Search

This paper takes a critical, historical employment relations approach to present an original contribution to research on sustainable tourism employment. The research is focussed on a gendered analysis of (un)sustainable employment practices in the New Zealand tourist hotel sector from 1950 to 2000, specifically concentrating on the role of the Hotel Workers Union and the broader post-war corporatist and neo-liberal economic, political and social policies that affected tourism work during this period. After presenting a detailed historical narrative in the findings, the paper argues that by uncovering the influences of global, national and organisation level change on sustainable labour we can gain meaningful, new perspectives on employment in this sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic alongside other environmental and social crises have raised questions around the role of government, governance and the notion of tourism value. The aim of this paper, therefore, was to develop a conceptual framework that makes sense of the tourism value discussion within the wider context of the New Zealand Department of Conservation's aspiration of Papatūānuku Thrives (Mother Earth Thrives). Drawing on critical studies, current New Zealand tourism strategies, stakeholder input and discussions with government employees, a values-based tourism framework has been developed. The "tourism tree" integrates aspects of a regenerative tourism paradigm and cultural values from Te Ao Māori (the world of Māori) and recognises the importance of healthy roots for tourism to contribute positively to multiple wellbeings and give back to place. Whilst only a stepping-stone towards transformative blending of paradigms, the framework will help the Department in their policy and operational decisions, with a view towards achieving intergenerational positive outcomes from tourism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes the use of micro-mobility patterns and service blueprints in visitor management planning. It argues that such planning approaches can improve management outcomes as well as visitor experiences whilst adding efficiency to the relevant management processes. The paper is based on the findings of visitor research on visitor flows and perceptions of visitor management in a nature-based tourism attraction in Wellington, New Zealand. These findings are used to adapt a service blueprint for the overall attraction to separately reflect visitor experiences of international visitors and New Zealanders. The paper posits that it is thus possible to identify and subsequently address the visitor management requirements of different visitor groups. Implications are discussed at three levels; first, for the case study attraction; second, for tourism attractions more broadly; third, conceptual implications for visitor management research are considered. Specific findings include the differences in micro-mobilities found across different market sectors, the need to improve signposting to offer distance and time guidance, the importance of topography, the potential to spread usage pressures across sites and the future potential to use mobile GPS units to obtain more detailed information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper interrogates the changing role of local government in tourism development. It does so through the examination of the Hurunui District, a rural district in New Zealand which has experienced significant transformation in the tourism sector and a concomitant increase in public sector input over the past 25 years. By situating this interrogation within an evolving neoliberal public policy context, this paper explores the tensions at play between tourism stakeholders and decision-makers, and it critiques the way in which local government involvement in the sector is manifested as regulation, promotion, and ownership of key tourism resources in the District. The significance of this paper is that it extends our understanding of the role of the state in tourism and of the influence of public policy on tourism development, potentially including sustainable tourism development. Specifically, it draws our attention to the rationality, roles and activities of public sector engagement in the tourism sector, particularly at local government level. We conclude that the nature and extent of debate evident in the case study, and verified in the literature, indicates that the boundary of government activity and intervention in the tourism market is, and will continue to be, socially contested and mediated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air travel forms a substantial component of an organisation's carbon profile, and questions around business travel are becoming more pertinent given the accelerating climate crisis. The current coronavirus pandemic, however, has effectively stopped much travel and organisations had to adapt by switching most interactions to online meetings. Drawing on social practice theory, this paper examines changes in staff air travel behaviour observed in a New Zealand government agency, following the nationwide lockdown in 2020. Integrating air travel data, a staff wellbeing survey and 18 interviews, the research reveals fundamental differences in the meaning of face-to-face versus online meetings, the inseparable nature of productivity and personal wellbeing, and the change processes that staff noted when faced with a (temporary) new reality of restricted mobility. Whether modified routines remain or not will not only be influenced by the government's imposed carbon budgets, but also will be a question of organisational leadership, politics, and ultimately the ethics of trading off environmental impacts with other perceived needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Destination