The table illustrates the number of visitors to six World Heritage sites in Australia in 1996, 1998, and 2000.
Overall, there were two main trends, while the majority of destinations experienced an increase in popularity, both the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserve, and Macquarie Island showed a decline. It can also be seen that the Great Barrier Reef is the most popular choice, in stark contrast to Macquarie Island.
In 1996, the number of tourists visiting the Great Barrier Reef was outstandingly high, reaching 1,670,000, doubling the 810,000 visitors of the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserve. For years later, while the quantities of visitors to the Greate Barrier Reel followed a significant upward trend, rising to 3,200,000, the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserve showed a gradual decrease in travelers, dropping to 770,000.
The remaining places witnessed fewer visitors compared to the two previously mentioned. The Blue Mountains had the highest number of visitors, reaching 526,000 in 1996 and increasing slightly to 581,000 in 2000, followed by a moderate rise from 450,000 to 483,000 in Tasmania Wilderness. Similarly, Shark Bay’s tourist numbers grew by 5,000, reaching a total of 89,000. In contrast, Macquarie Island remained the least popular destination, with tourist numbers consistently staying below 350 from 1996 to 2000.