Visitor Trends Report
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Visitor Trends Report Tongariro Whanganui Taranaki Conservancy
Prepared by: Michael Harbrow
Social Science Advisor (Visitor) Partnerships, Historic & Visitor Unit Wellington
Introduction This report outlines the key trends affecting recreation and tourism both nationally and in Tongariro Whanganui Taranaki Conservancy. It has been written for Department of Conservation staff, contractors and local stakeholders and is intended to provide supplementary information to support the Regional Tourism Trends and Opportunities report being prepared by Angus & Associates.
Five broad topics with short and long term effects on recreation and tourism are discussed in the report. These are •
International tourism, •
Domestic tourism •
Visitation to public conservation land in the Tongariro Whanganui Taranaki region •
New Zealanders’ participation in outdoor recreation •
Demographic change at national and local level.
Each chapter covers the major sources of available information drawing on both publically available data, such as national tourism datasets, and information held by the Department. Information has been summarised at the beginning of each chapter. International tourism trends
This section outlines the major sources of information regarding the number and origin of international visitors to New Zealand. Other aspects including visitors’ spending, length of stay and levels of demand for park and nature based activities are also discussed.
The available information suggests that international tourism is changing and will continue to do so. The number of overseas tourists visiting New Zealand is growing but visitors are spending less and taking shorter trips. The mix of visitors is also changing with increasing numbers of visitors from China and Australia and a sharp decline in some of New Zealand’s traditional markets including the UK, USA, Japan and South Korea. This trend is forecast to continue over the next 5 years.
While park and nature based experiences remain popular the changing mix of international visitors presents challenges for DOC. If the current trends continue there may be static or declining numbers of international visitors for many areas of public conservation land, particularly those that are distant from Auckland (and other main entry ports), or from major attractions and travel routes. The various data sources are discussed in more detail below. Visitor Arrivals Growth in international visitor arrivals (Statistics New Zealand 2009, Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment 2013c) has slowed after a long period of rapid growth that finished in 2004. There were 2,564,618 international visitor arrivals in 2012 which was 21.8% higher than in 2003 but down slightly (-1.4%) on 2011 (Figure 1).
While the number of international visitor arrivals has increased the mix of visitors has changed significantly (Figure 2). The key trends are;
• The number of arrivals from Australia, New Zealand’s largest market, continues to grow. Australian visitor arrivals increased by 27.9% between 2006 and 2012.
• The Chinese market has grown by 86.4% over the same period to become New Zealand’s second largest source of overseas visitors in 2012. In 2006 China was New Zealand’s 6 th
largest market.
• Visitor arrivals from four of New Zealand’s traditional markets have declined sharply. These are;
United Kingdom -35.7% o
o
Japan -47.2% o
South Korea -52.5% •
Arrivals from Germany have increased 7.5% since 2006.
Figure 1: International visitor arrivals 2003 - 2012 (Source: Statistics New Zealand)
Figure 2: Annual visitor arrivals from key markets 2006 – 2012 (Source: Statistics New Zealand)
Length of stay The mean length of stay for overseas visitors to New Zealand in 2012 was 19.1 days. The mean figures are skewed by long stay visitors (e.g. those on working holidays) however, and the median length of stay is a more useful indicator. In 2012 the median length of stay for international visitors was only 9 days (Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment 2013d). Both the median and mean length of stay in 2012 were 1 day lower than in 2010 (Ministry of Economic Development 2011).
Length of stay for different overseas markets varies widely (Table 1). For example the median length of stay for Chinese visitors is only four days, while for the United Kingdom it is 20 days (Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment 2013d). These differences and the changing mix of visitors are likely to be behind the reduction in average length of stay. This could be caused, for example, by there being fewer long stay visitors from the UK, more short stay visitors from China along with a tendency for Australian visitors to take shorter trips.
A decrease in length of stay means that visitors will tend not to travel as far from Auckland, the main port of entry, and will be less likely to visit areas away from main attractions and tourist routes.
Table 1: Length of stay for key markets in 2012 (Source: International Visitor Survey) Country
Mean stay (days) Median stay (days) Australia 10.5 7 China 16.0 4 United Kingdom 29.9 20
United States 18.4
10 Japan 18.4 7 Germany 50.1 24 South Korea 20.2 6
In the year to February 2013, spending by international visitors (Figure 3) was 14% below 2008 levels (Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment 2013f). In 2012 the average spend by international visitors (Table 2) during their trip (excluding international airfares) was $2300 and the median spend was $1400 (Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment 2013d).
