CAVE TOURISM AROUND THE WORLD
My decision to apply for a Churchill Fellowship to examine cave areas that have been modified for tourist visitation in several countries around the world was motivated by:
- An awareness of a lack of philosophical thought towards caves as such by the Tasmanian administration.
- The great discoveries made by Tasmanian caving groups in recent years and:
- The sure knowledge that, in the near future, public demand for more recreational areas will create a situation wherein additional caves will need to be made available to meet this demand.
No caves have been opened to the public in Tasmania since the 1930s, Newdegate being the most recent in 1939.
For the purposes of this paper I shall deal very briefly with some of the principal impressions and observations of the various cave centres visited.
The Glowworm Grotto at Waitomo is world renowned as a unique cave experience. Comparison with glowworm populations at Waitomo and Exit Cave, Tasmania would probably reveal that these two caves contain an approximately equal number of glowworms, but as Exit is a much larger cave with a higher ceiling in the sections inhabited by glowworms, and as the glowworms there are more widely dispersed, the Waitomo glowworms are viewed more intimately.
The karst plateau of Akiyoshi, Japan, must be rated as one of the finest examples of this type of topography in the world. The film, "Akiyoshidai; A Karst of Japan", which you have seen, outlines, details of the karst plateau, and demonstrates the relationship between scientific research in the area and the operation of the caves as a tourist facility.
Before I went to the United States of America I had heard of the vast difference in the philosophies towards tourist caves operated by the U.S. National Parks Service and those operated by private enterprise. I found the philosophy of the service extremely good in so far as it was reflected by the superintendents and ranger staffs at the two National Park caves visited: Carlsbad, New Mexico and Mammoth, Kentucky. Basically this philosophy meant that caves under National Parks Service control must be kept as natural as possible, and that emphasis in presentation must be placed on interpretation of a natural feature. At both Carlsbad and Mammoth, interpretive programmes were conducted daily, at Carlsbad the evening bat flight, at Mammoth an illustrated lecture presentation concerning aspects of the underground and surface ecology. Visitor centres catered for those seeking detailed information of the areas.
By contrast, the private cave operator enjoys complete autonomy over the manner in which he presents his cave. In my assessment of these presentations, they range from garish vulgarity to moderate good taste. Two examples of tastefully presented privately operated caves are the Caverns of Sonora, Texas and the Cumberland Caverns, Tennessee. In the case of the former, fitting out with non-coloured lighting and construction of walkways had been carried out with meticulous care to avoid damage to the abundant decoration. In the latter, presentation centered around a sound and light development with a theme of creation - popular in the part of the country sometimes referred to as the "Bible Belt".
The only caves visited in Britain were the Cheddar Caves and Wookey Hole in Somerset. Though small, these caves were well worth a visit. An interesting feature at Cheddar was the enclosure behind glass of some formation areas. The guided tour of Wookey Hole dramatised the legend of the witch of Wookey Hole. This has a special appeal to children and family parties.
Three caves were visited in France — Peche-Merle, Padirac and Cougnac — all in the province of Lot. Peche-Merle was noted for its fine examples of pre-historic cave paintings. Subjects were similar to those in the former tourist cave of Lascaux, now closed to the public because of deterioration of the paintings due to constant lighting and intense visitor traffic. I was told that deterioration had not been detected at Peche-Merle. The huge Gouffre at Padirac, though a most impressive cavern, is also subject to intense visitation created a jaded appearance to the extensive red coloured flowstone sections. I thought that this cave could do with restorative action. It seemed a pity to me that a cave such as Cougnac had to be exhibited by the guided tour method. The wealth of short straw stalactite decoration is almost incredible — a paradise for vandals. This is the type of cave in which one would like to browse at one's leisure.
Caves in Switzerland were generally disappointing. The underground lake at St Leonard was a pleasant enough experience, but the presentation of the widely acclaimed Holloch left much to be desired. A cave with such a world wide reputation deserves much better treatment. The section opened to the public contains no speleothems, and is not electrically lit at present. A company carried out a lighting project some sixty years ago. The company failed and evidence of the lighting attempts are still clearly visible. Little attempt had been made to beautify the surface area.
The ice caves of Austria are situated at an elevation of 5,000 to 6,000 feet above sea level in precipitous terrain. Approach to both the Dachstein and Eisriesenwelt Ice Caves is affected by cable cars. Delicate shades of blue and green are produced by artificial light filtering through huge masses of ice. The Dachstein Ice Cave is electrically lit, while Eisriesenwelt is illuminated by magnesium tape and carbide lamps carried by guides and visitors. A conservative attitude towards retention of this method of illumination prevailed among this cave's management, but the method was not so popular with some of the more sophisticated visitors.
I was unable to assess the inspection procedures or visitor reaction to the magnificent Jeita caves in Lebanon because my visit took place after midnight when the caves are normally closed to the public. I was most impressed with stupendous beauty of these two caves and with the psychological approach to the lighting and planning of walkways etc. The equivalent of $A4,000,000 had been invested in the development of the caves prior to opening to the public in their present form four years ago and a revenue surplus of a similar amount had accumulated over this period. It was planned to invest this surplus in additional facilities at the caves.
The Son-et-Lumiere program at Cango Caves, South Africa was somewhat controversial. Part of this program dramatised the discovery of the cave by van Zyl in 1780. The presentation was popular among a large section of the local population, but was regarded with some scepticism by many cave purists. I was most fortunate in that my visit to Cango coincided with a break-through into a new section of the cave. This is an area of profuse speleothematic decoration which it is hoped will be retained in its pristine state as far as possible.
SUMMARY
There are several means by which a tourist cave can be administered and operated. By a National Parks authority as in New Zealand, U.S.A. and N.S.W., by a Government Tourist authority as in New South Wales, Tasmania and Lebanon, by unfettered private enterprise as in U.S.A., by private enterprise under strict Government scrutiny as in Austria, by local councils in Japan and South Africa, by concession from a National Parks authority as in New Zealand, by private enterprise with the support of a confederation of cave operators as in France. It seems to me that the actual method of administration and operation is not of vital importance, but in all cases two factors emerge as being paramount to a satisfactory tourist cave enterprise:
- That administration must be well informed in speleological philosophy.
- That well informed, competent and enthusiastic personnel must be employed at local level.