New Zealand: Emerging Destination with Potential for the Future - Case Study Example

New Zealand: Emerging Destination with Potential for the Future Table of Contents Introduction 3 2. Overview 3 4. Critical Analysis 8 5. Recommendations and Analysis for 2030 9 Bibliography 10 New Zealand: Emerging Destination with Potential for the Future 1. Introduction In 2001 the release of the first instalment of the Lord of the Rings trilogy directed by Peter Jackson inspired worldwide interest in visiting the nation that had provided beautiful vistas for the film. Filmed in the wilds of New Zealand, the film had taken advantage of pristine and untouched lands that were examples of nature at its best (Leotta 2011, p. xi). In order to take advantage of this opportunity, the Prime Minister at the time, Helen Clark, made a documentary called New Zealand: the Royal Tour (2002).Suddenly in the spotlight, the nation had the opportunity to increase their tourism, increasing the economic benefits and placing the nation on lists of desired destinations for tourists around the world (IMDB 2013). Prime Minister Clark was able to show her own capacities in being a part of the natural world, providing for eco-tourism enthusiasts to have a unique glimpse of the beautiful and almost untouched landscapes. 2. Overview The geographical landscape of New Zealand is based on two main islands and the surrounding smaller islands in the region (The Official Website of the British Monarchy 2009). The region is a constitutional monarchy which is headed by Queen Elizabeth II, but managed by a Prime Minister who is advised as needed by the appointed Governor General who represents the Queen, but asserts authority rarely, if ever. The Constitution is the core of the governance of the Island state with the nation sitting at 5th for its use of democracy and having one of the most stable governments in the world (The Fund for Peace 2013). The climate in New Zealand can only be described in relationship to the region for which the discussion is being made. Temperatures can range from 10 degrees Celsius in the south to 16 degrees Celsius in the north. The climate is mild for the most part, but remote regions can have either very warm or very cold temperatures, extremes that are dependent upon the location (The New Zealand Encyclopaedia, 2013). The sun shines in the Auckland and Wellington regions on average 2000 hours per year. Cooler climates are found in the south with only having about 1400-1600 hours per year, with the northern parts of the region having the sunniest number of days at 2400-2500 per year (Corrigan 2012, p. 41). The OECD (2009, p. 71) developed a report on the status of New Zealand, including information on the infrastructure. According to the report, the development of roads, of stable electricity, and of communications has increased rapidly in the last decade. The appointment of a minister to focus on infrastructure has indicated recognition of the need for attention to the facilities within the nation. In addition, a problem was recognized when the 2008 worldwide economic downturn began as a lack of insurance on banking deposits caused financial difficulties as the worldwide banking structures began to fail (OECD 2009, p. 73). English is the primary language in New Zealand, but prior to colonization the Maori language was the primary language. In 1987 the Maori language was recognized as an official language (Bell, Harlow, and Starks 2006, p. 13). The Maori were the first immigrants to the land of New Zealand, travelling in canoes from Tahiti about 1500 years ago. The Maori are now only about 15% of the population with about 500,000 in the population. There are a great many tribes of the Maori, but traditional Maori life is not widely practiced and most have integrated into the post-colonial modern world (Theunissen 2003, p. 5). Like most regions of the world that were oppressed under colonialism, the Maori were discouraged from speaking their own language and to integrate in servitude positions under the British domination. Children in schools under British colonialism were punished severely for speaking Maori (Smith and Smith 2001, p. 171). The Maori women, according to Morgan (1996, p. 480) were particularly disenfranchised through colonialism as the Maori woman was defined in relationship to the function that she served for Maori men. By a measure of 55% most people in New Zealand are Christian, but 34% of the population claims no religious affiliation making them one of the more secularized nations in the world (Statistics New Zealand 2008). Polynesian culture was brought to the nation through the Maori, with the tribal formation being the basis of governance. British colonization brought British, Irish, and Scottish traditions and rituals to the region which transformed the Maori through the introduction of Christianity and traditions of British origin. The Maori still identify themselves through tribe affiliation, however, and the preservation of their culture is of high importance which has led to the idea of ‘control by a minority’ as they assert their needs into the governance of the regions they inhabit (Liu 2005, p. 58). Rural life has been the basis for most of the building of Western societies during and after colonization. One of the affects of this type of environment has been something referred to as ‘tall poppy syndrome’. Tall poppy syndrome refers to the idea that those who seek to increase their education and accomplish something intellectual are looked down upon as trying to be better than others. While education emerged as a priority starting in the 1960s when urbanization began to take over, the cultural attitude is still underlying within the social context (Fischer 2012, p. 486). Sports in New Zealand are wide and varied, but the primary focus is on soccer and rugby. The modern sports culture is still influenced by the ideas that emerged in the 1950s and 60s when the culture of Racing Rugby and Beer provided for the dominance of male influence on leisure time (MacDonald 2013, p. 95). The undercurrent of New Zealand culture is male dominated, patriarchal influences from both the Maori and the British culture combining to create a male centred culture. The last two decades have seen great advances for equality for women with Helen Clark being voted in as Prime Minister being a strong example. Despite this, women are still paid significantly less than men and the struggle for equality is an ongoing process (O’Conner 2010, p. 379). Fischer (2012, p. 491) discusses the virtues and vices of fairness that appear in New Zealand culture. The virtues of fairness in the New Zealand culture include the principle of reciprocity, that when one is given to there is an emotional response to give back in return. In addition to reciprocity, there is a higher than usual sense that people should not take advantage of one another. The vices of virtue that appear in the culture of New Zealand include a slower than usual pace of life and a social construct of work that includes being done by lunch. While not all workers are done by lunch, observations by World War II American servicemen report that the workers were extraordinarily slow and relaxed about getting their work done. 3. Tourism There are six international