Figure 3: International tourism spending 2008 – 2013 (Source: Regional Tourism Indicators)
Table 2: Spending in New Zealand for key markets (Source: International Visitor Survey) Country
Average spend Median spend Australia $1500 $1100
China $3600 $2000 United Kingdom $2700 $1900
United States $2600
$1700 Japan $4100 $2600 Germany $3200 $2600
South Korea $3100
$1800 Commercial guest nights The Commercial Accommodation Monitor (Figure 4) provides another indicator of overall tourism activity. Despite the increase in the number of visitor arrivals, commercial guest nights from international visitors declined by 10.8% between 2008 and 2012 (Statistics New Zealand 2013). This again reflects the shorter stays and changing tourism market.
Figure 4: International commercial guest nights 2008 - 2012 (Source: Commercial Accommodation Monitor)
The changes to tourism markets outlined above are forecast to continue in the short to medium term according to forecasts released in November 2012 (Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment 2012). Total visitor numbers are expected to increase by 28% between 2011 and 2018 but the mix of visitors will be different. It is expected that traditional markets such as the United Kingdom and United States will continue to decline but this will be offset by strong growth in the Australian and Chinese markets. Visitor spending is predicted to increase by 9% and return to pre-global financial crisis levels by 2018. The average spend per day is expected to remain steady at $112 but the average length of stay for overseas visitors is forecast to decline by 15% to 16.9 days. This is due to a shift in the market in favour of short-haul trips from Asia and Australia.
Trends in the activities undertaken by international visitors during their visit (Figure 5 & 6) are captured in the International Visitor Survey (Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment 2013a). The key trends are;
•
Walking and trekking has remained the third most popular activity for overseas visitors behind shopping and dining. In 2012 more than 1.7 million international visitors walked or trekked during their stay in New Zealand. Participation in this activity by overseas visitors has increased strongly since 2008 but fell in 2012 with the decrease in visitors.
•
Demand for a number of more passive experiences offered on public conservation land including other scenic / natural attractions and lookouts and viewing platforms have also increased.
•
Land based sightseeing declined sharply between 2006 and 2009. Numbers are growing again but are currently 25.9% below their 2005 peak. •
Interest in volcanic / geothermal attractions is static, while the number of overseas visitors who visited cultural and heritage attractions has declined.
•
Interest in cultural attractions has been declining since 2005 while interest in historic attractions has also begun to decline.
0 200000 400000 600000
800000 1000000
1200000 1400000
1600000 1800000
2000000 1997
1999 2001
2003 2005
2007 2009
2011 Year # visitor s Walking And Trekking Canoeing, Kayaking, Rafting
Fishing Snow Sports
Figure 6: Annual number of overseas visitors undertaking selected passive recreation activities (Source: International Visitor Survey) 0 200000 400000 600000
800000 1000000
1200000 1400000
1600000 1997
1999 2001
2003 2005
2007 2009
2011 Year # visitor s Other Scenic/Natural Attractions Sightseeing (Land) Volcanic/Geothermal Attractions Heritage Attractions Lookouts And Viewing Platforms Cultural Attractions
Tourism New Zealand’s Visitor Experience Monitor (Tourism New Zealand 2012b-h) tracks participation and interest in a wide range of park and non park based activities. Analysis of four activities – tramping / hiking, visits to National Parks, scenic bush walks and scenic drives (Figures 7-10) shows that there are significant implications for DOC in the changing nature of New Zealand’s overseas tourism markets.
The declining UK and USA markets are ones that have high levels of participation in these four activities. While growth is occurring in New Zealand’s two largest tourism markets - Australia and China, these are markets that have lower levels of participation. Over time this will lead to a visitor mix with lower participation levels than is the case currently. Combined with the trend towards shorter stays in New Zealand, this could lead to static or decreasing number of international visitors using public conservation land.
that this is because they necessarily lack interest in the outdoors. Instead there is significant latent demand i.e, interest that is not flowing through into actual participation. There is an opportunity to grow the number of Australian and Chinese visitors using public conservation land if their needs and barriers to participation are understood and if the right opportunities are provided in the right places.
