Tourism operators say new wave of visitors interested in learning about Uluru emerged following climb closure

TOURISM operators at Uluru say the closure of the climb has brought about a new wave of visitors

• Uluru climb: Permanent Closure — 26 October 2019
• Tourism numbers drop off after introduction of Uluru climbing ban

TOURISM operators at Uluru say the closure of the climb a year ago today has brought about a new wave of visitors interested in learning about the region’s culture and history.

Fly Uluru manager Chris Mitskinis said while only a small number of people did the climb when it was open, the closure had forced visitors to consider what else was at Uluru for them to do.

“I don’t think (you) need to open the climb to bring back people,” he said.

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“Not too many people haven’t heard about Uluru and I think we are in a lucky spot to get a good bounce back.”

Mr Mitskinis said while COVID-19 had decimated tourism, he believed there was no cause to reopen the climb.

“I don’t think if you open now it would draw a bigger crowd than it does anyway and if we did we would only be going back on what was a positive change for the region,” he said.

Uluru Camel Tours sales and marketing manager Lisa Creelman echoed Mr Mitskinis’s views.

“It wasn’t opened most of the time anyway. It doesn’t change what it is or where it is,” she said.

“It’s still a really beautiful destination.”

A Parks Australia spokeswoman said since the closure tourists had reported that experiencing and learning about Anangu culture was a significant motivator for coming to the park.

“Visitors surveyed since the closure of the climb ­reported that learning about Aboriginal culture was a transformative and memorable experience, with 84 per cent of visitors surveyed reporting that visiting Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park enhanced their understanding of Anangu culture,” the spokeswoman said.

She said there were a ­number of projects underway to help showcase Anangu ­culture to future visitors to The Rock in a post-COVID world.

“The Mala precinct is being refreshed through new amenities like shaded areas and additional seating and new visitor information,” she said.

“Much of the park’s infrastructure will be upgraded over the next three years through a $102m investment by the Australian Government.”

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Uluru board of management chairman Sidney James said visitors could still “see and feel the magic of Uluru” from the ground.

“We want visitors to come and walk around Uluru,” he said. “When we were very little kids we would walk around Uluru thinking it was a magic one, we didn’t know the lore

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