managers frequently describe strategies, plans, or projects in destinations as part of an overall commitment to sustainable development or sustainability in the destination. The meaning of the term sustainability, however, is highly contested in both academia and practice, and it is not at all clear what destination managers mean when they claim to act in the interests of sustainable tourism. This paper assesses the concept of sustainability and its operationalisation by destination managers at the regional destination level. Our international, comparative study examines two destination regions that emphasise nature-based tourism, the Tyrolean Oberland, Austria, and the South Island of New Zealand. Twenty-two high-ranking destination managers representing 20 destinations were interviewed. We demonstrate how colloquial, academic, and applied interpretations of sustainability are tangled and intertwined in day-to-day destination management. The types of destination management interventions that are described as sustainable and the extent to which the economic component of sustainability is prioritised vary strongly across destinations and destination regions. The study results demonstrate that in order to achieve sustainability in destinations, stakeholders need to develop a shared understanding of what constitutes sustainable destination development, and how it can be meaningfully operationalised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the governance of regional tourism organisations (RTOs) and relates governance to the principle of subsidiarity. The principle maintains that tasks and responsibilities should be accomplished by the lowest and most basic elements of any social organisation, and it is an injustice to assign to a larger and higher association what the lesser and subordinate associations can do. There is little research on understanding RTO governance, on how governance may contribute to RTO instability or on the application of the principle of subsidiarity in a tourism context. A New Zealand case study demonstrates a series of fundamental problems with typical RTO governance structures, linked to problems found in many tourism partnerships. Data collection methods for the case study of the Waikato RTO included observation, interviews, focus groups and document analysis. The paper concludes that the principle of subsidiarity can underpin an RTO governance system if the RTO adopts an ethos of service to the tourism sector and the wider community. This governance style requires open communication and consultation, must foster trust and legitimacy and contribute to securing the RTO's ongoing required resources. Such a governance structure would align well with the principles of sustainable tourism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resilience theory has emerged as a holistic concept well suited to analyzing tourism systems and which promises important insights into the sustainability of tourism destinations in the face of accelerating global environmental change (GEC). This article presents empirical research into the social-ecological resilience of tour operators using the case study destination of the Otago Peninsula, Dunedin, New Zealand. It addresses the following research question: How do birdwatching tour operators build resilience to drivers of environmental change, including climatic drivers, into their operations? Qualitative interviews with providers of a specific nature tourism sector activity – birdwatching – were conducted with stakeholders including tour operators, conservation organizations, and local government members. The findings highlight current and possible future challenges to birdwatching tourism on the Otago Peninsula. The paper introduces a conceptual framework which highlights the tour operators' main coping strategies in response to key perceived social-ecological system (SES) drivers of change. Overall, tour operators perceived their main social-ecological resilience to be the diversity of the species of the Otago Peninsula, their business experience, and the strength of their local stakeholder network to respond to SES crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Aotearoa New Zealand, Māori land is frequently owned by local communities and managed by trusts. For such arrangements on rural holdings, land managers often wish both to provide for their communities and implement agricultural management practices in a culturally responsive manner. Agroecology offers an alternative model of land management and provides opportunities for the development of visitor programmes to learn about and observe traditional practices. This paper reports on the integration of agroecology and tourism on a working farm in Te Wai Pounamu South Island, Aotearoa New Zealand. The programme successfully applied spatial analysis in a geographical information system (GIS) within an iterative geodesign framework to plan a route for visitor access across the farm, with suitable areas identified for information platforms located strategically along the way. These agritourism related features were visually communicated through maps generated by the GIS. Such visualisation makes the possible consequences of change more accessible and understandable to decision makers. As well as satisfying the need to verify the approach empirically, there are plans underway to apply GIS in this way to other similarly managed farms in Aotearoa New Zealand. Highlights:: Iterative geodesign approach used to evolve sites for access paths and information platforms Approach is of public interest, hence the need for planning farm access facilities for tourists Agroecology-based plan for managing a traditionally run farm in Aotearoa New Zealand Local cultural values addressed by GIS for positive environmental and economic