Almost half of Kiwis surveyed worried about impact of tourism growth

Thursday, 18 January 2018

Councils across the country, including Nelson, have grappled with freedom camping issues and are taking their concerns to Parliament.

Almost half of Kiwis questioned about tourism are concerned growth in international visitors is putting too much pressure on New Zealand.

A tourism industry mood of the nation survey of 500 residents late last year found 40 per cent were worried about the impact of the tourism boom.

That's more than double the level it was two years earlier.

Lack of infrastructure and the shortage and cost of accommodation were key issues. Auckland and Queenstown were consistently seen as areas under most pressure.

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While environmental damage and traffic congestion were still identified as problems, Tourism New Zealand chief executive Stephen England-Hall said concerns about them had declined significantly.

Tourists come here to enjoy scenic gems like Punakaiki, and nine out of 10 New Zealanders agree international visitors are good for the country.

Nine in 10 people agreed international tourism was good for the country, but the number concerned about predicted visitor growth rose to 44 per cent, up 14 points on 2015.

England-Hall said the main perceived benefits of tourism were regional economic growth, business opportunities and increased employment.

'However, we cannot ignore that for some people, tourism has downsides.'

A quarter of those surveyed said the current number of tourists – 3.7 million last year – was too high.

About the same proportion thought it was too low, and the remainder said it was about right.

Tourism Industry Aotearoa chief executive Chris Roberts said it was important that Kiwis felt positive about tourism and the steady rise in those unhappy about the negative impact of booming visitor numbers was a worrying trend.

'It definitely reinforces the fact that we do need to do more as a country to manage increasing tourism numbers, especially around providing infrastructure.

'A unique factor in our tourism is our manaakitanga, the hospitality that we show in our particular New Zealand way to visitors.

'And if we have communities that are no longer being hospitable, then the whole brand of the New Zealand tourism experience is harmed.'

Paying for infrastructure remained a challenge and Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis had promised to consult widely before deciding whether to introduce a proposed $25 a head arrivals tax to help pay for tourist amenities, Roberts said.

Criteria for the Government's $1 billion regional development fund were due to be announced in the coming weeks, and he had high hopes they would allow for tourism-related projects.

An industry-wide sustainability programme launched late last year aimed to ensure communities benefited from visitor growth and Roberts said 130 tourism operators had signed up so far.

'It's our goal that every tourism business in New Zealand will commit to operating sustainably . . . it is entirely possible to have ongoing tourism growth and protect the values New Zealanders hold dear.'

The industry is also working with central and local government to address issues with freedom camping and visiting drivers, along with infrastructure.

Roberts said New Zealand's ratio of visitors to residents was much lower than in places such as Ireland, and it was a matter of trying to manage numbers by persuading more international tourists to come here outside peak season.

'Getting tourists to come at different times and go to different places is a challenge for every country in the world because there's a perception that there's a right time to visit, and certain 'must see' places to visit, so we will always have summer as the most popular time to come here, and Auckland, Rotorua and Queenstown are always going to be near the top of the list for those arrivals.'

England-Hall said Tourism New Zealand was continuing to focus on easing the visitor concentration in summer by promoting travel in the off season, and encouraging them to go to less visited regions with a major campaign currently under way to attract more Australians to Northland and the West Coast in autumn.