Successful Interpretation in Great Barrier Reef Tourism: Dive in or keep out of it?

Abstract

Marine wildlife tourism has become one of the fastest growing tourism sectors. In the context of the Great Barrier Reef, it focuses on five types of activities: (i) "swim-with" programs, (ii) surface watching activities (whales and dolphins); (iii) diving (corals, sharks, etc), (iv) reef snorkeling trips and (v) glass bottom boat tours. It is proposed that management, product design and experience, and outcome will be different for each of these and not all findings within marine wildlife tourism are transferable between tourism types.