DOC plans two new Great Day Walks and 20 new Short Walks

The Department of Conservation plans two Great Walks and 20 new Short Walks. The funding for these walks came from the 2017 Budget announced in May.

What will the $76 million over four years be spent on?

ing system, marketing and better understanding visitors

• $19.8m to improve visitor experiences in regions.

The total above is a mix of new operating and capital funding over four years as part of Budget 2017.

The Government announced in the Budget it will invest $76 million over four years on new and upgraded tourism infrastructure for the Department of Conservation (DOC). This will allow DOC to better manage the impact of visitor growth..

Where will the two new Great Walks be?

What is the difference between a Great Short Walk and a Great Day Walk?

When do you expect to have new Great Walks and new Short and Day Walks in place?

DOC are aiming to have Short and Day walks up and running by the end of this year. They expect to select where the new Great Walks will be this year but development will take some time.

The funding from Budget 2017 will go towards better managing the impact of the forecasted growth in visitor numbers by helping DOC to encourage visitors to disperse to new, lesser used locations.

It also enables DOC to keep investing its $140 million annual budget in the core recreation network. In summary: • $23m for increased maintenance, cleaning, wear and tear on huts, tracks and facilities, improving the quality of roads, and compliance activity

• $12.7m towards expanding the Great Walks network of premier multiday tracks

• $9.1m for exciting new products Great Short Walks and Great Day Walks

• $11.4m for new customer focused technology including improving book-

It’s too soon to tell, because there is a lot of work to be done to identify the best locations. DOC will run a contestable process and engage iwi to select the most beneficial locations, and encourage co-funding with regional authorities and partners.

How many international vs domestic visitors currently visit our Great Walks?

Last year 118,000 people visited the Great Walks. Of these, 71,000 (60%) were international visitors and 47,000 (40%) domestic visitors. Many more visit the Great Walks as a day experience.

How do you propose to manage increasing numbers of visitors?

Great Day Walks are full day experiences such as the Tongariro Alpine Crossing (usually more than six hours). DOC is developing 10 Great Day Walks to showcase exceptional places with the aim of spreading the visitor load away from busy visitor hot spots. The development of these walks will offer greater opportunities for regions, as a Day Walk encourages visitors to extend their stay.

Great Short Walks will be a selection of around 20 short walks (usually less

Most places on public conservation land have very low use, and thus have capacity to accommodate the number of visitors we anticipate in the next five years. Only a small number of places are experiencing significant pressures.

The budget package will help DOC to ease those pressures by supporting infrastructure needs and further development of viable and attractive alternatives to our flagship experiences. than 2 hours) that visitors with shorter itineraries can enjoy. Regions will be able to promote these walks as one of their must-do activities, and as part of a package of attractions enticing visitors to visit and stay longer.