Recent Victoria University research found tourism contributed no more than 3.5% of the Department of Conservation’s (DOC) budget, while DOC spent 34% of its budgetary allocations on recreational expenses including tourist facilities and services and managing tourism concessions. Victoria’s School of Government senior lecturer Dr Valentina Dinica said DOC is subsidising tourism and tourism is not required to do its fair share, despite its high revenues. Your old mate reckons this puts into perspective the holier-than-thou attitude of the Tourism Export Council and its finger pointing at the farming sector about water.
