Tourism: Blessing or Blight?

Analysis of the Rotorua Region 8th October 2012

Prepared by:

Kunal Bhasin
For:

Leanne Nicholas
Tourism Lecturer

(9366)

Executive summary
The report is written to analyze the factors that influence the growth of tourism of Rotorua, investigates about the volume and expenditure done by Domestic and International tourists, illustrates the main industries that are intertwined with tourism industry and describes a range of attractions and activities that brings the tourism every year.

The report talks about how social needs get tourists to visit Rotorua, economic statuses of other countries affect decline in the tourism growth of Rotorua, cultural richness acts as the basic attractions for tourists and technological advancements in the world of advertisement and marketing affect the growth of tourism. Followed by the graphs that portray the expenditure in the main markets of Rotorua by domestic and international tourists and compare the amount of tourists coming in different years. A few industries such as Transportation, Accommodation and Activities and Attractions are explained and their interrelation with tourism industry is shown along with listing and explaining the many manmade attractions and naturals attractions, and the activities that can be seen and done while staying in Rotorua. It is further shown that Rotorua has a lot of strengths as a tourism destination and product but it also has to deal with a few weaknesses like lack of nightlife and entertainment but some weaknesses need not be looked upon, as they are not worth the change. Basic motivators are talked about that attract the tourists to the town of Rotorua and the facilitators that make the tourists decide to come to Rotorua and then the resistance factors that make the tourists come to a final decision of travelling to Rotorua because of its geothermal active nature, spas, lakes and the fact that is easily accessible and cheap to travel to. The impacts of tourism on local economy, socio culture and physical environment are mentioned and shown that they are positive and some negative, like people being too dependent on the tourism industry, people having to pay high prices for everyday good as they are prices as per the tourist, people are provided with an advantage to preserve their culture as it brings economic resources.

The report shows that tourists are mainly attracted by the idea that Rotorua is a whole package in its own, unless they are in New Zealand for snow. Rotorua gives them activities which are for most age groups and extreme sports for the people who are daring, it also gives tourist an opportunity to have a peek into the culture of new Zealands Maori and gives them a chance to experience a rare phenomenon which is not normally seen in a lot of places- The Geothermal Activity. The report also shows that Rotorua has gone through a few good and bad changes due to the impacts of tourism and how Rotorua has many strengths as a tourism destination and why its one of the most desired tourist destinations in New Zealand.

In the end its explained that tourism is neither a blessing nor blight it is rather both. Its just an industry working like any other industry. There are good things about tourism and then there are bad things about tourism. Good things being allot of money coming into the economy and bad things being economy, society, culture and environment being impacted by it.

Table of Contents
1 2 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................. 5
2.1 GROWTH OF TOURISM ....................................................................................................................... 6 2.1.1 SOCIAL ................................................................................................................................................................6 2.1.2 2.1.3 2.1.4 CULTURAL.........................................................................................................................................................7 ECONOMIC ........................................................................................................................................................8 TECHNOLOGICAL ...........................................................................................................................................8

DISCUSSION ..................................................................................................................................... 6

2.2 VOLUME AND EXPENDITURE ........................................................................................................... 9 2.2.1 DOMESTIC ...................................................................................................................................................... 12 2.2.2 INTERNATIONAL ........................................................................................................................................ 13 2.3 TOURISM INDUSTRY SECTORS ...................................................................................................... 14 2.3.1 TRANSPORT INDUSTRY ........................................................................................................................... 14 2.3.2 2.3.3 ACCOMODATION INDUSTRY ................................................................................................................. 16 ACTIVITIES AND ATTRACTION ............................................................................................................ 17

2.4 ATTRACTIONS AND ACTIVITIES ................................................................................................... 18 2.4.1 ATTRACTIONS .............................................................................................................................................. 18 2.4.2 ACTIVITIES .................................................................................................................................................... 22 2.5 MOTIVATORS, FACITLITATORS AND RESISTANCE FACTORS ............................................. 24 2.5.1 FACILITATORS ............................................................................................................................................. 24 2.5.2 2.5.3 MOTIVATORS ................................................................................................................................................ 24 RESISTANCE FACTORS ............................................................................................................................. 25

2.6 ROTORUA AS A DESTINATION/ TOURISM PRODUCT ............................................................ 26 2.6.1 STRENGTHS ................................................................................................................................................... 26 2.6.2 WEAKNESSES ............................................................................................................................................... 28 2.7 IMPACT OF TOURISM ON LOCAL ECONOMY OF ROTORUA ................................................. 28 2.8 IMPACT OF TOURISM ON SOCIO-CULTURAL AND PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT OF ROTORUA .......................................................................................................................................................... 30

