How Much Money Does Uluru Make Per Year

The cost of entering Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park could rise by up to 52 per cent under proposed changes from Parks Australia.

Just one week after the Uluru climb permanently closed, Parks Australia has informed tourism operators new park fees will come into effect from November 1, 2020.

In an email to tourism operators seen by the ABC, the cost of entry for visitors over 18 and Northern Territory residents will increase, but children, motorcycles and Yulara residents will be able to enter the park free of charge.

Annual vehicle entry for NT-registered vehicles will increase from $65 to $109.

An adult three-day pass will increase from $25 to $38 and annual adult passes will rise from $32.50 to $50.

In its email, Parks Australia said the price to enter the park had not increased for 16 years and the price hike was in line with inflation.

An image of the chain that walkers used to climb Uluru. There are no walkers on the climb. — An empty Uluru on the first day of the climbing ban.( ABC News: Michael Franchi )

'People start to feel the pinch'

Tourism Central Australia CEO Stephen Schwer said it was concerning the fees had not been steadily increased.

A sign at the base of Uluru reads "No walkers climbers climb closed due to permanent closure 26 October 2019". — Individuals who illegally climb Uluru could be subject to prosecution and a fine of up to $10,000.( ABC News: Samantha Jonscher )

"One of the big concerns that we've got [is not] steady increases, pretty much everybody accepts those — when a price goes up 52 per cent in one year, that's when people start to feel the pinch a bit," he said.

He said tourism operators were particularly worried because it was standard practice to sell travel packages years in advance.

"We've got a lot of operators that have got their prices out in the market currently, that have been set on the prices as they are — and those prices are current as far as April 2021," he said.

Mr Schwer said tourism businesses do not usually have a large profit margin, meaning the increases would be hard for operators to absorb.

"Their margins aren't very big — it represents a significant percentage reduction of income coming into a business," he said.

Prior to the hike's closure, tourism operators experienced a major spike in activity as more than 50,000 extra visitors scrambled to Uluru to climb the rock.

Shoes, socks and legs of potential Uluru climbers stand on red dirt. — Huge numbers of tourists flocked to Uluru before the climb ban.( ABC News: Samantha Jonscher )

Increasing costs of maintaining the park

Parks Australia told operators that the cost of managing the park had increased in that time.

"We need to be responsible economic managers of the park and ensure we have the funds to maintain Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park into the future," said Karl Dyason from Parks Australia.

Mr Schwer said his industry wanted to see detailed plans for the increase in fees.

Traditional owners and scores of media workers at the base of Uluru. — The email said traditional owners would receive 25 per cent of the price increase.( ABC News: Samantha Jonscher )

"I don't think there is a single person in the industry who would say that there were too many staff down there, we all wish that there were more — the rangers do an amazing job down there but they are very stretched," he said.

"But we want to see those plans."

The email told tourism operators that 25 per cent of the increase would be paid to Uluru-Kata Tjuta's Traditional Owners