Figure 7: Demand for tramping / hiking by overseas market (Source: Visitor Experience Monitor 2011/12) 15 22 35 38 17 80 15 44 52 29 36 62 15 40 41 26 36 21 45 0 25 50 75 100 Australia China United Kingdom USA Japan
Germany South Korea Country of origin % of vi s ito rs Interested & participated Interested but did not participate Were not interested
Figure 8: Demand for visits to national parks by overseas market (Source: Visitor Experience Monitor 2011/12) 27 38 52 51 28 77 30 61 50 37 48 66 22 63 12 12 11 6 7 0 25 50 75 100 Australia China United Kingdom USA Japan
Germany South Korea Country of origin % of vi s ito rs Interested & participated Interested but did not participate Were not interested
Figure 9: Demand for scenic bush walks by overseas market (Source: Visitor Experience Monitor 2011/12) 25 26 34 30 15 65 40 56 61 50 48 63 31 52 19 13 16 22 8 0 25 50 75 100 Australia China United Kingdom USA Japan
Germany South Korea Country of origin % of vi s ito rs Interested & participated Interested but did not participate Were not interested
43 26 61 66 28 34 38 49 57 30 30 65 36 53 8 17 9 7 9 0 25 50 75 100 Australia China United Kingdom USA Japan
Germany South Korea Country of origin % of vi s ito rs Interested & participated Interested but did not participate Were not interested
One obvious barrier is length of stay. As indicated above, the median length of stay in New Zealand is only 4 days for Chinese visitors and 7 days for Australians. This compares with 20 days for British visitors and 10 days for those from the USA (Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment 2013d). Investment in opportunities that are easily accessible from Auckland and that offer short, instant immersion experiences in the natural environment are likely to be more successful than some of the traditional opportunities that DOC provides. Domestic tourism trends The following section summarises available information on domestic tourism trends. Information is provided on the percentage of New Zealanders taking holidays within the country along with trends in spending and commercial guest nights from domestic visitors. The Domestic Travel Survey is used to show the significance of various outdoor activities to domestic tourism.
The data suggests that commercial guest nights are increasing after a number of years of decline. However, visitor spend is only marginally above 2008 levels and fewer New Zealanders overall are taking holidays within New Zealand. The Domestic Travel Survey shows that walking or trekking, land based sightseeing and other scenic / natural attractions were each included in more than 4.7 million trips in 2011 (Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment 2013b). Each of these information sources is discussed in more detail below.
The Commercial Accommodation Monitor (Figure 11) shows that the total number of domestic guest nights across New Zealand increased slightly from 18,823,409 in 2008 to 19,251,820 in 2012. This was an increase of 2.3% (Statistics New Zealand 2013). Figure 11: Domestic guest nights 2008 – 2012 (Source: Commercial Accommodation Monitor)
According to the Regional Tourism Indicators (RTI), spending by domestic tourists is increasing after reaching a low point in June 2009 (Figure 12). Spending in the year to January 2013 was 10% above 2008 levels (MBIE 2013e).
Figure 12: Domestic tourism spending 2008 – 2013 (Source: Regional Tourism Indicators)
The Domestic Travel Survey (DTS) records the number and characteristics of trips undertaken by New Zealanders. Unlike the International Visitor Survey discussed earlier, long term trend data is not available as the DTS was revised in September 2009 and new data is not comparable with older data. Recent data (Table 3) shows an increase in tourism between 2010 and 2011 (Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment 2013b).
Table 3: Total number of domestic trips 2010 – 2011 (Source: Domestic Travel Survey) 2010
2011 % change Total day trips 28,204,988 32,386,682 14.8%
Total overnight trips 15,872,307 17,680,867 11.4%
Total trips 44,077,295 50,067,549 13.6%
Percentage of New Zealanders taking domestic holidays Information on New Zealanders’ domestic tourism behaviour is also available from ongoing surveys carried out by Roy Morgan Research (Figure 13). This information shows that the percentage of New Zealanders taking holidays within New Zealand has been declining since 2006 (Roy Morgan Research 2012).
