Too many or too few tourists? New Zealanders split
Nearly one in five New Zealanders are worried about the influx of tourists, according to a survey by Tourism Industry Aotearoa and Tourism New Zealand.
While more than a quarter of Kiwis believe the country gets too few visitors, 19 per cent are worried the country may be attracting too many, the latest Mood of the Nation research has found. This is up from 13 per cent a year ago.
Compared to the previous surveys, Kiwis’ understanding of the size and importance of the tourism industry had improved slightly although most locals underestimate the number of international visitors arriving each year. About 3.4 million arrived in the past year.
The main benefits of international tourism are considered to be business opportunities and economic growth.
Road accidents and traffic congestion were the top concerns of survey respondents. Overcrowding, a lack of infrastructure and environmental impacts were also mentioned.
The research, which was started in 2015 and i s being carried out sixmonthly, measures New Zealanders’ perceptions of tourism.
The latest survey was conducted in November with most responses received before the Kaikoura earthquake on November 14.
Tourism NZ acting chief executive Brighid Kelly said the latest results reinforced the issue the organisation have been aware of and targeting for some time.
“Growth in international tourism i s putting pressure on some com- munities,” Kelly said. “We believe concerns are exacerbated by our visitor concentration in summer and at key tourist hot spots.”
Tourism NZ’s strategy is now only promoting travel in the shoulder seasons, and focusing efforts on encouraging travel into more regions.
Tourism delivers around $ 40 million in foreign exchange to the NZ economy every day. Domestic tourism contributes another $ 55m in economic activity every day.
Tourism is New Zealand’s biggest export earner, contributing $ 14.5 billion or 20.7 per cent of New Zealand’s foreign exchange earnings for the year ended March.
TIA chief executive Chris Roberts says the concerns raised in the survey have been important for focusing industry efforts, with a number of initiatives in place to address issues.
“We are championing the provision of tourism infrastructure to support tourism value growth, including researching future infrastructure needs and funding options,” Roberts said.
The next Mood of the Nation survey will be carried out towards the end of what is expected to be another record tourism summer.
Brighid Kelly, Acting CEO Tourism New Zealand