CONCLUSIONS ...............................................................................................................................32
3.1 GROWTH OF TOURISM ..................................................................................................................... 32 3.2 VOLUME AND EXPENDITURE ......................................................................................................... 33 3.3 TOURISM INDUSTRY SECTORS ...................................................................................................... 34 3.4 ACTIVITIES AND ATTRACTIONS ................................................................................................... 35 3.5 MOTIVATORS, FACITLITATORS AND RESISTANCE FACTORS ............................................. 36 3.6 ROTORUA AS A DESTINATION/ TOURISM PRODUCT ............................................................ 36 3.7 IMPACT OF TOURISM ON LOCAL ECONOMY OF ROTORUA ................................................. 37 3.8 IMPACT OF TOURISM ON SOCIO-CULTURAL AND PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT OF ROTORUA .......................................................................................................................................................... 38 3.9 TOURISM: A BLESSING OR A BLIGHT ........................................................................................... 39

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REFERENCE LIST..........................................................................................................................41 APPENDICES..................................................................................................................................44

1 INTRODUCTION
The report was requested by, M/s Leanne Nicholas, tourism lecturer at Wellington Institute of Technology. Its purpose is to analyze the effects of tourism on Rotorua, New Zealand and determine whether tourism is a Blessing or a Blight? The report was requested on July 24, 2012 and is due on October 8, 2012.

The information for this report was collected by visiting websites made by the government to promote Rotorua and a few private websites outlining the activities and attractions of the town, government statistics for the tourism expenditure, academic reports on the internet and booklets that are provided by most hotels in the country that outlines the special combination packs, rental services and coupons for various activities. The academic theory was taken form the course book and related with self-thoughts and information found.

The report will be covering the factors that influence the growth of tourism in Rotorua. It will also identify the industry sectors in Rotorua that are interrelated with tourism industry. A basic idea of international and domestic tourist volume and expenditure would be given and a range of attractions and activities will be described. There would be a further identification and description of the motivators, facilitators and resistance factors of Rotorua then Rotoruas of strengths and weaknesses, as a tourism product and destination. In the end the impacts of tourism on the local economy, socio cultural and physical environment will be talked about with a short and general conclusion about tourism being a blessing or blight.

ROTORUA Rotorua is a township located besides the serene blue lake Rotorua. It is the geothermal center of New Zealand, as it is located on the volcanic plateau, which covers almost the entire central north island. (Rotorua, 2012) Rotorua has an

approximate population of 66,000. Most of the New Zealand population lives within 300 kilometers of Rotorua, which means, it is easily accessible for domestic tourism. Since Auckland, New Zealands biggest international airport is 3 hours drive away from Rotorua, even international tourist can easily visit the town, giving rise to the tourism. (About Rotorua, 2011)

Rotorua has been voted New Zealands most beautiful city six times. It is the only town where steam escapes from cracks in the road and the pungent aroma of sulphur passes through air. (Rotorua, 2012)

2 DISCUSSION
2.1 GROWTH OF TOURISM
2.1.1 SOCIAL Sociability is about participating with others and having fun in a lively, outgoing and sociable environment (Collier, 2011, p. 286)

All activities and attractions and food and accommodations make up for social life in Rotorua. Rotorua is a place where domestic tourists come to get a break from their daily lives and get along with friends and family. Since Rotorua has spas treatments friends can go and catch up in the spa pools.

Rotorua is just three hours drive from Auckland and six hours drive from Wellington, which makes it easily accessible for domestic tourists who have a long weekend or a week holiday. People travelling in campervans can go to recreational parks where they can have a picnic and a barbeque. Rotorua has 15 fishing lakes and is close to lake Toupo, which is another tourist spot mainly known for its adventure sports. Humans are social animals and they must be

social to survive, Rotorua acts as a place to be social at and encourages tourists to visit the geothermal town. 2.1.2 CULTURAL Collier (2011) supports the suggestion made by WTO (1998) about cultural tourism to be the reason people travel from their country to another is to learn more about the different culture in the host country. People who travel to different countries in order to learn their cultural arts, dances, traditions and religions those people are called cultural tourists.