Figure 13: Percentage of New Zealanders taking holiday trips in New Zealand 2005 - 2011(Source: Roy Morgan Single Source Database)
Information on activities undertaken by New Zealanders’ on trips within New Zealand is available from the Domestic Travel Survey (Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment 2013a). Walking and trekking was the most popular activity under taken by New Zealanders. This is supported by other information sources such as the Active New Zealand and Roy Morgan Surveys which are discussed later in this report. New Zealanders made more than 4.7 million domestic trips involving walking and trekking in 2012. Swimming, fishing and sightseeing were also popular activities (Tables 4 & 5). Table 4: Number of trips by New Zealanders involving selected active recreation activities (Source: Domestic Travel Survey) Activity 2010 2011 %
Walking and trekking 4,751,928 4,739,845 -0.3
Swimming 1,850,169 1,908,711 +3.2
Fishing 1,726,771 1,536,556 -11.0 Hunting/shooting 350,802 470,597 +34.1
Snow sports 315,473
345,992 +9.7
Table 5: Number of trips by New Zealanders involving selected passive recreation activities (Source: Domestic Travel Survey) Activity 2010 2011 %
Sightseeing (land) 5,018,337 4,872,718 -2.9
Other scenic/natural attractions 4,383,647 4,511,105 +2.9 Volcanic/geothermal attractions 819,931 964,406
+17.6 Lookouts and viewing platforms 101,748 148,734
+46.2 Heritage attractions 189,086 146,384
-22.6 Tourism in the Tongariro Whanganui Taranaki This section of the report discusses tourism activity at the local and regional level. Data from the Commercial Accommodation Monitor shows that New Zealanders are responsible for the majority of tourism activity in Tongariro Whanganui Taranaki. Within the region, domestic tourism is focussed on Taupō and Taranaki while the smaller international market is centred around the Taupō and Ruapehu areas. International and domestic tourism have both declined in the Tongariro Whanganui Taranaki region since 2008, but there are different trends operating in different sub-regions. International tourism has actually increased in Taupō and Taranaki, against the regional and national trend, although spending by international visitors has declined across the region.
The Tongariro Whanganui Taranaki region is predominantly a domestic holiday destination. In 2012 domestic visitors accounted for 73% of guest nights in the region while 27% were from international visitors (Statistics New Zealand 2013). The Taupō Regional Tourism Organisation (RTO) area received the largest share of domestic guest nights with 42% while one third of domestic guest nights were in Taranaki. The Whanganui RTO area received less than 10% of the region’s domestic guest nights (Figure 14).
The Taupō RTO area (55%) received more than half of all international guest nights in the Tongariro Whanganui Taranaki region in 2012 while a quarter were received by the Ruapehu RTO area. Taranaki is a much less significant area for international tourism compared to domestic and received only 14% of the region’s international guest nights. The Whanganui RTO area received only 6% (Figure 15). Figure 15: Share of international guest nights by RTO (Source: Commercial Accommodation Monitor 2012)
The four Regional Tourism Organisation areas within Tongariro Whanganui Taranaki Conservancy together received 2,054,151 guest nights in 2012. This represented approximately 6% of New Zealand’s total guest nights (Statistics New Zealand 2013). Information on the percentage of overseas tourists visiting the region shows a slightly higher level of activity. According to the Visitor Experience Monitor (Tourism New Zealand 2012a), 9% of international tourists visited the Taranaki area in 2011/12 while 14% visited the combined Manawatu – Whanganui area. The percentage who visited the Taupō and Ruapehu areas was not clear as these were combined into other regions.
Total commercial guest nights in the region were down 3.3% on 2008 (Figure 16 & 17) and on the surface this appears to closely reflect the national trend over the same period (-3.2%). Analysis by market (domestic or international) and at the individual RTO level shows a more complex picture (Statistics New Zealand 2013). Overall the region has been relatively insulated from the decrease in international tourism experienced nationally but, in contrast to the national trend, domestic tourism has declined. The key changes were;
• Domestic guest nights have decreased by 4.3% in the Tongariro Whanganui Taranaki region despite a small increase nationally. This was largely driven by a 9.3% decrease in the Taupō RTO area.
•
International guest nights increased by 6.1% in Taupō and 5.6% in Taranaki. •
A 12% decrease in international guest nights in the Ruapehu RTO was largely offset by increased domestic guest nights.
•
Guest nights in Whanganui fell by 14.1% with large decreases in both the international and domestic markets.