impact [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is a critical sustainability challenge for alpine tourism and the ski industry. Climate change adaptation is characterised as identifying and taking advantage of new business opportunities plus reducing physical risks. For adaptation strategies to be sustainable they should consider the environment, economy and society. While several adaptive ski industry strategies have been identified, not all can fulfil these criteria; some adaptive strategies could be perceived as unsustainable, or maladaptive. This paper provides a qualitative, perceptual study of ski industry stakeholders in Queenstown, New Zealand, addressing perceptions of climate change adaptation by the core industry, wider industry actors, local community and tourists. It answers two research questions: What are perceived as the main climate change adaptation strategies for Queenstown's ski industry? How do ski industry stakeholders perceive current adaptation strategies in terms of sustainability? It finds snowmaking central to addressing both current weather variability and medium/long-term future climate change. Ski-field operators use snowmaking to ensure the industry's economic sustainability, to extend seasons even beyond traditional norms, but with little consideration for environmental or social sustainability. It finds some local people questioning snowmaking on ethical and environmental grounds, and skier acceptance of snowmaking connected to activity preference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the use of concessions for tourism business in protected areas, including National Parks (NPs), in New Zealand, with specific reference to their financial and in-kind contributions to conservation work. A holistic approach is taken, examining the design and implementation of policies affecting concessions, and their interactions with wider governance arrangements for NPs. The case study considers a range of legal and policy questions, informed by 42 non-structured interviews with concessionaires, park staff and other stakeholders. It explores neo-liberal government policies implemented since 2009, as part of a Conservation Economy vision, aiming to stimulate economic growth by opening-up business access to natural heritage and resources in NPs. More and longer contracts have been granted against the promise of conservation, environmental and infrastructural gains from concessionaires. The research found that, so far, there is no evidence of improvements in the latter aspects, and expectations of gains from donations and voluntary business action have remained only symbolic. Powers to impose such contractual responsibilities are unused. Other significant, and related, neo-liberal governance changes have been implemented or under consideration, raising concerns that a tipping point in NPs' governance towards unsustainable tourism development may be on the horizon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the responsible tourism debate, the tourist is often at best overlooked, and at worst represented as abandoning all sense of responsibility while on holiday. This paper argues that tourists are an untapped resource, they can make positive contributions while on holiday, yet the literature focuses on the other stakeholders. A starting point, therefore, is to place the visitor at the centre of the responsible tourism debate by exploring what it means to be a responsible tourist. This is undertaken in the context of New Zealand. Using two comparative case study sites and semi-structured inter- views with industry representatives, expectations of what it means to be a responsible tourist are explored from the industry's perspective. It is concluded that responsible tourist behaviour is multi-faceted and complex, with several dimensions and degrees of dimensions. Enacting generic meanings of responsibility is context-dependent and the onus may fall back to the destinations to guide and direct tourists appropriately. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to contribute to knowledge about the farm stay experience by providing exploratory insights into the characteristics that are common to a hosted stay on a WWOOF farm and to investigate whether the experiences provided for visitors by WWOOF hosts are notably different from those offered by other farm hosts. The paper reports the findings of in-depth interviews conducted with 12 WWOOF hosts and 22 visitors staying at WWOOF farms located in the rural region of Canterbury in the south island of New Zealand. The findings of the study, while indicative, show that the hosted experience on an organic (WWOOF) farm may be notably different from that provided at a commercial farm stay, with four key dimensions: the rurality of the experience; the opportunity to learn about organics; the personal meaningfulness of the experience; and the element of sincerity in the experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an overview of how national park interpretation in New Zealand is incorporating Mäori perspectives of cultural landscapes. Since the formation of the Department of Conservation in 1987, interpretive material containing information about the relationship between local iwi (Mäori tribal groups) and natural areas has increased. Co-operative management strategies have been instigated by the Department to ensure that interpretation conveying Mäori perspectives and cultural values for the landscape is accurate and authorised by iwi members. The paper analyses the findings from a survey that asked visitors about their experiences of the cultural interpretation at Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park. At this site, Department of Conservation staff aim to(1) increase visitors' understanding of the Mäori relationship to the land