Doubts over bid to limit park tourism

EAST Coast tourism operators are mixed on whether capping tourist numbers to Freycinet will alleviate the pressures facing the tourism attraction and nearby townships.

Tasmania’s peak tourism industry body says a cap is an unnecessary and simplistic idea that will create more problems than solutions.

The call for a cap came at a public meeting at Coles Bay Community Hall on Monday where more than 250 people voiced their concerns over the revised Freycinet master plan.

But not everyone supports restricting tourism numbers to the popular national park.

Freycinet Adventures owner Susan Carins believes better tourism management was better than a cap.

“In terms of a cap, I have yet to see it articulated really well in a way that is not going to have negative economic impacts on local businesses,” she said. “We do need to manage the tourism better but the language around a ‘cap’ needs to be better explored.”

Freycinet Charters owner Stephen Kelcoyne-Lawrence said the emphasis should be on better management for people instead of “curbing the numbers”.

East Coast Tourism chief executive Ruth Dowty expressed concern over a tourism cap.

“I noted that some people likened it to the cap on the Overland Track,” she said.

“But that is a different thing to a national park with multiple points of entry and a number of stakeholders using it.”

But Irene Sinclair, co-owner of Wineglass Bay Cruises, says capping tourists may be part of the answer.

“My main concern is maintaining our strong brand,” she said. “I don’t think we are doing that any favours at the moment by just increasing tourist numbers.”

Tourism Industry Council Tasmania chief executive Luke Martin said: “Given the state of carparking at the national park and demand on infrastructure in their community, it is no wonder local residents are asking questions about future visitor growth.”

But a tourism cap was not the answer, Mr Martin said.

“Can you imagine the uproar if the gate literally came down and locked out Tasmanians and visitors from accessing the park over peak holiday periods? It would be bedlam.

“That’s not what Tasmania is about, and surely we can be smarter than this in addressing community concerns through investment and sensible visitor management.”

The master plan is open for public consultation until 9am this Friday.

TICT's Luke Martin