Further information at the individual RTO level is provided in Figures 18 – 21. Figure 16: Annual guest nights for Taupō, Taranaki, Ruapehu and Whanganui RTOs 2008 - 2012 (Source: Commercial Accommodation Monitor) Figure 17: Percentage change in annual guest nights 2008 - 2012 (Source: Commercial Accommodation Monitor)
Figure 18: Taupō RTO annual guest nights 2008 - 2012 (Source: Commercial Accommodation Monitor) 0 200000 400000 600000
800000 1000000
2008 2009
2010 2011
2012 Year # G u est n ig h ts Domestic
International Total
Figure 19: Taranaki RTO annual guest nights 2008 - 2012 (Source: Commercial Accommodation Monitor) 0 200000 400000 600000
800000 1000000
2008 2009
2010 2011
2012 Year # G ue s t night s Domestic
International Total
Figure 20: Ruapehu RTO annual guest nights 2008 – 2012 (Source: Commercial Accommodation Monitor) 0 200000 400000 600000
800000 1000000
2008 2009
2010 2011
2012 Year # G u est n ig h ts Domestic
International Total
Figure 21: Whanganui RTO annual guest nights 2008 - 2012 (Source: Commercial Accommodation Monitor) 0 200000 400000 600000
800000 1000000
2008 2009
2010 2011
2012 Year # G u es t n ig h ts Domestic
International Total
Country of origin and spending by international visitors Official tourism statistics no longer include information on the number of overseas tourists visiting particular areas of New Zealand. Instead the Regional Tourism Indicator collects information on the number and value of electronic transactions. These are analysed by country to indicate size of the international market in each region (Table 6 & &). The Regional Tourism Indicator data shows that;
•
Australia is the largest international market in all four RTO areas. Spending by Australian visitors has increased in all RTO areas in the region since 2008.
• Tourism in the Tongariro Whanganui Taranaki region is vulnerable to the decline in numbers from the UK and USA being experienced nationally.
o Spending by UK visitors decreased in all four RTO areas by between 22% and 41%. o
22%). However, there were small increases in spending both Ruapehu and Taranaki.
• Spending by Chinese visitors has increased substantially in two RTO regions but the overall level of activity from this market is still very small. Other markets including Canada and a number of European countries are currently larger markets for the Tongariro Whanganui Taranaki region.
• Overall spending by international tourists since 2008 is down 16% in Taupō, down 15% in Whanganui and down 6% in the Ruapehu.. Spending increased by 6% in Taranaki.
Table 6: Percentage of international tourist transactions from key markets by RTO 2012 (Source: Regional Tourism Indicators) Australia China UK
USA Japan
Germany South
Korea Total
transactions Taupō 32.1% 0.7% 17.6%
12.6% 1.2%
7.3% 0.4% 219,443
Ruapehu 26.7% 0.4% 14.4% 11.6%
0.8% 11.9% 0.4% 52,601 Taranaki 45.8% 0.4% 14.4% 10.2% 0.7% 5.0% 0.2% 112,254 Whanganui 42.9% 1.0% 15.0% 9.6% 1.0% 7.9% 0.3% 32,282 Table 7: Change in average monthly visitor spend from key markets by RTO between 2008 & 2012 (Source: Regional Tourism Indicators) Australia China UK
USA Japan
Germany South
Korea Overall
change Taupō +15% +176% -43%
-30% +4%
-12% -7% -16% Ruapehu +4% No data -37% +1% -33% -4% -36% -6%
Taranaki +32% +60% -22%
+6% +52% -7% No data
+6% Whanganui +31% No data
-41% -22% -65% -31% No
data -15%
Use of public conservation land in Tongariro Whanganui Taranaki Conservancy The Department of Conservation manages a number of significant visitor sites in the Tongariro Whanganui Taranaki region. Limited visitor count data is available from the Department’s booking system and network of visitor counters. However there is little long term data available. This data is discussed by area below. Taupō The Department manages a large number of popular sites in the Taupō area including Huka Falls, walks along the Waikato and Tongariro Rivers, the Tokaanu Thermal Walk and the Tongariro National Trout Centre. It also manages the Taupō fishery which is a significant driver of tourism in the area. Long term monitoring data is only available for the Taupō Fishery and two of the region’s tracks - the Lake Rotopounamu and Round the Mountain Tracks. Counting has recently been established at a number of other locations however. Because of the limited amount of data it is not possible to assess the long term trends in use of public conservation land in the area or to compare this with official tourism statistics. The available data is summarised below.
• The track between Spa Road and Huka Falls is the busiest monitored site in the Taupō area. It received more than 25,000 visitors in 2012. This was down 10.5% on the previous year.
• Three other tracks in the vicinity of Taupō are monitored. o
three quarters of visitors on this track were riding bikes. o
A single year of data for the Rangatira Point shows that 3090 people visited in 2012. o
18,732 hits were recorded on the W2K counter in 2012, an increase of 27.6%. This track is managed by Bike Taupō and more than 80% of visitors to the track are bikers.
