Become a licensed tour operator
At least 8 weeks — Parks Victoria recommends license application be submitted at least 8 weeks prior to the first planned activity
From $339.30
Who needs to do this
A tour operator licence is required for any person or business conducting a for-profit organised tour or recreational activity, including training, on public land in Victoria.
You need a licence if the tour or activity has commercial gain and is regular or repeated. If the activity is a one-off, you will likely need an event permit from the land manager. If you engage a third party to deliver some or all the licensed activities, the third party must also hold a tour operator licence.
Commercial activity includes circumstances where a service is provided by a guide or leader and they are being paid, or where an entry or membership fee is collected beyond the costs of running the activity. This is regardless of an organisation being not-for-profit or having charitable status.
A licence grants a non-exclusive right to use land, so other users are still able to share the area.
Parks Victoria issues and administers tour operator licensing on public land in Victoria on behalf of DEECA including on Victorian state waters and inland waterways.
What you need to do
1. Prepare your supporting documentation
Information you provide must be clear, detailed, and honest to help us make an informed decision. You’ll need to provide the following supporting documentation:
- Maps of the locations you are seeking to utilise. If your concept involves accessing semi remote or remote estate, Parks Victoria may require maps to be in a GPS Exchange format (GPX).
- Certificate of currency for public liability insurance of $20million. This is not required to submit your initial application but will be required before a licence can be issued.
- Accreditation certificate if you are applying for a five- or ten-year licence
To help you prepare for your application, Parks Victoria recommends you complete a comprehensive activity plan of where, when, and how you are planning on undertaking activity on public land. It is recommended to complete an activity plan for each tour/program/activity you seek to become licensed for. This plan does not need to be submitted with the application but will ensure you have all the required information on hand.
Download the activity plan template
2. Complete the online application form
Applying for a tour operator licence involves a sequence of steps that need to be worked through in order. You can save and return to your application at any stage, however, it will not be processed until you press submit.
Tour operator licenses are managed through your ParkConnect profile. If you do not already have a ParkConnect profile, you will need to register for one before you can submit your application. You will also need to create an Account for the business entity applying to trade on public land. This is your online business profile. For assistance in completing the application, please see the New Operators Application (PDF) or Existing Operators ParkConnect Guide (PDF).
Once a profile and account have been created, you can commence the application process. Please ensure your application is complete with all supporting documentation attached. You can find more details on what information is required in the Before You Start section below.
Apply for a tour operator licence
3. Submit your application
Upon receipt of your tour operator licence application, you will receive a confirmation email. Our Customer Support team will contact you if they require further information.
You can view the progress of your application in the ParkConnect portal on the ‘My agreements’ page.
Before you start
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Lead times
Parks Victoria recommends a license application be submitted at least eight weeks prior to the first planned activity to allow enough time for the application to be processed.
Licence application processing times are dependent on the complexity of the proposed activity and the number of locations that the proponent is seeking to be licensed for. When applying for a licence, keep in mind that the more geographically dispersed the application is the greater the number of approvals required.
Applicants can hasten the application process by ensuring that they have supplied a complete and detailed application, including maps and comprehensive descriptions of proposed activities. Delays in the application process are usually associated with incomplete applications or insufficient information.
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Understanding licence costs
Tour operator licensing fees have two parts: an annual licence fee and a per-person, per-day use fee.
2024-2025 fee schedule
Category
Fee for 2024-2025
Annual fee - standard one year licence
$339.30
Annual fee – standard multi-year licence (per year)
$266.20*
Use fee - adult
$2.40
Use fee - child (16 years and under) and school student
$1.60
Use fee cap
$16,636.00
*multiply this fee by the number of years you wish to apply for.
Further fee structure information is available on the DEECA website.>
The fees reflect the need to manage environmental and cultural values and safety issues that arise from nature-based tourism and education-based activity providers. The licence fees allow Parks Victoria to recover a reasonable proportion of licensing administration costs. Fees are set at a discounted cost recovery in recognition of the health, cultural and educational benefits of activities on public land.
For standard tour operator licences there is a cap on the total amount of use fees a tour operator pays each year. If you pay the use fees quarterly, you are entitled to a refund of any excess paid over the use fee cap at the end of the financial year. If you pay the use fees annually you do not need to pay annual use fees above the capped amount.
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Application details
All completed applications must be lodged with full and complete details within the minimum lead times. Applications with missing or incomplete details cannot be processed until sufficient information is supplied. Your application form must include:
- Business details including ABN, address, contact name and contact number (if you are applying as a Trust entity, please provide a copy of your Trust Deed)
- Contact details of the director/owner, primary operational contact, billing contact and communications contact (this may be the same or multiple people)
- The licence term you are applying for and billing preference
- Details of the licensed activities you are applying for Public facing contact information, if you wish to be listed on the Parks Victoria website
For assistance in completing the application, please see the New Operators Application (PDF) or Existing Operators Application (PDF).