and (2) direct appropriate visitor behaviour whilst in the area. Many survey respondents were unaware of the relationship between Maori and the area prior to their visit, despite reporting cultural activities and experiences with indigenous peoples as travel motivators. On-site interpretation contributed to raising visitors' awareness that the landscape has special significance to local iwi, thus providing a cultural dimension to the visitors' experiences at this internationally renowned natural area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Franz Josef and Fox Glacier townships in New Zealand's “Glacier Country”, neighbouring Westland National Park, are remote tourist attractions facing multiple future sustainability challenges. Despite their distance from their markets, they attract 600,000 visitors annually and are fundamental to the district's economy. However, issues of geographic isolation are compounded by major threats of flooding and earthquake, rising fuel prices and climate change scenarios which imply serious glacier melting. Using 24 stakeholder interviews, this study evaluates susceptibility to change at multiple scales which could undermine the economic and social longevity of this iconic destination. Adopting a human–environment systems perspective, it utilises the concepts of vulnerability and resilience to examine dimensions of change and response that have shaped the community, conservation and tourism in this peripheral region. It finds high levels of vulnerability do not necessarily determine low levels of resilience, nor vice versa. Rather than mutually exclusive, vulnerability and resilience are discrete, but highly compatible concepts, offering much to the analysis of protected area tourism facing global change. The paper notes the potential guidance and governance role of the protected area in building resilience, and equally the threat to the protected area's integrity if tourism is compromised by its vulnerabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper makes the case for natural disaster emergency planning to be incorporated into sustainable tourism strategies, using seismic risk scenario planning as a technique, and the Southern Alps of the South island of New Zealand as an example. The Alpine Fault is a 450-km-long geological structure running the length of the Southern Alps in New Zealand. Paleoseismic evidence suggests that a significant earthquake of magnitude (M) ∼ 7.8–8.0 is overdue. Coincident with this area of high seismic potential is a growing tourism industry, capitalising on the region's international reputation for nature-based tourism experiences. The scenario planning approach uses an isoseismal modelling methodology to describe a range of specific vulnerabilities in the tourism sector and highlight the physical outcomes and consequences for tourism-related infrastructure, transport, food supply, rescue, and survival likely to result from a future M8 earthquake on the Alpine Fault. Interviews with hazard management agencies investigated how tourism is considered in the context of current hazard management policies, and the urgent need to bring industry policies into partnership with other planning agencies and policies. Risk management is shown to be essential to address the triple bottom line of sustainable tourism management. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Representations of indigenous Okinawa shisa (Japan) and Kinmen wind lion totems (Taiwan) are popular tourist souvenirs. They are also commonly used in destination tourism promotion as logos or mascots. Some tourism research describes these practices as exploitative and damaging to local culture. Other research suggests that resident consensus, local production and government sponsorship can produce a good souvenir that benefits local identity and economy. This paper reports on a semiotic analysis of these cultural representations as found onsite at these two destinations. Photographs are interpreted as index, icon and symbol according to Peirce's semiotics compared. Seven types of representations were found that indicate complex relationships between original totems and their variations. The representations are the same for both destinations. This comparative research finds that each type of representation has a unique place in the tourism economy, but all are held together as a coherent whole by the form and location of the original totems. The good souvenir is a product of creative marketing and sponsorship and vigilant preservation of cultural heritage. The original totem form should be immutable; its value and significance increases over time. As commercial duplications proliferate, government policy should protect the originals and fix them in their physical locations. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper assesses the evolution of the relationship between tourism and indigenous peoples. Based on published work on indigenous tourism in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States, a six-stage model of evolution has been proposed. The model begins with (1) pre-European in situ control, characterised by high local control and indigenous theme; (2) in situ exposure occurs in the early stages of colonialism and is followed by (3) ex situ exhibitionism and exploitation as native artefacts are displayed in museums and exhibitions. The opening of remnant indigenous space to tourist visits marks (4) in situ exhibitionism and exploitation, which represents the nadir of indigenous control but fosters strategies of resistance. Reassertions of indigenous control give rise to (5) in situ quasi-empowerment, while the extension of this control to previously occupied territory characterises (6) ex situ quasi-empowerment and the presence of “shadow indigenous tourism”. The empowerment and