The Future of Tourism in Aotearoa New Zealand

What are we really aiming for in tourism in Aotearoa New Zealand?

Last week I spent time in Queenstown, arguably our most picturesque tourism destination to visit in Aotearoa. I was in town attending the University of Otago Tourism Policy School, a think-tank forum aimed at addressing some of the key issues facing the tourism industry. While I am unable to dive in to the specifics of the content or speakers (Chatham House rules), I came away with more questions than I arrived with.

View from the Crown Range back towards Queenstown

My last visit to Queenstown was to attend an industry conference just over five years ago at a time when tourism was booming; hosting 3.9 million visits annually. This time felt different for several reasons; I no longer work for New Zealand’s international marketing agency and my tourism lens has diversified into sustainable and regenerative tourism.

This time it also felt like Queenstown has lost what makes it feel local. It caters very much for international visitors, retail is an mix of luxury (LV, Burberry, T Galleria to name a few) among high-end chocolatiers and gift shops. Hospitality service felt transient, lacking in quality and local knowledge, and aside from one exceptional place (Bardeaux - you legends!), it was hard not to feel some level of disappointment. I wanted to feel like I was getting a unique experience but instead, it felt like it catered to the masses.

I wrote a note on Linkedin while in Queenstown, mulling over my experience and highlighting a few of the questions (below) that I have continued to reflect on. While my feelings of disappointment are perhaps not shared by others, it has made me deliberate over what the future of tourism is and should be in Aotearoa, especially when the current economic agenda under the coalition Government is ‘Growth Growth Growth’. For tourism, this means higher visitor numbers.

If international visitor numbers in Aotearoa New Zealand are set to double in the next decade, what are we doing to ensure our places, people, and ecosystems can cope?

What does growth mean in a country where some communities are already questioning the value of tourism?

If social licence is overlooked, how do we expect to maintain trust and support from the very people who host our visitors?

And how do we reconcile a growth agenda with mounting evidence that our natural assets, some covering vast parts of our estate are under increasing pressure?

I find it hard to reconcile ‘Growth, Growth, Growth’ without acknowledging how this will impact local communities as well as our natural environment. More tourism = more jobs which is what we want but at the expense of loss of social licence?

The last few European summers have highlighted some of the negative effects of tourism on the local community. There has been an uprising of anti-tourism which has often seen negative sentiment towards visitor growth.

Protests against mass tourism in Barcelona in July, led by the Neighbourhood Assembly for Tourism De-growth saw large demonstrations and tourists sprayed with water.

Foro Italico, Palermo

To respond to the pushback, many European destinations have introduced tourism caps, more taxes, and in some cases bans.

Aotearoa New Zealand seems to be making the same mistakes of our European counterparts. Continuing to drive volume visitation without truly enabling (with resource and infrastructure) shoulder season and regional dispersal which will inevitably lead to disharmony.

It reminds me of an article (Overtourism - too late for Queenstown and Wanaka to turn back?) by TV producer and journalist Andrew Waterworth back in 2018. After returning from a lengthy trip through Europe and experiencing extreme overcrowding and degradation, he was raising the alarm bells on Queenstown and Wanaka asking for New Zealand to taken action.

Just this week, residents of Queenstown are being asked how they feel about tourism. Preventing hostility over increasing tourism pressures at the forefront of discussions within local Government.

However this issue isn’t unique to Queenstown. It just happened to be the most desirable destination for international visitors that I found myself in last week.
My concern is that if we continue to lean into high-volume visitor numbers in Aotearoa, through continuing to promote the same destinations in the same way, we risk missing the opportunity to shape a tourism future that is truly regenerative, resilient, and reflective of what makes us unique here in Aotearoa.

Is this our future?

This brings me to my final question to myself and this one gives me the greatest discomfort.

If we continue this Growth, Growth, Growth agenda and push for doubling our visitor arrivals by 2034, what kind of legacy is the tourism sector creating for the next generation?