A year ago, Tourism Tropical North Queensland issued a call for members to "bombard social media with the tsunami of joy" to counter global news headlines suggesting the Great Barrier Reef was in trouble from coral bleaching.
A tsunami of a different sort will likely be needed this year as the bleaching has not only returned but is now hitting the key tourist zone from Port Douglas to Cairns and south to Townsville and beyond.
Heat stress on corals continues to mount with sea temperatures still abnormally high. There's also no cyclone or large tropical low on the forecast horizon to stir in cooler waters and provide cloud cover.
"Bleaching is a real bitch from a marketing perspective," said Col McKenzie, executive director of another industry group, the Association of Marine Park Tourism Operators. "I expect [numbers] will be hit.”
Read Peter Hannam’s story in today’s Melbourne Age - “Great Barrier Reef tourism headed for tough times as coral bleaching worsens.”
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