Motor Caravan and Camping Tourism in Franklin, Aucklandaudit Of
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Motor Caravan and Camping Tourism in Franklin, Auckland An audit of existing motor caravanning and camping infrastructure New Zealand Tourism Research Institute, Auckland University of Technology April 2017 www.nztri.org 0 Table of Contents Explanation of terms used in the audit ................................................................................................... 2 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 3 Our approach .......................................................................................................................................... 4 Infrastructure Audit | Mapping of facilities ...................................................................................... 4 Web Audit ........................................................................................................................................... 5 Infrastructure audit ................................................................................................................................. 5 Visitor attractions ............................................................................................................................... 5 Facilities for campers/MC visitors to Franklin ................................................................................... 6 TripAdvisor and Qualmark ratings ..................................................................................................... 8 Web audit ................................................................................................................................................ 9 Visibility on national tourism portals ................................................................................................ 9 Regional level – Auckland ................................................................................................................ 10 Local tourism websites ..................................................................................................................... 11 Social media ...................................................................................................................................... 12 MC Websites ..................................................................................................................................... 12 Benchmarking – examples of good practice ......................................................................................... 12 Conclusions and recommendations ...................................................................................................... 14 Immediate opportunities ................................................................................................................. 14 1 Explanation of terms used in the audit Accommodation: The focus is on camping options where campers and MC visitors can find campgrounds and camping sites to park their vehicles and stay the night, categorised as follows: Regional Park / Campground—campground is located within a regional park. Freedom Camping—not a designated campground. Typically, this means that the caravan or motorhome should be self-contained as there are rarely facilities available such as clean drinking water, toilets or waste disposal facilities. Holiday Park—these commercial campgrounds offer a wide variety of accommodation options, from camping sites, powered sites through to self-contained cabins. NZMCA—New Zealand Motor Caravan Association offers properties from residential sites to business premises for members to park overnight for little or no cost. CSC Vehicle—this type of campsite requires vehicles to have the Certified Self-Contained sticker on the front left window or rear window. The vehicle must have a fresh water supply, sink, toilet, holding tank, evacuation hose and a sealable refuse container with lid. The sites are basic and without many facilities. Park-Sleep—these are for self-contained vehicles to park for the night and sleep. Usually have basic facilities such as toilets, water and showers and are a fee-based service. Laundromat: Automatic coin-operated public laundry found in town centres and campgrounds. LPG Gas Bottle Refill: A facility to refill liquid petroleum gas (LPG), also referred to as propane or butane, used as fuel in heating appliances, cooking equipment, and vehicles. Public Dump Station (PDS): An area designated as either a holiday park or publicly provided facility where motorhomes can pump raw sewage safely into a sanitary sewer system. Public Toilets: A building with one or several toilets available either at campsites or in public areas available for use by both MC tourists and other visitors to the area. Most are Council assets. Recycling: A facility where MC visitors can drop off all recyclable materials for processing. Refuse Station: A building or processing site for the temporary deposition of waste. Septic tank: A drainage system allowing rinse water from MCs to be pumped into a septic tank. Service Centres: A retail station for motor vehicles, providing petrol, diesel and oil refill options. Vehicle Servicing: A commercial establishment for repairs and replacement parts for motor vehicles (focus is on those that promote servicing of Motor Caravan/Campervans). Water-Potable: Water that is safe to drink or to use for food preparation. Water-Rinse: This water supply is only good for washing and/or cleaning and should not be consumed. 2 Introduction This report is in response to a request from Franklin Local Board (FLB) for research to inform forward planning and marketing activities for motor caravan (MC) and camping tourism in Franklin. Specifically, FLB would like to better understand existing motor caravanning and camping infrastructure (accommodation, attractions, facilities, visitor information) and look at ways to encourage campers who currently pass through on their way to other destinations, to slow down and spend more time (and money) in the Franklin area. To do this, NZTRI has completed the following research activities: • An audit of existing motor caravan and camping tourism infrastructure for campers and motor caravan visitors with a focus on MCs (e.g. location, distribution, sites and type/standard of facilities) to identify any gaps in available infrastructure. • A web audit of visitor information for MC/camping visitors to Franklin to understand the ‘visibility’ of the Franklin area as a destination for visitors and MCs. The web audit focusses on the availability of information online (websites, portals, review sites, blogs, social media etc.) about the businesses, community, and attractions associated with the visitor experience. MCs are those visitors who combine transport, accommodation and travel e.g. in a motorhome, campervan, 5th wheeler, car towing caravan, recreational vehicle (RV) or other form of self-contained motorised transport and accommodation. The geographic area covered by this research incorporates the Waiuku, Pukekohe, and Wairoa subdivisions (Figure 1). Figure 1: Franklin Local Board and Subdivisions Acknowledged source: Auckland Council The report summarises findings from the audits and should be read in conjunction with Appendix 1 Inventory of facilities for camper/MC visitors to Franklin.xls. Data is transferred to, and plotted on, the Google Map of facilities for camper/MC visitors to Franklin. We commence with a review of the research approach and then present an overview of results of the local infrastructure and web audits. We then identify any obvious gaps in existing facilities and visitor information, and recommend several immediate actionable outcomes that highlight opportunities to attract camping/MC visitors to Franklin. 3 Our approach A team of three auditors (‘Mystery Visitors’) used desk-based online approaches to collect data for the infrastructure and web audits. Team members included a visitor from Canada with a young family, who enjoys camping and the outdoors, and a visitor from the UK aged 25 years (part of the ‘Youth’ free and independent traveller market) who enjoys interacting with people from different cultures, and exploring new places both on and off the beaten track. The third member of the audit team is a resident of central Auckland who enjoys short stay holidays with visiting friends and family from overseas and weekends away with her partner, exploring New Zealand’s natural environment. Taking a visitor centred approach, searching for information online for ‘Franklin’ yielded results not necessarily within the Franklin Local Board boundary. In some cases items outside of, but close to the boundary have been included, for example being an essential motor caravan facility or a not to miss attraction which would draw visitors to the region. Infrastructure Audit | Mapping of facilities Auditors conducted an online search to identify existing facilities for motor caravan and camping visitors to Franklin. The infrastructure audit prioritised the following: • Camping and parking sites - mostly commercial accommodation including holiday parks; regional campgrounds, freedom camping, CSC Vehicle and DOC campsites, and facilities for other niche MC visitors. • Dump stations – the location of facilities designed to ensure the proper disposal of wastewater from recreational vehicles e.g. motorhomes, campervans, and boats as well as access ‘approved’ rubbish and recycling bins. • Other facilities for motor caravanners e.g. access to fresh water, toilets,