sustainability implications of the model have also been discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International volunteering is increasingly recognised as a form of alternative tourism. However, the nature of the ‘alternative’ experience gained, and the ensuing narrative between host and volunteer, remains under-explored in published research, especially in volunteer tourism research within a cultural context in a developed nation. This paper examines the nexus between volunteer tourism and cultural tourism in the search for alternative and sustainable experiences through tourism. Qualitative research using in-depth interviews, diaries and participant observation was conducted to examine the pre-, during and post-trip experiences of 12 Australian visitors undertaking organised volunteer activities in an indigenous Maori community in the North Island of New Zealand during January 2005. Members of the indigenous Maori community were also interviewed to provide an important host perspective. Findings suggest that the nature of the interaction and cultural experiences gained were perceived as mutually beneficial and seemingly different from those gained from traditional cultural products. In particular, the volunteers experienced an alternative Maori cultural product and engaged in a different narrative with their Maori hosts through their volunteer work, one rich in authentic cultural content, genuine and reflective of modern Maori life in New Zealand society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on visitor motivations and satisfaction at Pirongia Forest Park, New Zealand. The study used a derivative of the Leisure Motivation Scale to assess motives, and a factor analysis confirmed five dimensions of ‘relaxation’, ‘social needs’, ‘a sense of belonging’, ‘mastery skills’, and ‘intellectual needs’. From the scales, five clusters were identified; ‘active social relaxers’, ‘enthusiastic visitors’, ‘nature isolates’, ‘relaxers’, and ‘reluctant visitors’. Using regression analysis, it appears that ‘pull’ factors are better predictors of overall satisfaction than motivational ‘push’ factors, but a key aspect is that among local residents who use the Park there is a high level of repeat usage. Management implications are explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental non-governmental organisations (ENGOs) adopt a range of positions on the issue of tourism development within protected areas. While many ENGOs perceive tourism development as being extremely undesirable within protected areas, the forms of action that ENGOs actually take in response to such development vary. This paper discusses and analyses the responses of one ENGO (The Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society) to tourism within the protected areas of New Zealand. While the responses of ENGOs may be largely issue and organisation specific, there are broad influences at work that result in cross-national variation among the ways that ENGOs operate and relate their concerns about tourism. This paper briefly investigates these influences by comparing the actions of the New Zealand ENGO with those of a similar ENGO in Canada. The analysis contributes to an understanding of why in Canada much ENGO action within the national park-tourism policy domain has tended to be confrontational, whereas in New Zealand, this is not (yet?) the case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the existence of tourism ecolabels for more than 10 years, tourists' decision making is still only marginally influenced by such labels and it appears that sustainability does not feature much in tourists' general consumption behaviour. However, two recent studies found that tourists' attitudes towards the Green Globe 21 (GG2I) ecolabel in New Zealand were positive and the surveyed tourists appeared to have a high awareness of sustainability issues. Based on these findings, a quasi-experiment was conducted in the Christchurch Visitor Information Centre (CVIC) (main tourist hub of South Island) to investigate whether tourists' positive attitudes towards ecolabels would result in increased observable interest of GG21 ecolabelled products. The purpose of this paper is to describe the complex quasi-experimental methodology that has been developed in an attempt to get further insight into tourist behaviour related to ecolabelled tourist products. During May and June 2003 the impact of a promotional campaign on tourists' information search behaviour in the CVIC was tested. Observations of tourists and measurement of brochure up-take showed no increased interest in the ecolabel promotion campaign or the GG21 labelled products in the CVIC. The experimental methodology demonstrated that positive attitudes towards ecolabels are an unreliable predictor of responsible environmental tourist behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports results from a survey of 359 visitors to Hamilton Zoo, New Zealand. The questionnaire comprised items relating to motives for visiting the zoo, and evaluations of attributes, thereby permitting an importance-evaluation approach. The construction of the questionnaire was prompted by zoo management wishing to learn more about what motivated visits, and whether there were perceived deficiencies in visitors' experiences of the zoo. Like other studies (e.g. Turley, 2001) it was concluded that zoos represent an opportunity for family-based trips. However, while some opportunities exist for learning, on the whole visitors were not generally interested in acquiring detailed information about wildlife. Indeed, more importance was attached to the viewing of animals than to the recognition that possibly animals might require 'private places'. These findings prompt a discussion about the extent to which zoos might be able to replace