Robert Irwin’s plea to travel industry: Spend tourism dollars on supporting the planet

Spend your tourism dollar wisely to protect the planet when travelling, TV personality, conservationist and wildlife advocate Robert Irwin told a fascinated audience in the final session of the 24th Global Summit World Travel & Tourism Council in Perth (Boorloo).

“When you’re travelling, think about where your money’s being spent,” he told host Greg O’Hara, founder and senior managing director or Certares, at the session on Thursday.

“The dollar generated by tourism and the awareness and the connection that is formed when you travel – those are the two things that I think are really, truly going to do a great thing for conservation to combat the massive issues that we have,” he said.

Irwin also said he was protecting a legacy established by both his father Steve and mother Terri who established Australia Zoo in Beerwah, north Queensland all those years ago.

“I look at my dad, and I think, wow, one person can really make a difference, but you can only make a difference if you can unify everyone around you. That’s the important thing,” he said.

“That’s the legacy for my dad that I want to continue, and that’s the legacy that I want to leave behind. You know, each of us in this room, we’re in a very connected world right now, especially in the tourism sector, and we are all giving people life changing experiences. That’s the legacy we all leave behind.”

Irwin also dressed the issues facing the planet right now, a hot topic at the Global Summit which was secured by the Roger Cook’s WA Government and held in Australia for the first time.

“It is undeniable, the issues facing our planet and we are going through absolutely the turning point for the natural world, for the human race,” Irwin said.

“We are going into a very tumultuous time. I think this is definitely a turning point, and we certainly do have the power to turn things around. But action needs to happen now. It needs to happen fast. It needs to happen in a big way, and we have to work towards unity rather than division, particularly when it comes to our environment.”

Irwin was also mirroring the sentiments expressed by former US Secretary of State John Kerry who addressed some 800 attendees and 80 global media who attended the three-day conference.

Battle against global warming can be won – with help from tourism – says former US Secretary of State

“I firmly believe tourism will change the world, because something my dad always used to say is people want to save the things that they love. People need to have a connection with wildlife, with the natural world,” Irwin said.

“It’s not only the awareness about visiting a place and understanding why the wildlife there needs protecting, but it’s also about the on the ground, walking the walk.”

Irwin senior’s legacy is that the once 4-acre property is now spread over 500,000 acres and, over the years has rescued 140,000 sick and injured animals, particularly koalas, that might have been hit by cars attacked by domestic animals suffering from disease habitat loss.

Supporters now include the likes of Russell Crowe and Seth McFarlane of Family Guy and Amercian Dad fame. But the Irwins also support their own projects such as the all-female Black Mamba anti-poaching squads in South Africa, to save the elephant and rhino.

But Irwin said the tide is turning towards a better future with the tourist dollars now able to save species, including the gorillas of Rwanda.

“The value of the gorilla is now on the living gorilla. People pay the money to go there and see the gorilla in the wild doing its thing exactly what it should be doing as the same thing here in Australia, we pay to come and see kangaroos jumping around,” he said.

“They come to see koalas. They come to see quokkas, of course, on Rottnest Island. And if we can find these mascots, these icons, in our region, then all of a sudden, we protect all the other wildlife there, and money can be spent on the ground where it matters most.”

The Irwins also work locally, outside of Australia Zoo, supporting various projects including protecting the Great Barrier Reef at Lady Elliot Island.

“We work a lot with them to cooperatively create a sense of urgency for eco tourism,” he said.

there is hope, and travel and tourism is the culmination of hope that just shows us what we’re fighting to protect.

“We want to try and set the benchmark and say, ‘here’s where we need to be. Let’s lift everyone up along with us. Let’s get to a point where we are really leading the charge here as a nation, here in Australia, and hopefully be an example for the rest of the world’.”

While Australia has largest mammalian extinction rate of anywhere else on Earth, Irwin says there much to be done to protect the planet and what is on it but he remains hopeful.

“It’s devastating, but it’s about showing people what we’ve got,” he says.

“It’s about saying, here’s the hope, here’s the beautiful koalas, the beautiful kangaroos, here’s the incredible untouched bushland and beaches. This is what we’re working to protect.

“Yes, you know, throughout the decades, as our planet has changed, we’ve lost a lot on a global scale, absolutely, but there is hope, and travel and tourism is the culmination of hope that just shows us what we’re fighting to protect.”

Feature image: Robert Irwin with Greg O’Hara, founder and senior managing director or Certares.