,856 or 34.44 percent of the total workforce of Queensland. The indirect jobs are the hotels, retails, restaurants in the service sector. Tourism is the main occupation in Whitsundays, and it significantly contributes to the sustainable development of the economy of the region and the local community (Esparon et al. 2017). Many hotels and resorts in the region that supports the tourism of the place. Apart from the magnificent view of the coral reefs and the aquatic life of the island, it is very important for the tourists to have accommodation facility as it makes the experience of the tourists better. Tourism supports many other industries as well, during the peak seasons there are various beach festivals organized and arranged by the local business owners and authorities. These occasions might be any orchestra night and festivals, the tourists are attracted more to that place. Tourism helps in improving the the lifestyle of the local (Authority 2014). The Great Barrier Reef is one of the treasures and it needs to be preserved and conserved but there has been a number of issues that the Great Barrier Reef has been facing and these issues have been affecting the marine life Great barrier reef. According to the Great Barrier Reef Outlook Report, the issues faced by Great Barrier Reef is climate change, poor quality from land-based run-off, impacts from coastal development and illegal fishing. The poor quality of water is causing the aquatic life to die, the storms and floods in the recent times have affected the ecosystem (Goldberg et al. 2017). Management of the environmental issues Government has is undertaking several steps to solve the issues of Great Barrier reef. The Australia and the Queensland government has implemented long term sustainability plan for the protection of the Coral reefs that are decaying, it also aims at improving the water quality of Great barrier reef so that the marine life is not destroyed. The Reef 2050 is a plan that has been launched for monitoring and reporting the conditions of the island and the coastal region so that the authorities can take effective actions to have a sustainable ecosystem. Government is putting emphasis on the people to practice sustainable tourism for that they are creating awareness amongst the customers. To the service providers the Government is requesting to not to exceed the number of tourists beyond the carrying capacity of the place (Authority 2016). Conclusion Whitsundays that lies in the heart of Great Barrier Reef is one of the most popular adventure tourism destinations of Queensland and Australia. It helps in boosting the economy of the region as it provides employment opportunities for the local people and improving the standard of their lives. There are several issues that have been faced by the Great Barrier Reef, including climate change, decaying coral reefs that which is the USP of the place. The poor water quality is affecting the aquatic lives of the Reef. The Government of Queensland and Australia has implemented a long term plan for improving the environmental conditions and addressing the issues of that region References Authority, G.B.R.M.P., 2014. Great barrier reef outlook report 2014. Authority, G.B.R.M.P., 2016. Tourism Reef Advisory Committee communique: Meeting 4, 21 and 22 April 2016. Esparon, M., Stoeckl, N., Farr, M. and Larson, S., 2015. The significance of environmental values for destination competitiveness and sustainable tourism strategy making: insights from Australia's Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.Journal of Sustainable Tourism,23(5), pp.706-725. Farr, M., Stoeckl, N. and Beg, R.A., 2014. The non-consumptive (tourism)valueof marine species in the Northern section of the Great Barrier Reef.Marine Policy,43, pp.89-103. Gbrmpa.gov.au. 2017.Reef 2050 Long-term Sustainability Plan - GBRMPA. [online] Available at: https://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/managing-the-reef/reef-2050 [Accessed 11 Aug. 2017]. Goldberg, J., Birtles, A., Marshall, N., Curnock, M., Case, P. and Beeden, R., 2017. The role of Great Barrier Reef tourism operators in addressing climate change through strategic communication and direct action.Journal of Sustainable Tourism, pp.1-19. Williamson, D.H., Harrison, H.B., Almany, G.R., Berumen, M.L., Bode, M., Bonin, M.C., Choukroun, S., Doherty, P.J., Frisch, A.J., Saenz-Agudelo, P. and Jones, G.P., 2016. Data from: Large-scale, multi-directional larval connectivity among coral reef fish populations in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. Wilson, S.P. and Verlis, K.M., 2017. The ugly face of tourism: Marine debris pollution linked to visitation in the southern Great Barrier Reef, Australia.Marine Pollution Bulletin,117(1), pp.239-246.