‘Over-tourism’: Fears visitor overload could push WA’s South West to breaking point, locals call for cap

Crystal clear waters and hundreds of kilometers of pristine coastline have made the south-west of Western Australia a powerful magnet for tourists from Perth, Asia and more recently Sydney and Melbourne.

The region defined by sandy beaches, world-class surf breaks and a thriving food and wine culture.

It’s no surprise that more than a million tourists flock to the region all year round; This number reaches its peak in the summer months, when the charm of electric blue waters attracts many tourists to its beaches.

But the success of such destinations has left locals outraged over crowded beaches, lack of parking, congested roads and inadequate infrastructure to accommodate the growing number of visitors.

Fears of “overtourism” have become a reality, with some providers proposing drastic measures to preserve the character of their idyllic towns.

Jeff Forrest, chairman of the Dunsborough Reference Group, said locals would encounter something crazy every year when visitors flock to the town.

Speaking to ABC, he said that sometimes there are times when you cannot find any parking space on the beach.

“It’s not even on the side of the road,” Mr. Forrest said.

“We welcome tourists, this is important, but if we are not careful overtourism will destroy the character, comfort, natural environment and beauty of the area we actually have to sell.

“How many sheep can you put in a pasture without destroying the pasture?

“It’s about finding out what the actual carrying capacity of the area is and then finding ways to manage and restrict the numbers coming here.”

Busselton Pier is one of the state’s most iconic tourist attractions and is the longest wooden pier in the Southern Hemisphere, stretching 1.8 km out to sea.

Busselton Jetty CEO Lisa Shreeve said visits to NewsWire had increased by 66 per cent in the last 10 years.

Staff had to adopt strategies to meet this new demand.

Visitors can take the train to the end of the pier and visit the underwater observatory to see colorful marine life beneath the surface.

But popular experiences may only appeal to a fraction of the number of visitors they see.

“Our biggest problem is that we only have a 90-seat train and we can only fit 50 people at a time in the underwater observatory,” he said.

The pier has extended trading hours, introduced mini tours and is offering land-based experiences to disperse the huge number of visitors arriving each day.

“We can usually get 2000 people coming as well as the daily tourists. So we’re looking at every option we can to spread out the visitors and ease that kind of congestion on the train and the underwater observatory,” Ms Shreeve said.

Iskele planned to develop a new $32 million underwater exploration center to better cater to higher visitor numbers and use the observatory as a marine science base.

The architectural marvel received worldwide acclaim but was scrapped when construction costs exploded post-Covid. That’s why an underwater sculpture park was built at the end of the pier, providing an aquatic wonderland for both snorkelers and divers.

Ms Shreeve said $20 million was needed to build the discovery center and they could already be at capacity for five months of the year.

“We know that in 2028, we will not be able to physically fit another person into the underwater observatory for 364 days of the year, because the volume is increasing so much that it will be completely full in the next two years,” he said.

Busselton mayor Phil Cronin said the council had no intention of limiting tourist numbers but recognized there were more people in the area than ever before.

“At the end of the day, tourism is almost a billion dollar industry for the City of Busselton alone,” he said.

‘They’re talking about shutting down copper mining in Mount Isa, can you imagine what that would do to that town, so I think we need to be smarter about educating tourists and investing in smarter conservation and tourism practices.’

The city contains some of Western Australia’s most popular tourist towns, including Busselton, Dunsborough and Yallingup, and is home to approximately 50 per cent of the wineries in the Margaret River region.

Due to Covid, there has been a surge in unhosted short-term stay properties, with many long-term residents and business owners losing their rental properties to holidaymakers.

Some workers had to leave the city.

Even though more people are visiting, Mr. Cronin said, the city is taking several measures to help reduce numbers by creating areas that are not desirable for homeless short stays and increasing rates on those properties for extra ranger services.

He said about 34 per cent of land in the city is owned by the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, so they cannot add more car parks or boat ramps in some areas that get crowded at peak times.

“Margaret Rivers could be in the same scenario for five to 10 days a year, which would be a huge burden and probably encourage more tourism, so it’s very much a balance,” he said.

“We also have to be aware that there are a lot of people in businesses who have jobs in the tourism industry and are surviving on those tourism dollars.”

A social media post created by the ministry on New Year’s Eve was met with anger from people frustrated by the lack of parking near beaches and motorists parking on the side of the road.

“Uh! Already stuffed?” The article was read.

“If you cannot find a bay, please do not increase the congestion.

“Many popular national parks, including William Bay National Park, experience peak season visitation with car parks beyond FULL capacity.

“Rangers see visitors parking in unsafe locations, blocking access roads and putting themselves and others at risk.”

Hundreds of people said better infrastructure was needed to cope with increasing tourist numbers, while others argued that too many people were ruining beautiful places.

“The Shires promote their areas as holiday destinations but fail to provide adequate infrastructure,” one person commented.

“There isn’t enough parking anywhere, if there is it costs an arm and a leg,” another person said.

“What a waste of money due to upgrades and not enough parking,” one person said.

“There is never enough parking everywhere you go and 90 percent charge money for busy times even though they don’t have enough parking. This is ridiculous,” one person commented.

Shadow Minister for National Tourism Scott Leary said in a statement that the government was not investing in regional tourism and pressure was increasing on popular regional destinations.

“Reports of so-called ‘overtourism’ in regional Western Australia are not a sign of success; they are a sign of poor planning and chronic underinvestment,” he said.

Mr Leary said the $36.6 million allocated to tourism in the state budget was insufficient given the size of the sector and was directed towards large events held in Perth.

“While the government has found $217 million for a new racetrack, tourist towns in the region are struggling with accommodation shortages, congested roads and strained facilities,” he said.

Mr Leary said more than 11 million visitors traveled to Western Australia each year but government investment was failing to keep pace with population growth, immigration and rising tourism demand.

“During peak seasons it becomes increasingly difficult to find accommodation along the coast, from caravan parks to campsites, hotels to high-end accommodation,” he said.

“But the government must do its part by investing in essentials such as roads, transport, parking, accommodation, public amenities and local attractions so that tourism growth can be sustained and shared across the state.”

A state government spokesman said rising visitor numbers in Western Australia were a positive sign of the state’s strong tourism appeal, which directly supports local businesses, tourism operators and jobs.

“Tourism is a major employer in regional WA, with hospitality, accommodation and tours leading to increased footfall and helping to sustain these businesses year-round,” a spokesman said.

“Perth plays an important role in our tourism industry, but as part of our economic diversification strategy, we are encouraging visitors to travel further and stay longer in the Western Australian region.”