Tourism in Protected Areas Initiative (TIPA)

What is TIPA
Background to TIPA
Benefits of TIPA
Implementation of TIPA
Getting involved
Frequently asked questions
Further information

tourism tools banner

What is TIPA

The Tourism in Protected Areas (TIPA) initiative is a new framework aimed at providing a more efficient, effective and equitable system of sustainable tourism management in department managed areas. In particular, the initiative was designed to forge a new participatory relationship between the department and tourism operators.

Background to TIPA

The TIPA initiative was developed in response to concerns raised by tourism operators about access to Queensland's protected areas network. A whole-of-government approach to addressing these issues included 18 key recommendations to the Queensland Government made by a working group of industry and government representatives.

Benefits of TIPA

Implementation of the TIPA framework will provide benefits to the environment, the department management and tourism operator businesses. These benefits include:

better protection of key visitor sites through the determination of visitor capacity
greater business certainty associated with longer permit tenure for commercial operators under Commercial Activity Agreements
the introduction among tour operators of capacity-based pricing, capacity trading and subcontracting
the introduction of performance standards, accreditation systems and codes of practice
the use of expression of interest processes to allocate access for new capacity.

Implementation of TIPA

TIPA is being implemented progressively across Queensland's protected area network for certain activities at high-use and high-value premium visitor sites. Commercial tours at glow-worm sites in Springbrook and Tamborine national parks, and commercial tours on Fraser Island in Great Sandy National Park are the first activities and sites at which TIPA will apply. Over the coming months, the sustainable visitor capacity (SVC) of these sites will be determined with advice from working groups. Once the sustainable visitor capacity is decided, operators will be invited to enter into agreements with EPA.

Legislation provisions for TIPA are contained in the Marine Parks Regulation 2006, the Nature Conservation (Administration) Regulations 2006 and the Recreation Areas Management Act 2006. Copies of the legislation can be obtained from the office of the Parliamentary Counsel.

Getting involved

The department, with support from the Queensland Tourism Industry Council and Tourism Queensland, will implement the TIPA framework. During implementation, there will be opportunities for all stakeholders with an interest in Queensland's parks to be involved in TIPA initiatives.

Sustainable visitor capacity working groups will provide one of the key consultation avenues for interested parties. These groups will be established at TIPA sites and will provide advice to the department on appropriate visitor capacity. This collaborative process will involve the local community, recreation and scientific interests and the tourism industry. The department will advertise in local newspapers when establishing these groups. To find out what's happening in your area, please contact svc@epa.qld.gov.au.

Frequently asked questions

What is TIPA?

The Tourism in Protected Areas initiative (TIPA) is a new framework for managing tourism in Queensland's national parks, State forests and marine parks. TIPA will be implemented across the State in selected sites.

Why is the department introducing TIPA?

The TIPA framework was developed as a whole-of-government response to the growing list of concerns raised by tourism operators regarding access to department managed areas, including many iconic tourism destinations in national parks, State forests, and marine parks.

TIPA aims to provide a more effective, equitable and sustainable system of tourism management by introducing a business-oriented approach between the department and tour operators, which recognises both commercial realities and the need for ecologically sustainable outcomes.

What does TIPA mean for Queensland's protected areas?

TIPA will be rolled out across the State from 2006. Areas at which TIPA arrangements will come into effect will first be identified as premium visitor sites. The majority of Queensland's protected area estate will not be affected by TIPA beyond the efforts to improve EPA and tourism industry relationships.

Implementing TIPA at premium visitor sites will effectively mean a change in management arrangements for existing tour operators. These changes will include the determination of sustainable visitor capacity (SVC) for those sites, allocation of SVC to commercial tours and free and independent travellers, negotiation of access terms with tourism operators, capacity-based pricing and the replacement of commercial activity permits with 10-year Commercial Activity Agreements.

Sustainable visitor capacity - what's that?

Sustainable visitor capacity (SVC) refers to the type and amount of visitor use a site can support without compromising its environmental, cultural and social values. SVC is based on the protected area management practice of recreational site-carrying capacity. The department has investigated the scientific literature and recent advances in visitor management to develop an SVC methodology that will ensure the best environmental and social outcomes for Queensland's parks and their users.

Visitor capacity settings are one of EPA's critical functions in visitor management. Under the provisions of the TIPA framework, EPA will collaboratively determine the sustainable visitor capacity for all prescribed activities at premium visitor sites. The SVC process will ensure that the needs of independent visitors, commercial operators, Traditional Owners and any specialised users such as educational institutions and recreation groups are taken into consideration when determining capacities.

How will SVC be allocated between user groups?

An SVC working group will provide advice to the department on the appropriate SVC determination for each site. As part of that recommendation the working group will also advise on the appropriate allocation of capacity between uses at the site, including commercial tours and free and independent travellers. The commercial tourism proportion of the sustainable visitor capacity will be made available to commercial tour operators who will have the opportunity to negotiate commercial agreements with EPA.

Where the SVC process determines there is capacity available in excess of that already allocated to existing operators, the department may conduct an expression of interest process for this additional capacity. However, where the SVC process determines that the sustainable capacity is less than is currently allocated to operators, the department will be required to decrease the capacity allocated to operators. This will be done over time. The department will monitor visitor impacts to ensure the determined capacity is sustainable. SVC will be reviewed every five years.

What are Commercial Activity Agreements?

TIPA will give tourism operators greater business certainty with the introduction of Commercial Activity Agreements (CAAs). These agreements will have terms of 10 years unless environmental, social, or cultural impacts are uncertain and the application of the precautionary principle means a shorter term is appropriate.

All existing operators in premium visitor sites who comply with the EPA's applicant suitability guidelines will be eligible to transition their authority to a CAA. Operators will receive timely notice of the future intention to convert existing authorities to CAAs. Although operators are not required to convert to a CAA, those who do not will be allowed to run their operation only under their existing permission until it expires.

What is capacity-based pricing?

Capacity-based pricing refers to the commercial fee paid for the capacity granted under CAAs. Tour operators who access premium visitor sites will pay a commercial fee for their allocated capacity at each site. The commercial fee will be negotiated, taking into consideration:

the value of the opportunity including seasonal variations in demand and the likely average use of each site
the need for commercial operators to contribute to the conservation of the resource
the commercial and market realities of operating a tourism business
the need to reduce latency and speculation
the cost of managing the sites and administering the TIPA arrangements at those sites, but not necessarily full cost recovery.

Revenue earned from commercial fees will, wherever possible, be invested in the local area to provide for improved park and forest management, to support site planning and monitoring, and to administer the TIPA system. Tour operators will have input into identifying appropriate management and monitoring projects.

Will tour operators be able to trade or subcontract any capacity they don't use?

At the 5-year review of CAAs operators at premium visitor sites that have not used more than 25 percent of allocated capacity will be subject to a reasonable use policy. Tour operators who have carried this level of latency at premium visitor sites will need to demonstrate a genuine future intention to use their site allocations in order to retain their original capacity.

How can I get involved?

Sustainable visitor capacity working groups will provide one of the key consultation avenues for interested parties. These groups will be established at TIPA sites and provide advice to the department on appropriate visitor capacity. The department will advertise in local newspapers when establishing SVC working groups.

To find out what's happening in your area, please contact svc@epa.qld.gov.au

Further information

For detailed queries about the TIPA initiative, please contact:

Manager, Tourism and Visitor Management Branch

Queensland Parks and Wildlife
PO Box 15155 , City East QLD 4002

email tipa@epa.qld.gov.au

Last updated: 24 October 2008