9 July 2009 - Brisbane, Australia

Closing Uluru to climbers is well overdue, says Ecotourism Australia who express their support to traditional owners call for a Uluru Climb Ban.

Traditional Owners have been asking visitors not to climb the site for some time and it’s a positive step for the Uluru - Kata Tjuta Board of Management to take the initiative in drafting a 10 year management plan recommending its closure.

Environmental issues such as erosion, human waste and rubbish have been long-standing problems associated with people climbing Uluru.

Safety is another factor that needs to be considered with around 35 fatalities recorded from the climb. Parts of Uluru are steep and slippery and can be quite dangerous for inexperienced climbers. Rescuers are often subject to personal danger when aiding those that have been injured on the climb.

The draft management plan states that just over one-third of all visitors chose to do the climb and a high percentage of these were children. The survey also states that 98 percent of travellers would not be deterred from visiting the area if they were not allowed to climb Uluru.

Phil Taylor from Wayoutback Desert Safaris commented that this has been a question they have asked guests for some time. Approximately 80,000 visitors were surveyed by Wayoutback Desert Safaris and less than 5 percent said they didn’t climb the rock. Most confirmed that the reason for not climbing Uluru was for cultural reasons. Phil said that the guests were generally well-educated about the significance of the location and had usually made this decision prior to arriving in Australia.

"Such a change will have to be marketed well to ensure travellers are aware of the reasons behind the closure and implemented with sufficient lead time for tourism businesses to change itineraries and any collateral affected," said Kristie Gray, Acting CEO of Ecotourism Australia. Broadening other experiences and creating alternative activities will be a key factor in ensuring a balance between the viability of tourism businesses and respect to Nguraritja, the Senior Traditional Owners.

Through education and relevant media representation, it’s likely that the impact of such a closure would be minimal.

Related:
http://www.ecotourism.org.au

Also see:
https://ecoclub.com/c/index.php?showtopic=11186