Reef-related crisis response for tourism organisations

• Regional tourism organisation (RTO)
• Local tourism organisations (LTO)

• Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) – coral bleaching
• Maritime Safety Queensland (MSQ) – oil spill
• Department of Environment and Science (DES) – environmental recovery
• Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ)
• Queensland Tourism Industry Council (QTIC)
• Department of Tourism and Sport (DTS)

• Check incident facts – what, where, when, who and how impacted.
• Brief TEQ and QTIC.
• Agree response, messaging and RTO role with lead agency, GBRMPA, DTS and TEQ/QTIC.
• Prepare messaging.
• Monitor media and log enquiries – refer emergency related queries to lead agency.
• Brief key tourism industry spokesperson with key messaging.
• Respond to tourism-related media queries.
• If appropriate, revise/suspend scheduled social media and advertising campaigns.

• Seek lead agency updates on incident status.
• Liaise with TEQ, QTIC, DTS and lead agency re initial recovery messaging/response.
• Issue social media and media release, interviews as appropriate.
• Use photos to tell the story.
• Contact impacted operators to provide assistance.
• Share agreed messaging with tourism operators (as per TEQ).
• Coordinate and implement ongoing detailed recovery campaign with TEQ.
• Evaluate what worked and what didn’t.
• Update crisis toolkit and DTS.

• The Great Barrier Reef is a World Heritage listed area that attracts about 2 million visitors locally, nationally and internationally every year. In fact, it is one of Australia’s biggest tourism drawcards and its protection is of utmost importance to our region and tourism industry.
• The Great Barrier Reef is made up of some 3,000 reefs, stretching more than 2,300km along the Queensland coast. The area is bigger than the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Holland combined.
• About 2 million tourists visit the Great Barrier Reef every year. Around 80% of all tourism activity occurs within 7% of the marine park, with tourism operators adhering to best practice environmental and interpretation standards.
• The challenges facing the Great Barrier Reef are part of a global challenge affecting the world’s coral reefs. Importantly, the Great Barrier Reef has fared better than many of the world’s reefs due to its size and biodiversity.
• Queensland is practicing world-leading management of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. Commercial and recreational activities associated with the Reef are tightly regulated by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.
• The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park sets a global benchmark for marine protected area management.

• Mass bleaching events have previously occurred in 1998 and 2002, affecting 50% and 60% respectively of the reefs on the Great Barrier Reef.
• In both events, the vast majority of corals on the reef survived, as sea temperatures came back down again in time for them to recover.
• About 5% of the Great Barrier Reef’s coral reefs experienced coral die-off in both these events.
• The current bleaching event has affected XXXX of the reefs. It is expected about XXXX % of the coral reefs have died off.
• The GBRMPA has a Coral Bleaching Risk and Impact Assessment Plan in place that will promote recovery through targeted actions that reduce pressures on the ecosystem.
• See GBRMPA’s coral bleaching facts (PDF, 6.2MB).

• The Great Barrier Reef is a World Heritage listed area and its protection is paramount to the local tourism industry.
• The relevant authorities have plans in place to manage such events and are doing everything possible to contain the oil spill and minimise damage to the reef.
• For further details about the incident and recovery efforts please contact GBRMPA on their media hotline, (07) 4750 846, or via media@gbrmpa.gov.au.
• The full scale of the incident is not yet known.
• Although any such incident is devastating to the reef, this spill will not spell the end of the Great Barrier Reef.
• The Great Barrier Reef is made up of some 3,000 reefs, stretching more than 2,300km along the Queensland coast. The area is bigger than the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Holland combined.
• Visitors to the region can also consider visiting XXXX (provide details).

• Although cyclones do impact the reef, the Great Barrier Reef has the capacity to regenerate after it has been damaged.
• For thousands of years, reefs have been exposed to natural cycles that involve storms and cyclones.
• However, reefs can be severely affected but begin to recover as coral communities re-grow and new coral larvae settle on the reef if environmental conditions are stable.
• The 2011 category 5 Cyclone Yasi resulted in significant damage to the reef. But history has shown that coral has the capacity to recover. This happens, for example, when pieces break off branching corals and the fragments are able to regrow and create whole new colonies.
• Marine scientists from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies have also documented the spectacular recovery of coral reefs damaged by coral bleaching.
• In 2006 the coral reef at Great Keppel Island in the southern part of the Great Barrier Reef was severely bleached following high sea temperatures.
• However, scientists found abundant corals were re-established within a single year. This rapid recovery was attributed to exceptionally high re-growth of fragments of surviving coral tissue, unusual seasonal dieback in the seaweed and a highly competitive coral that was able to outgrow the seaweed.
• The value we place on the reef now will ensure its protection for future generations. This includes monitoring its recovery and implementing effective management techniques to ensure the reef has every opportunity to recover after severe weather events such as cyclones.
• The Australian Government's Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) is recognised as the global leader in the management of a coral reef system and is responsible for the reef’s long-term resilience.
• We encourage visitors to come and see the reef, so they contribute to its economic recovery. It is the tourism industry’s responsibility to follow practices that protect the reef so that future generations can enjoy its beauty.

To learn more visit TEQ’s Great Barrier Reef resources.