When Coast’s tourism fails

I have a reality check for local and central Government.

They and all other people and organisations that are hell bent on putting all the eggs in one basket should ask themselves: What is going to happen to tourism when the Alpine Fault moves? And seismologists say it is going to.

I drove down through Haast to Central Otago last weekend. Many visitors use this scenic route to all the tourist spots along the coast.

When that fault moves, there is going to be such catastrophic damage to the road and bridges from lake Hawea to Haast and beyond that it will not be opened for tens of years. That’s if the cost allows it to reopen at all.

All areas that have been affected by recent earthquakes or other natural incidents have been financially affected by a lack of tourists. At least they had other industries that kept them afloat. After the Kaikoura earthquake it took 13 months to reopen a short stretch of highway. The main tourist attraction was out – no whale watch, no tourists. The Manawatu Gorge – only one slip and the road might not reopen.

These are mere ripples in the ocean compared with the coming event. Tourism is not going to be the golden egg when visitors are unable to access the glaciers and pancake rocks and cannot drive along the beautiful coast road.

Governments keep closing down industries that create largescale employment – industries that could survive the quake by shipping their wares through the ports, like they did once upon a time.

While tourism is helping the West Coast economy right now, the economy will fail for many many years unless income is permitted from other industries. Ross Wylde

Stockton

‘‘Governments keep closing down industries that create largescale employment . . .’’

Ross Wylde, Stockton