airports in New Zealand, although four of them only connect to Fiji and Australia. The cities are linked through air, railway, and bus services, but the railway is mostly used for freight (New Zealand 2008 2009, p. 556). The early push for tourism in New Zealand came from the government, starting in 1870 and highlighted by the turn of the century culture of touring (McClure 2004, p. 47). Before they were destroyed in 1886, the Pink and White Terraces were among the most coveted experiences for travel being considered the eighth wonder of the world. These natural formations created thermally heated water that was beyond compare. They were destroyed by the eruption of the volcano at Mount Tarawera (Page and Ryan 2012, p. 447). The film industry has had a profound effect on tourism in the later part of the 20th century. The use of a still from the film The Piano (1993) has been used in some of the promotional material for tourism in New Zealand. Films such as Willow (1988), The Last Samurai (2003), The Frighteners (1996), and Whale Rider (2002) all were produced in New Zealand, growing their industry and preparing for what would come next (Hall 2003, p. 125: IMDB 2013). What came next was the blockbuster level of film that made almost everything attached to it elevated in status. The trilogy The Lord of the Rings was a significant addition to the overall status of New Zealand as a destination. Leotta (2011, p. 1) writes that “The histories of cinema and tourism are deeply interconnected, since both these cultural activities provide different, but overlapping answers to the modern desire for temporal and spatial mobility”. The tourism council in New Zealand has used the magical and natural concepts about the natural world in New Zealand to promote the destination as both fantastical and grounded. With the onset of globalization and the influence of the Jackson films, the affordability of travel to far reaching destinations has made New Zealand an accessible holiday. Current trends in travel to New Zealand are still influenced by the film industry as the release of The Hobbit (2012) has revived the interest in travel to the area. Because of the interest in the natural world that exists on the islands, adventure tourism has a large following for the country. Whale watching is a popular activity in which the tourists are able to see the noble creatures off the coast of the island and is a common activity out of Queensland (Buckley 2006, p. 13). Indigenous tourism is an emerging trend that allows for the tourist to travel to destinations where people considered ‘other’ and outside of Western society are observed and their culture enjoyed through the development of a local tribal society as an example of that culture. The Maori have had the opportunity to develop educational events and attractions that tourists can use to examine the nature of their traditions and rituals (Conrady and Buck 2012, p. 131). 4. Critical Analysis The current trends require that some sense of a natural existence remain strong on the islands of New Zealand. Developing the natural wonders in the region has been an important method of creating the best possible outcomes for tourism increases. As global focus on New Zealand has been created through the vistas and pristine appearance of nature, allowing any form of environmentally harmful intrusion would be counterproductive to the goals of the nation in relationship to tourism. The nation must also maximize the use of the natural environment, similar to how the Pink and White terraces were used in the 19th century. The thermal pools created a destination focus so that the rise in health travel could be made an advantage. Although the tragedy of their loss meant that they were no longer available, scouting and enhancing other such natural treasures would benefit the current and immediate future of travel in the nation (Garrod and Wilson 2003, p. 240). As well as maximizing adventure travel while maintaining the importance of sustaining and preserving the various regions will help to preserve a region that is almost untouched. 5. Recommendations and Analysis for 2030 The basic elements of ecotourism, as in the presence of tourism should not disturb the natural environment, is vital in order to preserve the best asset that the nation has in relationship to tourist activities (Fennell and Dowling 2003, p. 235). Weaver (2006, p. 110) defines the nature of theory in relationship to natural world attractions as “a desire to pursue environmentally and socio-culturally sustainable paths”. In twenty years the biggest attraction that New Zealand may have is that they are one of the last areas of the world where there are natural environments that have not been harmed by environmental problems that are plaguing most of the still existing natural areas of the world. New Zealand is not experiencing the level of pollution and damage in its natural regions that most of the world has been affected by in the last century (Elmer 2010, p. 167). Social cultural drivers include the capacity for the Maori to act as a representation of tribal cultures of the past. With the dwindling interest in maintaining the Maori traditions, it is likely that in 20 years this focus will have no impact on tourism and will no longer be available for observation. Political drivers include the development of a more equitable society which will diminish some of the rugged themes that have inspired tourists. As well, the emersion of a new King William which through the development of his monarchy and whether or not governance throughout the UK remains at its current status may have some influence on the nature of the governance, which will then predict tourism and whether or not it is a priority (Anderson 2007). Global trends are based upon the influence of the film industry that has placed New Zealand in the spotlight as a destination of choice. This will only remain so if travel continues to be affordable, but recent increases in airline rates and the downturn of the economy will likely influence tourism in the next twenty year. The forecast for economic influence is that the next 6 – 10 years will continue to be affected by the global economic crisis (Kelly 2010). Tourism in the next 20 years will depend on economic recovery in the global context, the sustainability of the natural world, and intelligent management of the advantages of the natural world in New Zealand. Bibliography Bell, A., Harlow, R., and Starks, D. (2006). Languages of New Zealand. Wellington: Victoria University Press. Buckley, R. (2006). Adventure tourism. Wallingford: Cabi Pub., UK. Conrady, R. and Buck, R. (2012). Trends and issues in global tourism. London: Springer, Inc. Corrigan, H. (2012). New Zealand. London: DK. Elmer, G. (2010). Locating migrating media. Lanham, Md: Lexington Books. Fennell, D. A., and Dowling, R. K. (2003). Ecotourism policy and planning. Wallingford, Oxon, UK: CABI Pub. Fischer, D. H. (2012). Fairness and freedom: A history of two open societies : New Zealand and the United States. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Garrod, B. and Wilson, J. (2003). Marine ecotourism: Issues and experiences. Cleveland: Channel View Publications. Hall, D. (2003). 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