Great Barrier Reef tourism: caught between commerce and conservation alarm

More people than ever are coming to see the reef and those who make a living showing it off want the world to know it's still a natural wonder. But they worry about its future, and that of their 64,000-strong industry

In the dark clouds gathering over the future of the Great Barrier Reef, there has been a small silver lining for the people who make their living showcasing the natural wonder.

When the reef was rocked by an unprecedented second mass bleaching event in the space of a year, the coral hardest-hit by heat stress lay mostly in the tourist-heavy latitudes between Cairns and Townsville.