While most people are positive about the impact of tourism on New Zealand, concerns remain about growing numbers of tourists putting pressure on infrastructure, a new survey shows.
Queenstown, south island, new zealand looking over Lake Wakatipu with the remarkables in the distance. Photo: 123RF
Commissioned by Tourism New Zealand and Tourism Industry Aotearoa, the survey found the vast majority of people agree international tourism is good for New Zealand.
But about 40 percent remain concerned about the pressure tourism growth is putting on the country.
Concerns include accommodation shortages, congestion on the roads, environmental damage, freedom camping and road safety.
The chief executive of Tourism Industry Aotearoa, Chris Roberts, said the areas that get the most visitors were where local residents were most concerned about the impact of tourism.
"Queenstown and Auckland are the areas that are most concerned about the pressure from international tourism and overall perceptions from around the Queenstown area tend to be more negative than the other centres surveyed," he said.
The industry was aware of those concerns and was working hard with local communities to manage the impact, Mr Roberts said.
But the industry also had work to do in explaining the benefits of tourism to New Zealanders, he said.
Only 13 percent of people surveyed were aware that tourism was the country's biggest export earner.
"That's something that we need to do better at is explaining how important tourism is to New Zealand and what a contribution it makes to our economy," Mr Roberts said.
A record number of international tourists visited New Zealand over this summer.