- School reef trips spawned from COVID-19 Economic Recovery Plan reach a major milestone.
- Over 30,000 students approved for 'Reef School' on 621 subsidised excursions.
- Regional economies, reef tourism operators, students and the environment benefit from innovative Great Barrier Reef Education Experience Program
A program to support reef tourism operators through the pandemic by turning the Great Barrier Reef into Queensland's biggest classroom has reached a major milestone, with more than 30,000 students approved for subsidised excursions.
Queensland primary and secondary students have travelled from far and wide to take part in 621 reef trips since the Great Barrier Reef Education Experience Program started in June 2021.
The Queensland Government introduced the $3.5 million program to help reef tourism operators diversify into education-based tourism when COVID-19 travel restrictions impacted traditional interstate and international markets.
Subsidies of up to $150 per student are provided directly to schools to offset travel costs for school trips which include a reef experience with a registered commercial reef tourism operator.
Key achievements since the Great Barrier Reef Education Experience Program commenced include:
- 621 reef education excursions approved for the subsidy
- 30,255 Queensland primary and secondary students approved for the subsidy
- 32 reef tourism operators delivering educational excursions
- $2 525 306 in travel subsidies approved
- $16.6 million in excursion spend reported by schools
- 55 per cent of approved excursions involving an overnight stay
- 345 excursions travelling 499 kilometres or more
- 70 per cent of school excursions undertaken by state schools
- Schools from 42 local government areas approved for the subsidy
In partnership with industry, the program has maximised the opportunity for Great Barrier Reef tourism operators to recover from the pandemic and to continue to be recognised as world leaders in responsible reef tourism and best-practice reef interpretation.
The program is complemented by 'Be a Marine Biologist for a Day' educational resources produced by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority to assist teachers, reef tourism operators and reef guides to deliver high-quality experiential learning excursions for students.
It complements the Outback Queensland Education Experience Program which has been running since 2011 and provides subsidies for Queensland schools visiting the Outback.
As stated by Tourism Minister and State Member for Cairns Michael Healy:
"The Great Barrier Reef Education Experience Program has been a great success story for reef tourism operators, schools and students.
"It's an initiative I knew would be successful and it's wonderful to celebrate this milestone of over 30,000 students participating in reef excursions.
"Every young Queenslander who witnesses firsthand the Reef, the more they feel connected to it and want to help promote and protect it for future generations.
"This program helped tourism operators diversify into a new market when COVID travel restrictions were hurting their businesses.
"It has also driven demand outside the traditional tourism high season with school groups travelling during school term.
"This has provided benefits not only to reef tourism operators, but also accommodation, transport and mainland tourism experiences."
As stated by Cairns State High School Science Teacher Cindy Rohan:
"The Great Barrier Reef is the best classroom in the world," Ms Rohan said.
"The opportunity to immerse yourself in this environment so you can learn while you're here experiencing it – there's nothing like it, it's the best way to learn."
Additional information:
https://www.dts.qld.gov.au/tourism/funds/experience-programs-education/great-barrier-reef
