I don’t think the right approach is to pretend it’s more dead than it is just to keep the tourists away. That kind of dishonesty doesn’t pay off. That aside, d

I don’t think the right approach is to pretend it’s more dead than it is just to keep the tourists away. That kind of dishonesty doesn’t pay off. That aside, damage due to tourism is minor compared to bleaching and is easily abated through government supervision, and the fact that tourism operators have a commercial incentive to prevent damage in order to stay in business long term. That system has always worked well on the GBR, which is why it has continued to be an international tourism destination for decades and not sustained serious harm. Every time i’ve visited the reef (and I’ve done it a few times), clear instructions are given on how to behave to avoid damaging the coral (not standing on it etc), and everyone there, being nature lovers in the first place, is most willing to oblige.