4. The table below gives information on visitor statistics for 1996, 1998 and 2000 for various World Heritage sites in Australia

Sample answer

The table illustrates the number of people visiting six World Heritage sites in Australia between 1996 and 2000.

Having a myopic look, it is clear that, In 1996, 1,670,000 tourists paid a visit to the Great Barrier Reef, doubled the figure for the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserve. Over the next two years, there was a dramatic increase of almost twice as many visitors to Great Barrier Reef, followed by another slight increase of about 200,000 people in 2000. In contrast, the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserve saw about 20,000 less visitors every two years.

Furthermore, among the remaining destinations with much fewer travellers compared to the two first ones, the Blue Mountains and the Tasmanian Wilderness were more popular, with approximately 500,000 visitors in 1996. The figures then increased to approximately 600,000 and 500,000 after 4 years. In comparison, 84,000 travellers chose to visit Shark Bay in 1996, exponentially higher than the figure for Macquarie Island with only 350 visitors. While the former experienced a rise to 89,000, the latter dropped slightlyto only 330 by the end of theperiod.

Overall, the total number of visitors to those places showed an upward trend. Also, the Great Barrier Reef was the most attractive tourist destination over the period shown.

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