•
Total Taupō fishing licence sales decreased from 54,086 to 41,363 (-23.5%), between the 2007/08 and 2011/12 seasons continuing a general downward trend in licence sales over the past 24 years, since sales peaked at over 82,000 in the 1987/88 season.
• Numbers on the Lake Rotopounamu Track, near Turangi, peaked in 2010 but overall increased 13.4% between 2008 and 2012. The annual number of visitors rose from 9067 to 10279 (Figure 22).
• More than 20,000 hits were recorded on the Tongariro River Walkway track counter. There was an increase of 0.9% between 2011 and 2012.
•
Counters are also installed on two tracks in the Kaimanawa Forest Park. o
Hits on the Tree Trunk Gorge Track counter increased from 2471 to 2522 (+2.1%) o
Hits on the Umukarikari Track increased 11.4% from 1273 to 1418.
• Use of the Round the Mountain tramping track has declined by 21% since 2008 (Figure 23). Figure 22: Annual visitor numbers: Lake Rotopounamu Loop Track 9067
10695 12231
11244 10279
0 2000
4000 6000
8000 10000
12000 14000
2008 2009
2010 2011
2012 Year # V is it o rs
Figure 23: Annual counter activity: Round the Mountain Track 1239
1008 1022
932 979
0 200
400 600
800 1000
1200 1400
2008 2009
2010 2011
2012 Year C o un ter a c tivity
DOC manages a number of sites accessed from road ends on Mt Taranaki. Popular sites include Stratford Plateau, North and East Egmont, Dawson Falls and Lucys Gully. DOC also manages a number of lower profile sites in the wider Taranaki Area. Long term trend data for sites in Taranaki does not show an overall trend across the area. The data is as follows:
•
North Egmont Visitor Centre is the most popular monitored site in Taranaki. It received 72,481 visitors in 2012 which was up from 69,260 in 2011 (+4.7%). In contrast the number of visitors on the North Egmont Nature Walk dropped 12.2% between 2008 and 2011 from 7784 to 6838 (Figure 24). Other tracks at the North Egmont Road End are not monitored.
•
There is also significant visitor use at Dawson Falls on the South Eastern side of Mt Taranaki (Figure 25).
o
The Kapuni Loop Track received 35,459 visitors in 2012 which was a decrease of 16.1% from the previous year. o
visitors in 2010. o
The Ridge Loop Track was monitored between 2006 and 2011. Use of the track declined by 24.6% over this period from 3722 down to 2805 visitors.
•
Use of the Manganui Gorge Track on the eastern side Mt Taranaki has trended downward in recent seasons but there was a sharp increase in 2011/12. Numbers in 2011/12 were 5.2% above 2006/07 levels. The wheelchair accessible Potaema Track is also monitored but caters for fewer than 1000 visitors annually (Figure 26).
• Four other visitor counters are located around Mt Taranaki. Two tramping tracks on the western side of Mt Taranaki (the Ihaia and Oanui Tracks) both receive fewer than 600 visitors per year. Use of the Pouakai Circuit, in the north, is unclear as visitor flows are more complex. Activity on one section - the Ahukawakawa Track increased 24% between 2009 and 2012. A smaller increase of 6.1% was recorded on the Henry Peak – Kaiauai Track between 2008 and 2011 (Figure 27).
•
Counters are also installed at three other sites in the wider Taranaki area.
o Visitor activity at the Ratapihipihi Scenic Reserve Track (Figure 28) has declined sharply. There were 4404 hits on the visitor counter in 2012 compared to 6612 in 2009 (- 33.4%). o
hits were recorded on the counter. o
Two years of visitor counts are available for the Arahake Bush Loop Walk. Visitor numbers declined from 1490 in 2010 to 1203 in 2011. A drop of 19.3%.
