Toilets, car parks, camp sites swamped as tourists return
Stunning vistas are being marred by endless cars as one of the country’s tourist hotspots struggles to cope with numbers that are topping pre-Covid figures – revitalising calls for levies, caps and different types of funding.
The MacKenzie district mayor wants to look at “alternative funding models” for the Aoraki/Mt Cook national park, while a local tourism operator has called for a “parks fee”.
This week, a 1.5km-long line of vehicles stretched down both sides of Hooker Valley Rd at the start of several popular walking tracks in the much-visited area.
Meanwhile, Mackenzie district ratepayers are footing some of the bill for overburdened infrastructure in a “grossly unfair” situation, the local mayor says. One tourism operator says it shows all the talk of re-setting the industry was just that – “a whole lot of talk”.
Tourism and Hospitality Minister Matt Doocey touted the economic benefits of tourism with the release of this week’s MBIE’s International Visitor Survey. There were 2.7 million overseas visitor arrivals in the year ending December 2023 and they spent more than $9 billion. It was New Zealand’s second highest export earner after dairy ($20.3b), closely followed by meat and edible offal ($8.7b).
“While the economy faces significant challenges, tourism will play a critical role in our recovery,” Doocey said.
Overall visitor numbers to Aoraki are not available, as the Department of Conservation’s (DOC) track counters haven’t worked since June 2022, but staff estimated more than 1000 people are using the Hooker Track some days.
DOC senior ranger Dave Dittmer said numbers this summer “far exceeded” expectations, resulting in traffic jams, parking issues, booked-out huts and toilet problems. The car park at White Horse Hill campground was “full every day”.
Last month, DOC had to close the Mueller track for three days after toilets became overwhelmed, forcing it to hasten the delivery of pumping equipment by helicopter.
Mackenzie Tourism development manager Lydia Stoddart said it had been difficult to predict post-Covid
visitor numbers, but travel trends, airline connectivity and forward bookings indicated a quicker than expected recovery.
A pause on Stats NZ visitor reporting meant there was no accurate tally, but other data showed the region had seen a 24% increase in visitor spending for December and January compared to 2018-19, roughly the same as pre-Covid once inflation was taken into account.
Businesses anecdotally reported a successful summer period, despite a softening domestic market, she said.
There had also been a shift in visitor markets, driven by an increase in the number of flights out of North America and a growth in independent travellers as opposed to coach or group travel.
Tourism brought “significant challenges” for local infrastructure, which was heightened in areas with high visitor numbers and low ratepayer bases like the Mackenzie. Stoddart said the challenge was a global one, with tourist hot spots introducing different funding mechanisms like visitor levies.
Mackenzie mayor Anne Munro said it was time for alternative funding models to avoid the burden falling on ratepayers.
To keep the district with “its best foot forward”, the council recently added an extra cleaning cycle to public toilets at a cost of $143,000 – a rates rise of about 1%, which Munro called “grossly unfair.” Crowds were not limited to Aoraki. During a recent visit to Lake Pukaki, she was greeted with an “overwhelming line of tourists from the bus door ... to the toilet”. “Our poor toilets, they can’t cope no matter how many cleans you give them. “We absolutely need help.”
Aoraki/Mt Cook Alpine Village Ltd operates several tourism businesses, including The Hermitage Hotel.
Marketing manager Ellen Rhodes said they had seen an upswing in business, and an extended peak season. She was delighted with the numbers, but acknowledged there was a risk to the “guest experience” if “beautiful, sacred spaces” were overrun. But rather than a cap on numbers, she wanted a parks fee so day visitors still contributed.
Glentanner Station was busier than pre-Covid, co-owner Helen Ivey said. “Heaven knows how long it’s going to go for, tourism is so cyclical.” The station had capped numbers to preserve the visitor experience. It showed the talk during Covid of resetting and reimagining tourism had just been “a whole lot of talk”, she said. “We have altered our own business, but I think others haven’t. Department of Conservation
haven't changed anything.”