Approximately 3 million international visitors aged 15 and over currently visit New Zealand each year, of whom 1.5 million visit national parks, according to the International Visitors Survey (IVS) that is conducted by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE). In addition, approximately 40% of New Zealanders aged 18 and over also visit national parks, according to DOC’s annual Survey of New Zealanders, equating to around 1.2 million people.
An improved question about national parks was incorporated into the IVS in July 2013, which removed the need for
complex geographical coding. This has shown that 52% of international visitors recorded visits to national parks
(Table 1), while an additional 3% recorded visits to marine parks or reserves, suggesting that DOC may already
be meeting its 2025 stretch goal that ‘50% of international holiday visitors come to New Zealand to connect with
our natural places’.
When analysed by purpose of visit, 70% of those on ‘holiday/vacation’ (the largest group) visited at least one
national park, but contributed 78% of the overall spend by this group (Table 1). Similarly, across all other
groups, visitors who went to national parks contributed disproportionately more to the overall expenditure (Table
1). This ‘national park effect’ is discussed further below.
| Purpose of visit | Total visitors (thousands) | Proportion that visited a national park | Total spend ($billions) | Proportion of spend contributed by those who visited national parks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holiday/vacation | 1578 | 70% | 6.3 | 78% |
| Visit friends/relatives | 867 | 36% | 2.1 | 49% |
| Other | 550 | 24% | 1.9 | 38% |
| All | 2995 | 52% | 10.3 | 65% |
There is a stark contrast in the average spend of national park visitors and others, as shown in Fig. 1. The key groups shown account for approximately two-thirds of the overall spend (see the Appendix for all visitor groups).
Figure 1. Average total spend by visitors who did and did not visit a national park by country group and purpose of visit for the period from 1 July 2013 (when the new International Visitors Survey began).
Statistical modelling using regression analysis allows us to estimate the combined effects of the length of stay
and the number of national parks visited on the average overall spend. Initial results indicate that both contribute
to an increased spend. For those who are on holiday/vacation for less than 3 weeks (equating to around
75% of holidaymakers/vacationers), each additional day corresponds to a 5.8% increase in spend, and each extra
national park visited corresponds to an additional 10.1% increase in spend.
A similar model for all holidaymaker/vacationer visits allows us to estimate the impact that the removal of national park visits would have on spend. Initial results suggest that this would lead to a 10% reduction in total visitor spend, approaching $1 billion per year, which is more than twice the $450 million total government conservation budget in 2015.
Analyses to date highlight the importance of national parks in attracting visitors and generating revenue for New Zealand. Future work will allow greater exploration of the relationships with other initiatives and potential marketing opportunities to boost the economic gains for conservation.
The figures below show the breakdown for the average spend across all countries and categories of purpose of visit (Fig. A.1) and an example of the modelled effect of the length of stay and the number of visits to a national park on the total spend (Fig. A.2).
The model estimates the same pattern across all countries and ages, but with different levels of spend. Figure A.2 shows the level for Chinese visitors in the age group 45-49 years. The model includes a weak negative interaction between the length of stay and the number of national parks visited, as shown by the convergence of the lines, indicating that their combined effect lessens as each reaches a high level.
Figure A.1. Average spend by country and purpose of visit for international visitors who did and did not visit a national park.
Figure A.2. Modelled pattern of the effects of the length of stay and the number of visits to a national park on the average overall spend.
