Tourist operators in the Cardwell district are experiencing a slow start to the tourism season.

Ken Stevens from Great Green Way Tourism says visitor numbers for the past few months are down 50 per cent on last year.

He says wet weather in January and February is partly to blame, but the cost of petrol is also keeping people away.

"The tourism we have in Cardwell and in the Great Green Way are people from Ayr and Home Hill and Charters Towers and Townsville and Cairns," he said.

"Even though it's only a two or three hour drive they're just not coming, they're just saying, 'well you know, the price of fuel, we'll stay home'."