Tag-along tours are one of the many types of tours available that offer visitors a great Fraser Island experience. Photo: Queensland Government
Original story by Francene Norton, ABC News
The Queensland Government says strict protection measures will remain in place as more national parks are opened up to ecotourism.
It has launched a new ecotourism framework to cut red tape, and extend operators' permits to 15 years instead of three.
National Parks Minister Steve Dickson says having more World Heritage areas than any other state gives Queensland a competitive edge in the tourism market.
"The benefits hugely outweigh the risks because we have huge problems within a lot of our protected areas at the moment," he said.
"We've got a couple of million cats running around killing wildlife every night of the week.
"There's a lot of implications that are affecting our national parks and protected areas.
"Having these people out there, they're going to be our eyes and ears.
"They're going to see things that we may not see on a day-to-day basis."
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