Google Maps Deterring Outback Tourists, Say Small Firms (bbc.com)

Tourism operators in Australia claim inaccuracies in Google Maps are deterring potential visitors, by making remote attractions appear further away than they actually are. From a report: The Queensland government in north-east Australia has complained to Google, which says it will look into the issue. Firms looking to promote their small towns as remote tourist destinations say Google Maps inflates travel times. Outback businesses say errors in the map app can add hours to a journey. "People aren't coming to places because they think it takes too long, or they're missing opportunities to refuel and they're getting sent off on another road that has no fuel [outlets]," Robyn Mackenzie, of the Eromanga Natural History Museum, told national broadcaster ABC. "People will get frightened of travelling in the outback, because they don't have any confidence in the mapping," the general manager of the small town museum added.

Comments

Story doesn't seem up to date

[OzPeter]

In TFA it states

In one case, the journey time from Birdsville, on the Queensland border, up to the Western Star Hotel in Windorah, in the centre of the state, was estimated to be close to 11 hours by Google Maps.
After claims the time was inaccurate, Google changed the estimated time to about 7 hours and 45 minutes. But locals say the drive is closer to four hours with no stops.

I just plotted out the same route in google maps and it told me 4 hours and 22 minutes. So either the story is wrong or google has been fixing things.

But it makes me wonder* about people estimating times. Its a 380km journey and at 100km/hr that puts it at the 4 hour mark. I can't explain where 7 or 11 hours comes from,

*Cue Stairways to Heaven

Re:Tourism Destroys Culture and Wildlife.

[PrimaryConsult]

Same for driving through the US's deserts and mountain ranges. Even the interstates have some danger; they will warn you with things like "last fuel / cell reception for 80 miles".