Licence costs
Commercial Tour Operator (CTO) Licences are available for terms from two months to five years. The fees are listed below and with the exception of the two month licence, expire on 31 March each year, regardless of when the licence is issued.
Millions of dollars are spent on managing parks, building infrastructure and visitor facilities and undertaking conservation programs to protect the state’s native plants, animals and habitats.
Income from Entry, Tour and Camping Fees paid by CTOs is used to support this valuable work.
Licence costs
Licence term | 1/4/2023 to 30/6/2024 | 1/7/2024 to 31/3/2025 |
2 month licence | $281.00 | $287.00 |
1 year licence | $402.00 | $410.00 |
3 year licence | $967.00 | $985.00 |
5 year licence | $1531.00 | $1560.00 |
*Please note three and five year licences are only issued if the tour operator holds the relevant tourism accreditation certification. Please see the Becoming a Tour Operator page for further details.
All licence fees are GST exempt.
Visitor Use Fees
Under the CTO Licence Terms & Conditionsthe payment of Visitor Use Fees – park entry and camping – is a condition of the issue of the Licence.
The park entry fee applies to all SA parks. Vehicle entry fees do not apply to CTOs.
Park entry fees are per tour guest/per park/per day. Where a tour enters more than one park in a day, only the park with the highest entry fee applies.
The camping fee is per tour guest/per park/per night.
Many SA Parks do not have payment facilities to enable Visitor Use Fees to be paid on an as you go basis.
- For mainland parks without payment facilities, please email DEW.CTOandFilming@sa.gov.auon a monthly basis with the name of the park, the date entered and the number of tour guests. Guides/drivers/support crew are free of charge.
- For Kangaroo Island parks without payment facilities, please email DEW.NPWSReferralsKangarooIsland@sa.gov.auon a monthly basis with the name of the park, the date entered and the number of tour guests. Guides/drivers/support crew are free of charge.
Desert Park Passes
Licensed CTOs identified as conducting tours in SA’s Desert Parks are not required to purchase a Desert Parks Pass for themselves, their tour clients , including Tagalongs, or CTO personnel (Guides/drivers/support crew).
Visitor use fees also apply to clients of commercial operators in parks and reserves. See the list of licence and visitor use fees for the current licence period. Please note that other fees and charges may apply to your commercial licence. For more information about specific fees and charges in other parks, please contact Parks Licensing Officer on (08) 8429 7577.