Growth of Tourism in New Zealand

Let us first take a look at some important facts about tourism in New Zealand.

• Tourism contributes $18.6 billion to the economy each year—9% of New Zealand’s gross domestic product. It is also an important source of employment.
  

• Tourism provides Maori with important opportunities to nurture, celebrate, and present their culture to the world. Maori culture, in turn, adds a unique dimension to tourism in New Zealand.

• Tourism improves the value of national parks and other protected natural areas. It also benefits from them. The $8.8 million the Government spends each year on Fiordland National Park has helped generate 1600 jobs, $196 million in spending in the regional economy, value-added income of $78 million, and household income of $55 million. Concessionaires benefit from and add value to conservation lands.

The above information was obtained from New Zealand Tourism Strategy.

1. CULTURAL IMPACTS
I have identified some cultural changes that tourism has brought about to the Maori.

1.1 Positive Cultural Impacts of Tourism in the case of Maori

· Tourism creates the sense of pride among Maori as tourists purchase their handmade art and craft goods.

· Maori culture can be preserved as Maori people get the opportunities to meet people and share it with them.

· As tourists are interested in the Maori culture, more plans and actions are taken to preserve it in order to attract more tourists.

1.2 Negative Cultural Impacts of Tourism on Maori

· Some international tourists do not recognize the Maori cultural values and protocol (e.g. wandering around a Marae -sacred religious place)

· Inappropriate use of Maori images in tourism. It creates the wrong idea about Maori and it can be culturally damaging

· Commodification of Maori culture - cheap materials being used for traditional crafts.

· Not all shops selling Maori crafts are Maori owned or operated or benefit Maori in economic terms.

2. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS

2.1 Positive Environmental Impacts of Tourism

· Green Globe

Green Globe is an initiative programme adopted by New Zealand tourism operators that is dedicated to sustain the environment. It is a worldwide benchmarking and certification system for the travel and tourism industry. New Zealand presence is administered by the Sustainable Business Company which assists tourism operators in all areas of sustainable development and facilitates growth of Green Globe.

By choosing Green Globe Benchmarked or Certified participants, travellers can have the confidence their tourism dollars are going to support companies that have demonstrated a strong commitment to sustainable practices.

· Environmentally Sustainable Tourism Project

The New Zealand Government has also taken a leading hand, with its Environmentally Sustainable Tourism Project, built on a successful pilot programme in Northland.

The project aims to establish six regional sustainable tourism charters committed to sustainable practices, and the participating groups will enable the tourism industry to continue promoting New Zealand as a 'clean and green' destination by improving the environmental performance of participating tourism operators and providing ways to improve individual business capability around sustainable practices.

2.2 Negative Environmental Impacts of Tourism


· Pressure of visitor numbers on marine mammals – especially the Hector’s Dolphin

· Physical Damage: This is caused by the foot or vehicle damage to the surface. An increase in the amount of people in a place causes wear and tear to the environment. E.g. plant damage, soil disruption and sediment erosion

· Wildlife Disturbance: Visitors can intrude upon wildlife by their visual presence to their movement, noise, and behaviour.

· Hazard Introduction Effects: Visitors may introduce hazards from negative behaviours such as fuel leakage or disposal.

· The influx of tourists at peak times to Akaroa is placing additional strain on the town’s sewerage treatment system

3. ECONOMIC IMPACTS

3.1 Positive Economic Impacts of Tourism

• Create Jobs: Research shows that every job in tourism creates an average of 0.46 other jobs elsewhere in New Zealand. One in every 10 New Zealanders works in the tourism industry.
• Tourist Spending: Spending by international tourists in New Zealand increased 1.6 percent ($149 million) in the year ended March 2010, according to the Tourism Satellite Account: 2010 published today by Statistics New Zealand.

3.2 Negative Economic Impacts of Tourism

• Increase property tax for locals as cost for tourism development increase due to demand.
• Seasonality income as tourists arrival is higher during November to March

4. CONCLUSION
In conclusion, Tourism has brought about significant benefits to the New Zealanders. As I have mentioned, the New Zealand government are stepping in to control the negative changes that tourism has brought about. This helps to manage the sustainability of the tourism sector.
The greatest growth that tourism caused would be in economic terms. More jobs are created for the locals and they enjoy higher standard of living. Therefore, with the tourism sector under control, I am confident that tourism in New Zealand would enjoy sustainability.