Figure 24:Annual visitor numbers: North Egmont Visitor Centre & Nature Walk 7784
5130 5801
6838 69260
72481 0 10000 20000 30000
40000 50000
60000 70000
80000 2008
2009 2010
2011 Year # v isit o rs North Egmont Nature Walk North Egmont Visitor Centre
36671
36419 37993
42285 35459
3722 4223
2483 2125
2805 0 5000 10000 15000
20000 25000
30000 35000
40000 45000
2006 2007
2008 2009
2010 2011
2012 Year # Vis it o rs Dawson Falls Visitor Centre Kapuni Loop Track Ridge Loop Track Figure 26: Annual visitor numbers: Manganui Gorge & Potaema Tracks 5462
6688 5027
2834 5745
854 763
846 0 1000 2000 3000
4000 5000
6000 7000
8000 2007/08
2008/09 2009/10
2010/11 2011/12
Season # V is it o rs Manganui Gorge Track Potaema Track
1497
2327 2288
1857 1172
1004 1312
1244 0 500 1000 1500
2000 2500
2008 2009
2010 2011
2012 Ahukawakawa Track Henry Peak - Kaiauau Track
Figure 28: Annual counter activity: Ratapihipihi Scenic Reserve Track 6612
7007 6816
4404 0 1000 2000 3000
4000 5000
6000 7000
8000 2009
2010 2011
2012 Year C o u n te r act ivit y
Popular DOC sites in the Ruapehu area include the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, Tongariro Northern Circuit, the Whakapapa Visitor Centre, local walks around Whakapapa Village and the Ohakune Old Coach Road. Visitor numbers at three sites around the Central Plateau (Taranaki Falls, Tongariro Alpine Crossing and Tongariro Northern Circuit) peaked in 2010 but have shown an upward trend over the last 5-6 years. This contrasts with a relatively static tourism trend for the Ruapehu area overall. Numbers at the Whakapapa Visitor Centre followed the downward trend in international tourism in the region. Trends for specific sites are as follows:
• The number of visitors using the Whakapapa Visitor Centre declined 17.5% between 2002 and 2010 (Figure 29).
• Use of the Tongariro Alpine Crossing peaked in 2010 (Figure 30). Usage is estimated at 70- 80,000 visitors per year but the track counters only approximate the scale of use. This is because some visitors do short return trips from either end of the track and cross the appropriate counter twice. Prior to the recent eruption most visitors carried on to the Ketatahi Road End and crossed both counters only once.
•
Use of the Tongariro Northern Circuit Great Walk (Figure 31) has increased 14.1% from 4950 in the 2006/07 season to 5649 in 2011/12. This increase was driven by a 46.2% increase in domestic visitors. International use declined by 3.9% over this period. Use of the track has dropped slightly from its peak of 5882 visitors in the 2010/11 season.
•
The number of visitors using the Taranaki Falls Track, near Whakapapa Village, peaked at 46,630 in 2010 but dropped to 39520 in 2012. This is still 13.8% above 2006 levels (Figure 32). A single year of data is also available for the Tama Lakes Track. It received 7489 visitors in 2012.
•
Use of the Ohakune Old Coach Road increased 13.9% from 12991 in 2010/11 to 14803 in 2011/12. Figure 29: Annual visitor numbers: Whakapapa Visitor Centre 237330
236392 252317
221071 220172
212654 227307
206316 201949
0 50000
100000 150000
200000 250000
300000 2002
2003 2004
2005 2006
2007 2008
2009 2010
Year # V is it o rs Figure 30: Annual counter activity: Tongariro Alpine Crossing 83589
55686 75132
91380 73889
80046 57811
59678 68064
79985 77354
59993 0 10000 20000 30000
40000 50000
60000 70000
80000 90000
100000 2007
2008 2009
2010 2011
2012 Year C o un te r a c ti v ity Mangatepopo Ketetahi
Figure 31: Annual visitor numbers: Tongariro Northern Circuit 4950
5060 5580
5185 5882
5649 3168
3289 3348
3225 3335
3043 1782
1771 2232
1960 2547
2606 0 1000 2000 3000
4000 5000
6000 7000
2006/07 2007/08
2008/09 2009/10
2010/11 2011/12
Season # V is it o rs Total
International Domestic
Figure 32: Annual visitor numbers: Taranaki Falls Track 34728
32900 34829
46630 41929
39520 0 5000 10000 15000
20000 25000
30000 35000
40000 45000
50000 2006
2007 2008
2009 2010
2011 2012
# visitors Ye ar
There are only a handful of popular DOC managed sites in the Whanganui area and the available data for these sites is very limited. While tourism has declined significantly in Whanganui, use of two high profile sites – the Whanganui River Journey and the Bridge to Nowhere Walk, has not followed this trend (Figure 33). These sites are accessed from Ohakune and domestic tourism has actually grown in this part of the region. Trends for specific sites are as follows:
• The number of visitors on the Whanganui River Journey (a canoe trip within the Department’s Great Walk brand) increased 25% between 2006/07 and 2011/12. It now receives approximately 5500 visitors. Over this period the number of New Zealanders doing the trip increased by 43.5% while international visitors decreased 1.7%.
