National park entry fees would be reduced for Tasmanians and increased for tourists, under an election promise.
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Opposition Leader Rebecca White used Monday’s Tasmanian Tourism Industry Council event in Launceston to propose a new fee structure for national parks, under a Labor majority government.
The proceeds of a “modest” increase for tourists would be used to fund 30 additional park rangers and park system maintenance, Ms White said.
“This will include investigation of a tiered fee structure for our three most popular parks, with higher fees for tourists but not Tasmanians during times of peak demand.”
In the party’s plan, an annual entry pass for all Tasmanians would be reduced by up to 50 per cent.
An annual full-priced pass to access all of the state’s 19 national parks is $96.
"We need to minimise the barriers against Tasmanians exploring their own backyard," Ms White said
It follows the pledge from the Liberal Party to provide seniors with one year’s free access to national parks, followed by heavily discounted rates thereafter.
Last year more than 530,000 interstate and overseas visitors to Tasmania visited a national park at least once.
Ms White said the state’s national parks were “in danger of being loved to death.”
“We don’t want to deter visitation, but ensure that the quality of experiences matches expectations,” she said.
“Our natural environment is truly world class and entry fees should reflect that.”