Evolving Community Perceptions of Tourism in Westland
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Evolving Community Perceptions of Tourism in Westland Dominic M. Moran Research Associate in Tourism Human Sciences Division, Lincoln University [email protected] David G. Simmons Professor of Tourism, Human Sciences Division, Lincoln University [email protected] John R Fairweather Principal Research Officer in the Agribusiness and Economics Research Unit, Lincoln University [email protected] July 2001 ISSN 1175-5385 Tourism Recreation Research and Education Centre (TRREC) Report No. 24 Lincoln University Contents Contents .......................................................................................................................................i List of Tables ............................................................................................................................ iii List of Figures.............................................................................................................................v Acknowledgements.................................................................................................................. vii Chapter 1 Introduction ...........................................................................................................1 1.1 Introduction..................................................................................................1 1.2 Report Structure...........................................................................................2 Chapter 2 Methods .................................................................................................................5 2.1 Introduction..................................................................................................5 2.2 Qualitative Methods.....................................................................................5 2.3 Quantitative Survey......................................................................................6 Chapter 3 The Westland Context: Geography and History..................................................11 3.1 Introduction................................................................................................11 3.2 Geography and Climate..............................................................................11 3.3 Early Maori History ...................................................................................12 3.4 Gold Mining...............................................................................................13 3.5 The Timber Industry ..................................................................................14 3.6 Farming ......................................................................................................15 3.7 Other Industries..........................................................................................15 3.8 Aviation......................................................................................................16 3.9 Early Tourism Development ......................................................................16 3.10 Highways at Haast......................................................................................18 3.11 Recent Tourism Development....................................................................18 3.12 Summary ....................................................................................................20 Chapter 4 The Community...................................................................................................21 4.1 Introduction................................................................................................21 4.2 General Demographic Characteristics........................................................21 4.3 What Residents Like About Living in Westland .......................................27 4.4 Summary ....................................................................................................32 i Chapter 5 Residents’ Perceptions of Tourism in Westland..................................................33 5.1 Introduction................................................................................................33 5.2 Meeting Tourists and Preferences for Tourist Types.................................34 5.3 Acceptable Levels of Tourism ...................................................................36 5.4 Tourism Benefits........................................................................................37 5.5 Tourism Problems and Concerns ...............................................................44 5.6 Conclusion..................................................................................................55 Chapter 6 The Structure and Management of Tourism in Westland....................................57 6.1 Introduction................................................................................................57 6.2 The Westland District Council...................................................................57 6.3 Department of Conservation ......................................................................59 6.4 Tourism West Coast...................................................................................62 6.5 Tourism Issues in Selected Communities ..................................................63 6.6 Conclusion..................................................................................................73 Chapter 7 Discussion and Conclusions ................................................................................77 7.1 Introduction................................................................................................77 7.2 Key Features of Tourism in Westland Communities.................................77 7.3 Stages of Tourism Development in Westland Communities .....................79 7.4 Policy Implications.....................................................................................80 References.................................................................................................................................85 Appendix 1 Westland Tourism Questionnaire..........................................................................89 ii List of Tables Table 1 Telephone Survey Breakdown.................................................................................7 Table 2 Telephone Survey Weighting Ratios .......................................................................8 Table 3 Telephone Survey Sample Dispersal Comparison With 1996 Census ....................9 Table 4 Westland Residents’ Tourism Occupations ...........................................................25 Table 5 Reasons for living in Westland (Weighted n = 364)..............................................27 Table 6 Westland Residents’ Perceived Tourism Benefits.................................................38 Table 7 Westland Residents’ Perceived Tourism Problems ...............................................45 Table 8 Westland Residents’ Greatest Tourism Concerns..................................................46 List of Figures Figure 1 West Coast Region...................................................................................................3 Figure 2 Westland District and Case Study Communities .....................................................4 Figure 3 Westland Residents’ Highest Level of Education .................................................22 Figure 4 Westland Residents’ Household Income ...............................................................23 Figure 5 Westland Male/Female Employment.....................................................................24 Figure 6 Westland Residents’ Family Tourism Employment ..............................................26 Figure 7 How Often Do You Meet Visitors? .......................................................................35 Figure 8 Residents’ Perceptions of Current Levels of Tourism...........................................36 Figure 9 Does the Community Benefit from Tourism in Westland? ...................................38 Figure 10 Haast Region..........................................................................................................72 Acknowledgements We would like to thank many people who have made this research possible. This research was funded by the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology and forms part of a series of nine constituent reports on Tourism in Westland. Thanks to Chris Elliott and other staff at the Westland District Council who patiently provided us with information, suggestions and research contacts. Thanks to the residents of Westland who talked to us both formally and informally. Thanks also to the participants in our telephone survey and to the team, consisting of Jude Wilson, Jason Leppens, Bev Pullman and Trudy Jones, who conducted the survey. Thanks to Chris Frampton for his expert advice on statistical analysis, Evert Kampert and Douglas Broughton for their technical assistance and back up, Michelle Collings and Michael Shone for their assistance with editing and proofreading. vii viii Chapter 1 Introduction 1.1 Introduction This report examines tourism in the Westland District of New Zealand’s South Island. It is the third of four case studies on tourism destinations in New Zealand which aim to increase understanding of the ways in which tourism affects communities and the ways in which communities influence tourism1. There are both positive and negative impacts of tourism. Many New Zealanders view tourism as an important source of employment and as a means of bringing foreign exchange