• Use of the Bridge to Nowhere Walk increased only slightly (1%) between the 2009/10 and 2011/12 seasons. It received 14,190 visits in 2011/12.
• Activity at Gordon Park Scenic Reserve, near Whanganui dropped 8.3% between the 2009/10 and 2010/11 seasons. 5438 hits on the counter were recorded in 2010/11.
• A newly established visitor counter on the Mangapurua Track recorded 1983 hits on the counter in 2012 but complex visitor flows make it difficult to convert this into an estimated visitor count. Three other locations in the Whanganui area (Atene Viewpoint Walk, Te Maire Loop Track and an additional site at Mangapurua) have track counters but they each receive fewer than 1000 visitors per year.
14051
14085 14190
4407 4034
5507 0 2000 4000 6000
8000 10000
12000 14000
16000 2006/07
2007/08 2008/09
2009/10 2010/11
2011/12 Season # v isi to rs Bridge to Nowhere Walk Whanganui River Journey
Trends in New Zealanders’ use of the outdoors This section examines trends in New Zealanders’ participation in various outdoor recreation activities. Available information shows that walking is the most popular activity for New Zealanders both on and off public conservation land. However there is no information on whether its popularity is increasing or decreasing. In contrast, interest in tramping and hunting appears to be on the rise while participation in freshwater fishing is static or declining. There is no long term data that supports the popular perception that mountain biking is increasing in popularity. Information at regional levels is relatively limited and in some cases contradictory. However residents of Tongariro Whanganui Taranaki are more likely to visit public conservation land than New Zealanders as a whole. The available data on participation in outdoor recreation is summarised below. Data sources There are two main sources of trend information for outdoor recreation activities at national level; the Active New Zealand Survey (Sport NZ 2013) and the Roy Morgan Single Source Database (Roy Morgan Research 2012). The Roy Morgan Single Source Database (referred to as the Roy Morgan Survey) is likely to be the more reliable of the two data sources due to its scale (approximately 12,000 surveys per year), consistency of method, frequency and the fact that it is more up to date (it covers the period from 2002- 2011). On the other hand it may under estimate participation levels as the available data only tracks the number of people who define themselves as “regular” participants.
The Active New Zealand Survey was conducted by Sport and Recreation New Zealand (now Sport NZ). It was last conducted in 2007/08 and will run for the fifth time in 2013. Unlike the Roy Morgan Survey, Active New Zealand counts a respondent as a participant if they engaged in an activity at least once in a 12 month period. This results in higher participation levels in the Active New Zealand Survey compared to the Roy Morgan. Higher participation levels may also occur because the methodology of using face to face interviews in people’s homes is more conducive to gathering detailed information on participation than the self completion surveys used by Roy Morgan.
Data from previous Active New Zealand surveys was summarised in an earlier internal DOC report (Rundle 2009) and this report highlighted some deficiencies with the trend data (which Sport NZ do not themselves publish). The specific issues identified were that definitions of different activities have not been consistent across the four iterations of the survey. Also the surveys have not used consistent age categories. The 1997, 1999 and 2001 surveys captured respondents aged 18 years and over, while the most recent interviewed those aged 16 years and over.
Two other surveys also provide useful data. The Domestic Travel Survey provides information about attractions visited and the activities undertaken by New Zealanders while on holiday. Data from the DTS is only available for two full years (2010 and 2011) and activities undertaken within 40 km of a respondent’s home (i.e. local recreation) are generally excluded. This data has already been summarised in an earlier section of this report.
The National Survey of New Zealanders, now in its second year, provides an indication of the popularity of various recreation activities on public conservation land. It asks respondents to indicate the main activity undertaken on their most recent visit to a DOC managed area. There a number of other surveys providing information relevant to specific activities such as camping, hunting and fishing. These reports are introduced alongside the discussion of individual activities below.
The strengths and weaknesses of both surveys should be considered when using the information reported below. Other data sources used include DOC’s national survey of New Zealanders (Premium Research 2012), the Domestic Travel Survey and a number of surveys that are relevant to single activities. Yüklə 362,61 Kb. Dostları ilə paylaş:
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