Bushfire warnings scare tourists away
Bushfire warnings scare tourists away
19 March 2013
published by www.abc.net.au
Australia — A Grampians tourism operator in western Victoria says bushfire warnings are over the top.
Cameron McDonald runs a horse riding business at Brimpaen on the edge of the Grampians National Park.
A 30,000-hectare fire has been burning in the park for four weeks, but it’s now contained.
Mr McDonald says the bushfire alerts have scared tourists away from the region.
“We’re all becoming a little bit sooky lah lah in that regard. I think Victorians need to rediscover their backbone and say ‘ok, that was bad’ and become more situation-aware and less alarmed,” he said.
“There’s a balance between being informed and being alarmed.”
The Country Fire Authority says public safety must come first when determining the level of bushfire communication.
