The marine tourism business is most important business in the Great Barrier Reef and a foremost contributor to the Australian economy. Yearly, it generates over $4 billion, being the largest industrial activity in the Great Barrier Reef region.
For a majority of guests to Great Barrier Reef, the tourism task force which includes 820 operators and 1500 vessels that operate in Marine Park is the primary way of experiencing the Great Barrier Reef. There are various types of tourism activities in the Great Barrier Reef which include day/overnight tours, snorkelling and scuba diving, fishing, swimming with dolphins, whale watching, aircraft excursions, charters, sailing, cruises, glass-bottomed coral viewing, semi-submersibles, educational trips and water sports.
The tourism industry is a vulnerable issue with issues such as climate change, ocean circulation, sea level rises, increasing intensity of cyclones and storms, coral bleaching, loss of marine animals, etc.