the Great Barrier Reef is becoming a theme park with increasing tourist developments, claims a tour operator, with developments including underwater statues and a new hotel with underwater rooms. Whitsunday Islands dive operator Tony Fontes has said the government-run Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) has moved away from its original focus. Former GBRMPA director John Day said the changes could have followed a need to boost tourism after the mass coral bleachings of 2016 and 2017. GBRMPA said it wanted to protect and conserve the reef but also allow ecologically sustainable use.
The Great Barrier Reef is becoming a theme park with increasing tourist developments, claims a tour operator, with developments including underwater statues and a new hotel with underwater rooms. Whitsunday Islands dive operator Tony Fontes has said the government-run Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) has moved away from its original focus. Former GBRMPA director John Day said the changes could have followed a need to boost tourism after the mass coral bleachings of 2016 and 2017. GBRMPA said it wanted to protect and conserve the reef but also allow ecologically sustainable use.