Traditional owners have long been opposed to people climbing Uluru. (AAP)
Climbing to the top of Uluru could be banned in the near future under a proposed draft plan for the popular Central Australian tourist destination.
The Director of National Parks today released a draft 10-year management plan for the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, which is visited by about 350,000 people a year, about half of whom are from overseas.The traditional landowners have long been opposed to people climbing the 346 metre high rock, which is considered sacred.
Safety concerns have also been raised, with more than 35 deaths recorded on the climb, which can be steep, slippery and extremely hot.
At present, visitors are advised to respect the wishes of the traditional owners, but about 30 per cent of people choose to climb, many of them children.
The draft plan, which is open to public comment for the next two months, proposes to close the rock climb in the future.
"For visitor safety, cultural, and environmental reasons the Director and the Board will work towards closure of the climb," the plan states, although it says in the short-term the climb will remain open.
The plan notes that recent surveys show 98 per cent of people would not be put off visiting the area if they are not allowed to climb the rock.
It says Parks Australia will continue to work with the tourism industry to provide unique and rewarding experiences at Uluru.
The Director of National Parks, Peter Cochrane, said it would take at least a year before a final plan for the park was approved by the Environment Minister, Peter Garrett.
It could then take many more months before the climb could finally be closed, so as not to impact heavily on the tourism industry.
"We will ensure that if there are any major changes to what we do, there will be sufficient lead time for the industry to adjust," Mr Cochrane said.
He said safety, environmental and cultural factors had played a part in the push to close the climb.
"It is very steep, very slippery, strenuous.
"It's higher than the Eiffel Tower, so up until 2000 more than 30 people had died on the climb.
"We still have over a dozen injuries and incidents every year.
"There's erosion concerns and there are no toilets on the top of the rock.
"So human behaviour up there means that we get run-off fouling water holes, and having impacts on plants and animals and the health of Aboriginal kids who play in those water holes.
"And culturally, Uluru is very significant to traditional owners."
The Tourism and Transport Forum said the preservation of Uluru has to be done in a way that respects traditional owners' wishes and takes into account the contributions the tourism industry brings to the area.
"If there was an eventual close to the climb, in line with the demands of the traditional owners of Uluru, the tourism industry would respect this position," TTF managing director, Christopher Brown, said.
"However, operators and investors would need to be given time and assistance to develop new interactive experiences which expand the park's tourism offering."
Mr Brown says it is important to ensure the move to close the climb does not hurt tourist operators.
"In ensuring a continued attraction for tourists around the country and around the world to go there, we need to look at timing, maybe compensation for operators," he said.
"We would need to look at opening up other experiences in Central Australia to increase the average length of stay for people to longer than it currently is.
"We recognise that operating in culturally and environmentally sensitive areas is a serious responsibility.
"At the same time, we want to ensure employment and economic opportunities for regional communities."
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