Survey of local recreation in the Great Barrier Reef, Australia

This dataset details the responses of a web-based survey from 1101 residents located along the Queensland Coast adjacent to the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). The main aim of data collection was to elicit the details of travel trips to allow recreation values to be estimated for beaches, islands and boating trips, as the most relevant recreation activities in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (GBRMP) respondents were asked about their visit frequency over the past two years to: 1. To their most frequented beach 2. To their second most frequented beach 3. To islands in the GBR area 4. On fishing, sailing or boating trips. In each category respondents who had visited in the past two years were also asked to provide additional details about their visit experiences and the travel methods and costs involved in their most recent visit. The collection of data about visit rates was simplified by giving respondents visit categories to select, ranging from „everyday‟ through to „about once a year‟, consistent with previous studies (e.g. Anderson 2010). In the contingent behaviour questions beach users were asked to identify if different environmental factors, facility issues or crowding had reduced their visit rates in the past, or would do so in the future. Recreational fishers were asked about the effect of different catch rates on their current and future visit patterns, while other water users were asked about the effects of decreased water visibility on current and future visit patterns. The final section of the survey involved questions about socio-demographic factors and the area where people lived