Examining the implications of high-volume tourism on local users of nature-based settings: A case study of the Selwyn District, New Zealand

Unprecedented tourism growth is placing pressure on New Zealand's natural resources as international visitors seek out iconic sites and scenic attractions often located in areas managed for conservation and public access. Many of these sites are nature-based and have been valued by generations of New Zealanders as places to visit and recreate. However, little is known about how the local users of recreation places are adapting to changes in visitor numbers. This study explores the implications for local users of nature-based recreation settings in the Selwyn District, New Zealand. A multi-phased approach was adopted with the aim of developing and refining the methodology over the course of the research. Phase one involved a desk-based search of the regional tourism and recreation literature to establish what is known about the current patterns of visitation in the Selwyn District (both international and domestic), as well as exploring the literature to determine how this topic has been approached in the past. This presentation largely reports on phase one. Phase two will involve interviewing key stakeholders currently active in a range of recreation activities in Selwyn, and phase three will 'drill down' into one community of practice of recreationists active in the Selwyn District using an online survey. This multi-phased approach represents a pragmatic way to gain both breadth and depth across recreation activities in nature-based settings in one region. Furthermore, the approach has scope for additional research projects to target distinct recreation groups, thus building a comprehensive picture of how recreationists are adapting to an evolving tourism landscape. This research has the secondary aim to test the suitability of the approach for potential use in a nationwide study.