Visitors sinking sites

Cruise liner boom sparks concerns for tourist attractions

THERE are concerns Tasmania’s tourist attractions could end up overrun by visitors because of the cruise ship boom, Government Business Enterprise hearings have heard.

Twenty-one cruise ships delivered 35,000 passengers to Port Arthur last year and a study is being considered into the site’s “carrying capacity”.

The Port Arthur Historic Site Management Authority’s Sharon Sullivan described the days when cruise ships visited as “like a sort of invasion”.

“We have become aware of the fact that we need a carrying capacity study relating to use and we know this because we have done a lot of work with our colleagues in China,” she said.

“I don’t think I would have a Chinese colleague who would have predicted 10 years ago that they would now have major problems at their historic sites with too many people and it’s frightening to see how quickly this can happen.

“We’ve been doing research on carrying capacity studies elsewhere ... we’re pursuing a carrying capacity study.”

She said Port Arthur was looking at how staging visits better might spread the impact more.

“You could have 500 people at a site and, if they all go to the same place at once, you can have a lot of impact whereas, if you spread people and if you sequence your activities, then you’ll have a much better outcome,” she said.

Premier and Minister for Tourism and Heritage Will Hodgman said the Government was aware of the issue at a number of sites in the state.

“Certainly across the state, industry communities and government are watching very closely the dramatic increase in cruise ship visitation, not only in our established ports but also especially in sensitive areas,” Mr Hodgman said.

“Given the extraordinary growth that our visitor economy and tourism industry is experiencing, we need to monitor and to respond accordingly.”

Last season, the Golden Princess alone made four visits to the World Heritage site.

The authority’s chief executive Stephen Large said in October the growth in cruise ship arrivals had been a key catalyst for redevelopment of the visitor centre.

Expected to open on December 18, the new visitor centre will feature a bigger cafe with outdoor dining, new separate restaurant overlooking the site, a new gallery and exhibition space and a retail space with products from around the Tasman region.