Why tourists may find it harder to discover Australia’s favourite local spots
Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.
At a glance
In-depth
Named sources
Outcome reported
- Visitor information centres are closing as digital bookings, maps and travel tools reduce foot traffic.
- Travellers Alex Murrie and his partner say local staff helped them find less crowded places and persuaded them to spend extra time at Nooga Nooga National Park.
- Cassowary Coast Tourism says the Tully centre was not commercially viable, with only 6% of regional visitors using it and annual operating costs of about $240,000.
For Alex Murrie, the most useful travel advice has come from people behind Australia’s familiar yellow information signs, not from a search engine. Five months into a van journey around the country, Murrie and his partner look for visitor information centres in the towns they pass through.
Pretty early on, one of the grey nomads told us, 'Every town you go to, get to that information centre and you’ll get a good idea of what’s around.'
A fellow traveller, known as a grey nomad, gave them a simple rule: visit the information centre in every town. The advice led them to recommendations from people who knew the area personally, including places they had not planned to visit. After stopping at one centre, Murrie spent several extra days in Nooga Nooga National Park.
He said online travel information could be overwhelming and often pushed the same heavily photographed destinations. “You’ll just see hundreds and hundreds of places and ideas and photos and I don’t necessarily want to get to the same place that 300 people have just posted their Instagram video of. It can be a bit crowded,” he said.
It’s good, especially if we see someone who’s been around the town a while, a true local, that’s really helpful.
The service is becoming less common. As Murrie and his partner travel north from Townsville, they will pass the visitor information centre in Tully, which recently closed. Cassowary Coast Tourism executive officer Patrick Bluett said his company stopped operating the Tully facility as an accredited centre in August.
You’ll just see hundreds and hundreds of places and ideas and photos and I don’t necessarily want to get to the same place that 300 people have just posted their Instagram video of. It can be a bit crowded.
Only 6% of visitors to the region used the centre, Bluett said, and foot traffic had declined steadily for a decade, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic. Even with volunteers, insurance, maintenance and rates cost about $240,000 a year. “They are not commercially viable unless backed by a local council,” Bluett said. A centre remains open at nearby Mission Beach.
They are not commercially viable unless backed by a local council.
About this summary
Originally published by ABC Australia in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.
More Stories
From Our Blog
What Gets Lost (and Found) When News Is Translated
The Critical Role of Diaspora Media in Global News
What Travellers Should Know About Countries with Restricted Press
A Digital Nomad's Guide to Following Local News
How the Same Story Looks Different in Different Countries