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Insurance requirements
You must have a minimum of $20 million public liability insurance coverage for the, noting the interest of Parks Victoria. A certificate of currency for less than $20 million will not be accepted.
Parks Victoria does not require a Public Liability Insurance Certificate of Currency, upon application (so you not paying for insurance that you cannot use), however, we will not be able to issue a licence until we receive a document that meets all our requirements. If you do not supply a copy of your insurance with the application, please ensure you have contacted an insurance broker to arrange insurance, so the document is ready to go once approvals have been received.
Please ensure that your Certificate of Currency meets all of Parks Victoria’s requirements, as set out in the Certificate of Currency checklist (PDF)
Receiving your licence
Signing your licence
Once a licence has been approved at the local level the Customer Support Team will finalise the document ready for signing.
To quicken the authorisation process Parks Victoria uses electronic signing to finalise the agreement. We use DocuSign for this phase of licensing. The system is easy to use. There is no need to have a DocuSign account, you just need to follow the prompts.
Once this phase is complete Parks Victoria will issue you with a copy of your executed (finalised) licence and you are ready to commence operating in parks and waterways as per the conditions in your licence.
Paying your license fee
Tour operator licensing fees have two parts: an annual licence fee and a per-person, per-day use fee. The annual fee is due when the license is granted.
The Annual fee component of licensing is set in accordance with Consumer Price Index (CPI) and increases annually. To receive the greatest benefit of a multi-year licence, we recommend that you pay for the entire licence in year one.
If you do pay for the entire amount for a multi-year licence and you no longer require a licence, Park Victoria can refund any non-commenced year of the licence.
Reporting visitations
Tour operators must keep a record of the number of persons who participate in tours each day and report these through their ParkConnect account. This record is provided to Parks Victoria on a quarterly or annual basis to calculate the use fees payable.
More information
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Why is a licence required?
The requirement to hold a licence is set out within key public land management Acts: National Parks Act 1975, Crown Land (Reserves) Act 1978, Forests Act 1958, Land Act 1958, and Wildlife Act 1975. Tour operator licences:
- Provide legal access for appropriate use of public land.
- Protect natural and cultural values of public land by managing access, use and environmental impacts.
- Ensure the safety of visitors by specifying appropriate skills, insurance and risk management procedures for operators.
- Obtain a return for the State Government for the use of public land that provides private benefit.
- Provide information to assist the strategic allocation of resources.
- Allow the land manager to know the range and diversity of tourism businesses and related activities on the land they manage.
- Develop a partnership with licensees
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What types of business activities require a licence?
The tour operator and activity provider licensing mechanism cover three types of operators:
- Tour Operators – a business that is engaged in conducting tours on public land, these business types commonly offer vehicle or vessel based guided activities and includes shuttle types of services.
- Activity Specialists – a business that is engaged in conducting activities on public land, these business types commonly specialise in offering one or two activities. Activity Specialist might be engaged in providing guided tours, training and instruction on public land. These businesses might be engaged in providing bushwalking, mountain biking, rock climbing, surfing tours & education etc.
- Outdoor Education Specialists – a business that is engaged to supply a variety of activities (programs) on public land for the purposes of education and recreation. Typically, this type of operator is engaged by educational institutions to provide a range of outdoor activities.
Importantly, the Tour Operator and Activity Provider licensing mechanism cannot provide authorisation for the following business types (other permits/authorisation might be required).
- Equipment hire business – a business that wants to trade on public land with the purpose of hiring equipment (where the is no instructional or guided component) generally need to apply for a trade permit.
- Events – a business that is seeking to hold a one-off event or have more 30 people will likely need to apply for an event permit.
- Charter Fishing Industry - An interim policy exempts fishing tours from needing a tour operator licence. This policy was put in place to avoid duplicate regulation at a time when fishing tours operators were required to have a trading vessel permit. This interim policy is currently being reviewed by DEECA. If you offer other activities such as sightseeing, wildlife tours or dolphin viewing, as part of a fishing tour, you will still need a tour operator licence for those activities.
- Schools or Tertiary Education institutions – A licence is not needed if the activity(s) is being provided as part of a general curriculum. If the activity is not part of the general curriculum, and the activity is being conducted for profit, then a licence is required.
- Clubs and Associations – are not required to be licenced for normal club activities, where no reward is received above direct costs.
For more information on tour operators and activity provider licence requirements (including the relevant Policy, Legislation and Fact Sheets,) visit the DEECA website. If you are unsure if you need a licence contact the land manager for advice (either Parks Victoria or DEECA).
