Is Wellington Environmentally Friendly? Visitors’ Views of New Zealand’s Capital

Abstract

For nearly a decade, New Zealand has been using nature related slogans to market the country’s rural environment, or pollution-free image. The constant growth of overseas visitor numbers illustrates that such campaigns appear to be successful. However, limited discussion is provided in contemporary research on visitors’ views about environmental issues in New Zealand, and particularly in its capital Wellington. This study examines this dimension from the perspective of 353 visitors travelling to (pre-visit) and from Wellington (post-visit); these respondents completed a questionnaire distributed during August and September of 2006. In this study, comparisons are made between pre- and post visit, and also between domestic and overseas visitors. In addition, written comments on environmental issues about the city of Wellington are gathered from these visitor groups. While the overall results demonstrate respondents’ agreement that Wellington is an environmentally friendly city, many participants’ written comments also suggest areas of improvement, particularly regarding lack of recycling, congested traffic, noise and building decay. These elements might be currently discouraging some groups of travellers from visiting Wellington, with subsequent potential impacts. Implications for city officials and tourism stakeholders include the need for concerted efforts to improve the city’s image and its environmental friendliness.