Greening tourism businesses will keep them out of the red

5 April 2012

Greening tourism businesses will keep them out of the red

Tourism businesses are being told they must go green to stay out of the red as a leading researcher predicts the industry is facing its toughest times ever.

Accommodation occupancy rates for both domestic and international travelers fell by 183 thousand nights in January 2012 with the tourism sector expecting further declines.

Associate Director of the New Zealand Tourism Research Institute at AUT University, Jeff Dalley, says not only is there a continuing decline in key international visitor markets but the industry may also be grappling with a fundamental shift in consumer behaviour.

“In the past downturns have tended to be in either domestic or international tourism but this time around the industry is being buffeted both ways. The new reality is the number of high yield, extended stay visitors from America and Europe are declining, and while this is being offset by more visitors coming from Asia, they tend to stay for a much shorter time,” he says.

“The non-business domestic travel market is flat, with locals taking fewer holidays but visiting friends and family more. These changes may be the new normal and if they are, it stands to reason some tourism businesses, especially smaller ones in distant locations, will struggle to survive.”

Dr Dalley is one of the key speakers at an Ecotourism business workshop in Auckland on 19 April 2012. The workshop run by Ecotourism NZ and Tai Poutini Polytechnic, with support from AUT University, will look at how ecotourism businesses can better survive these challenges.

Kit Nixon from Explore NZ, a tour company that operates in both Auckland and the Bay of Islands, says his business is already noticing changes in tourist behaviours.

“These are tough times. Auckland as a destination is getting the Asian market whereas the Bay of Islands isn’t seeing those tourists. In the future tourists will consider the environment more and more in their decision making so if you are not running a sustainable business now it will come to roost,” he says.

Explore NZ sails America’s Cup yachts and runs dolphin and whale watching in the Hauraki Gulf and Bay of Islands.

“The environment is our main product, and sustainable practices have become the norm. Not only are there day to day savings in terms of things like monitoring fuel consumption but our trips are heavily involved in research, we hire marine biologists and take on an education role.”

Mr Nixon and Dr Dalley are both speaking at the Ecotourism NZ business workshop on 18-19 April 2012 at AUT. The workshop covers issues like greening your business to stay out of the red, utilising social media, telling better stories and the economics of staying in business.

For more information go to www.ecotourismnz.com/ecotourism/events/

ENDS

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