WELLINGTON, Dec 18 — Ever-increasing numbers of tourists are harming New Zealand’s environment and destroying the very qualities that make the country an attractive destination, a parliamentary report warned today. The South Pacific nation has long marketed itself as “100 per cent Pure” and...
Upton said New Zealand attracted almost four million international visitors annually and the number could treble by 2050. — AFP pic
The report from parliamentary commissioner for the environment Simon Upton comes as New Zealand’s adventure tourism industry is already under intense scrutiny over last week’s White Island volcanic eruption, which killed 16 international travellers and two tour guides. “The sheer numbers of people are eroding the sense of isolation, tranquility and access to nature that many overseas tourists seek when visiting New Zealand,” he said.Upton said New Zealanders were also part of the problem, pointing out that Kiwis on domestic holidays outnumbered overseas tourists at major holiday spots.
“We didn’t get to where we are overnight — the phenomenon of crowded sites, crowded skies and crowded parking lots is the result of more than a century’s worth of promotional taxpayer subsidy,” he said. Upton said more visitors meant more greenhouse gases from flights to New Zealand and more waste entering the country’s waterways, as well as a higher risk of tourists importing pests and bio-security hazards.
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