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How long is a licence term?
The duration of a licence is decided by the land manager, guided by policy in the 2018 Policy Update. If an applicant is accredited under a recognised industry accreditation program or has a good compliance history under previous licence conditions, land managers can offer longer (multiyear) licences. Parks Victoria licences on an annual term basis, based on the financial year.
- 1 year: A standard licence for one year.
- Up to 3 years: A licence for up to three years for operators with three years of full compliance. This means they have provided their insurance details; trip returns and paid invoices on time and have a record of meeting all their compliance obligations under the licence.
- Up to 5 years: A licence for up to five years subject to having recognised tourism accreditation. Recognised accreditation programs for the 5 year licence term are:
- Ecotourism Australia: Certification – Nature Tourism and/or Respecting our Culture
- Victorian Tourism Industry Council: Quality Tourism Framework Accreditation and/or Level 2- Sustainable Tourism
- Up to 10 years: A premium licence for up to ten years subject to having recognised accreditation. Recognised accreditation programs for the 10 year licence term are:
- Ecotourism Australia: Advanced Ecotourism
- Earthcheck: Earthcheck Benmarketing and Certification (formerly GreenGlobe Company Standard)
Under legislation, the maximum possible term of a licence is ten years. The minimum term is one year, even if an operator carries out tours or activities during a limited season. Pro rata terms and rates are not available. You should confirm with the land manager the availability, term and conditions of the licence before applying.
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What activities does Parks Victoria licence?
Parks Victoria licenses more than 60 different activities that occur on public land and waterways. A full list of activities can be found in the Activity List (A-Z) in the LTO Toolkit.
Parks Victoria can and does licence new activities, however the activity must meet the definition used for licensing. If the activity you wish to be licensed for is not included in the list of activities please contact Parks Victoria prior to applying for a licence.
Many activities come with their own unique set of requirements that you should familiarize yourself with before applying for a licence. For instance, the AAAS provide recommended industry standards for outdoor recreational activities such bushwalking, rock climbing, cycling, horse trail riding, snorkeling etc. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority regulates the safe use of vessels across inland waterways and Victorian State Waters and has requirements of vessel operators.
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Where does Parks Victoria licence?
Parks Victoria can licence activities on all Parks Victoria managed estate including national parks, state parks, regional parks, marine parks and sanctuaries, and bays and waterways depending on its reservation status. Parks Victoria also administers licensing on behalf of DEECA. This estate includes all state forests, most inland waterways and Victorian State Waters.
Parks Victoria does not issue licences for areas that are set aside in various Acts or landscape/park management plans for environment or cultural purposes. Nor can we licence an activity in an area that is managed by a lease agreement (contact the Lessee directly).
Parks Victoria does not licence land and waters managed by other Committees of Management. For example, Phillip Island, is managed by Phillip Island Nature Parks, Alpine Resorts are managed by Alpine Resorts Victoria, many beaches around the bay are managed by the local Shires or Committees of Management and the Botanic Gardens are managed by Royal Botanic Gardens Board Victoria.
You can search parks and reserves by using mapshare.vic.gov.vic.au as rule of thumb when you scroll in on the map the bright green shade is Parks Victoria managed and the lighter green shade is the DEECA estate.
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What are the benefits of becoming licensed?
A licence provides legal access to conduct commercial tour and recreation activities on public land. Parks Victoria takes a collaborative approach to working with licensees. As a Licensee a business receives the following benefits;
- Regular communication – Notifications of park change of conditions that may affect your business operations including fire, emergency, closures, major projects and a dedicated LTO newsletter.
- Promotion - electronic membership marks that you can use to promote that you are licensed, an optional listing on the Parks Victoria website, general LTO awareness through promotional video and campaigns, opportunities to be represented in trade events such as Australian Tourism Exchange and Parks Victoria’s trade manual.
- Advocacy – Parks Victoria represents and advocates on behalf of Licensees on Steering Committees, park planning meetings and across other government departments. We facilitate specific LTO engagement sessions in relation to park projects and planning.
- Program participation – marketing partnerships/opportunities, 10% discount on camping fees for education-based activities, access to the PV Image Library, training, mentoring, workshops, LTO Reference Group, subsidy programs, commissionable pricing
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How do I report an incident?
Accidents can happen while operating and it is a requirement of the licensee to submit an Incident Response Form (PDF) by email to LTOlicensing@parks.vic.gov.au as an acknowledgment of the incident.
Resources
New Operators Application (PDF)
Existing Operators ParkConnect Guide (PDF)
Certificate of Currency checklist (PDF)
Useful links
Quality Tourism Sustainable Accreditation (formerly ATAP)
Victorian Tourism Industry Council
Australian Adventure Activity Standards
Get assistance
13 19 63