Ecotourism Conference Sets Challenge For NZ

Ecotourism Conference Sets Challenge For New Zealand

The Ecotourism NZ Conference has ended three days of debate, discussion and inspiration with a challenge for New Zealand - lead the world in ecotourism.

Around 150 delegates from New Zealand and overseas, including leading environmentalists and tourism operators, attended the conference in Greymouth from 1-3 August.

The annual event, hosted by Ecotourism NZ, aims to enhance New Zealand's burgeoning ecotourism industry by highlighting success stories and debating key issues around the sector, including how best to promote and manage it.

Ecotourism NZ chairman Brian MacKenzie today said New Zealand was ideally placed to become the world leader in ecotourism, the fastest growing sector of our tourism industry.

"If the high calibre of operators showcased at this year's Ecotourism NZ Conference is anything to go by, we are well on our way to achieving that goal."

However, Mr MacKenzie said the Ecotourism NZ Conference also emphasised areas of concern within our ecotourism and tourism sector as a whole.

"The conference highlighted some real stumbling blocks to the development of ecotourism here. We need to address those issues if we are serious about growing and protecting this lucrative growth-industry."

Ecotourism NZ Conference outcomes include:

* A need for councils and local communities to become more involved in tourism planning

* The 100% Pure campaign to encompass people and culture along with the environment

* A need for more adequate staffing in the tourism industry

* Action on the carbon emissions' issue

* Clarification on what constitutes "ecotourism"

* Ecotourism accreditation to be more widely adopted by "eco" operators

Mr MacKenzie said the conference highlighted concessions and land management as an area in need of improvement. Potential solutions to the problem of who should pay for maintaining and managing the environment included visitors paying a "Green Tax" on entry to New Zealand, and introducing a user-pays system for national parks - with free annual passes available for New Zealand and Australian citizens only.

Mr MacKenzie said other issues debated at the conference included whether visitors to popular areas of the Department of Conservation estate should be encouraged to join approved tourism operations instead of travelling alone or with guides who do not have DoC concessions; and whether there should be a mechanism for informing visitors on arrival into New Zealand about their environmental responsibilities.

This followed concerns raised by operators over pollution and damage to our natural environment from Free Independent Travellers (FITs), and the negative impact this could have on other tourists and our special places.

Mr MacKenzie said the fact many of the Ecotourism NZ Conference outcomes involved protecting our natural environment was timely, given it was Conservation Week this week.

"It is a reminder to not take for granted the very thing we are promoting to the world, and hoping to drive our tourism industry into the future - our environment."

ENDS

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