or supplement trips to natural habitats as a means of viewing animals, and concludes that for this to happen significant changes in zoo layout would be required. Additionally, possible implications for zoo management are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study of impacts of Airbnb in a small coastal town in New Zealand was initiated by a need to create housing for those displaced during the summer. The research involved a survey of approximately one-quarter of the households and detailed interviews with 25 local respondents. It was found that approximately 17% of households experienced household stress due to housing costs. However, it was concluded that the impact of Airbnb, while highly visible, is a symptom of wider social factors than simply being a cause of immediate in housing usage and impacting hotel occupancy rates. Context is important in terms of communal ties and residents' senses of place as short-term occupancy of property becomes a norm. The wider housing market is a determinant of rents and differences between seasonal daily rents derived from tourists and those paid by more stable renters. The de-industrialisation of cities for gentrification has become the de-urbanisation of leisure and a desire for landscape rich destinations, made easier by physical accessibility by transport and informational accessibility through the internet. It is also the outcome of political processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Educational travel, a neglected area of study in sustainable tourism, has grown substantially over the last 20 years in part as a response to institutional missions to promote international education, but also as a result of the USA's national security concerns to nurture a global citizenry. Considerable future growth is predicted following the bipartisan Lincoln Commission report and under the pending new legislation in the USA. Our pre-test/post-test study of almost 5% (n= 651 US students) of the entire short-term, US educational travel market to Australia and New Zealand between 2008 and 2009 revealed significant differences between the cohorts of the two programs, both of which focused on sustainable development. The Australia program not only produced significant increases in global citizenship (as measured by scores on consumer behaviors, support for environmental policies, and environmental citizenship) beyond that of the New Zealand program, but any initial differences between the programs were erased following participation. Reasons for the differences in attitude change are discussed. Analysis also noted key differences between students with different political orientations, but no gender differences. Implications for managing educational travel, marketing Australia's and New Zealand's tourism, sustainable tourism planning, and theory advancements are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Tourism's increasing contribution to climate change, especially through the use of air travel, is now acknowledged. This study seeks to explore tourists' knowledge and awareness of aviation's impact on the climate, their sense of personal responsibility and their reactions to specific climate change policies. A focus group approach — informed by interviews with international tourists leaving New Zealand — was chosen to involve tourists in discussing climate change and travel. In the focus groups, three policy options were discussed: voluntary initiatives, a global air travel charge and a per capita carbon budget. The global air travel tax emerged as a realistic compromise between restricting travel and achieving emissions reduction. When discussing individual responsibility for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, tourists distinguished between their travel and their everyday life, where responsibility for mitigation was perceived to be greater. The value of freedom to travel is firmly established in the minds of many tourists and limiting travel is considered unacceptable by the (hyper) mobile tourists who participated in this research. Only major societal changes to bring about behavioural change seem likely to reduce air travel's contribution to climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research reported here documents the awareness of ecolabels among visitors to Christchurch, one important visitor destination in New Zealand. Around the world there is a growing debate about ecolabels and how visitors respond to them. We propose to inform this debate by studying the relationship between visitor response to ecolabels and their environment values. In interviews with 295 visitors to Christchurch it was found that only one-fifth recalled any place with ecolabels, and only 13% had ever heard of any tourism ecolabel. However, 33% of visitors had some experience of ecolabels. Data were cluster analysed to find that 61% of respondents expressed biocentric values and 39% expressed ambivalent values but not anthropocentric values towards nature. Further analysis of the data showed that the clusters had different responses on many dimensions of ecolabels. Biocentric visitors were concerned with the environment in which they travel, believed that ecolabels are needed in New Zealand, and said they would choose accommodation with an ecolabel. Their reports of their actions were consistent with their expressions of concern for the environment. Results suggest that many visitors will favourably receive ecolabel developments in New Zealand and that ecolabel development and use should be supported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines attitudes towards the resort town of Rotorua, New Zeland. Role of Maori culture in the formation of perceptions of Rotorua; Association of Te Arawa Maori people with tourism; Nature of Maori music and dance performance.