Rotorua is considered to be the center of the New Zealands Maori culture. The people in Rotorua have been safe guarding the culture that is more than 160 years old. Rotorua people were the first to be the tourist guides in New Zealand as they are the most culturally learned people in New Zealand. There are live performances, arts and crafts in the city that portray the Maori culture of New Zealand. In order to educate people about Maori culture in Rotorua tourists are told about it in songs, dances and arts.

Rotorua is known have the best tourism in New Zealand since tourism started in Rotorua when centuries ago people came to see the Pink and White Terraces set on the side of Rotomahana. (Cultural Experiences, n.d.)

Buried Village has played a big role in attracting tourists to Rotorua. An unexpected volcanic eruption of Mt. Tarawera destroyed the eighth wonder of the world the Pink and White Terraces and the village of Te Wairoa. 120 years after that village which has been excavated out of volcanic ash. To look at the excavation thousands of tourists each year travel to Rotorua to get the first hand insight into the destruction done by a volcanic eruption. (Cultural Experiences, n.d.)

To learn about the culture of New Zealands Maori, tourists come to Rotorua as Rotorua has all the aspects of tourism along with learning about the culture. 2.1.3 ECONOMIC The recession in 2009 was one of the reasons for decline in the growth of tourism. But the main reason for a decline was that Rotorua had developed a market for Asian countries only and Asian countries were anyways facing a downturn. The traffic from Japan, China and Korea had started to fall long before recession. One reason was also the Swine flu attack in Asian countries. This loss of tourists affected Rotorua heavily as Rotorua was not prepared for this fall and had to face the consequences. The main consequence was lack of demand; this had forced the room rates to go down. When the room rates were dropped it was long before they could come out of the drop. Another reason was a lot of motels in the town, money had been over used on motels and there were allot of motels in one single town. Rotorua has never had a problem in supply but was facing a huge lack in demand, or demands were not enough to equalize the supply. (Parker, 2009)

Most did not see this happening in Rotorua and so did not plan a backup. But people like CEO of Te Puia, a geothermal spa, had forecasted this and to keep their demand up he invited schools and organizations for educational trips and activities. Basically the international demand was being aided by domestic tourism. Setting up events like marathons and lifestyle fairs further encouraged the domestic tourism. (Parker, 2009) 2.1.4 TECHNOLOGICAL The growth of technology has brought about growth in the tourism industry by introducing new ways to reach the target market, new ways to advertise to the tourists about the tourism product available in Rotorua. Facebook and Twitter have contributed a lot in spreading awareness about Rotorua in the world. Appendix A shows a snapshot of a facebook profile of Rotorua and how many people liked it.

Another technological leap is to be able to provide tourists with combinations information and vouchers that they can use to pay less and combine two or more activities together. (Rotorua Adventure combos, 2011)

2.2 VOLUME AND EXPENDITURE

(Angus and Associates Ltd, 2011) The graph above shows the daily expenditure per person according to the main markets in Rotorua. We can see that domestic tourists expend more on accommodation and food where as international including Australian tourist expend more on activities and attractions and gifts and souvenirs. For Australians even if its a week holiday they can come to Rot orua for some fun, this is because Australia is the only country nearest to New Zealand. Other international tourists do highest expenditure on local transport as most of

them are not aware of cheaper transportations and also are not confortable driving around in New Zealand.

(Angus and Associates Ltd, 2011)

This graph compares 4 years on the basis of daily expenditure in Rotorua per person by all visitors. In 2008 Expenditure on accommodation was highest in all 4 years, it declined in 2009 and jumped up again in 2010 but not as much as 2008. There was a very small decline of NZ$ -1.30 from 2010 to 2011. While looking at the Activities and Attraction sector there has been an overall growth in the expenditure by tourist, expenditure in 2009 declines by NZD$ 5.20 and then grows higher than 2008 in 2010. This growth was a big jump and then to balance out it came down to NZD$ 41.71 in 2011.

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(Angus and Associates Ltd, 2011)

This graph shows that domestic tourists travel to Rotorua mainly for Activities and Attractions then Accommodation and Food. In the year ending June 2011 it was found that tourists on an average spent approximately NZD$ 42 per person daily on their activities and attractions. It is also seen that its competitor in its market segment is Christchurch with NZD$ 55 per person daily, that is NZD$ 13 more than Rotorua.

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2.2.1 DOMESTIC

(Angus and Associates Ltd, 2011)

This Graph shows the Domestic Visitors in Rotorua. At a very first look, without even studying the graph it can be seen that Auckland is the largest market for Rotorua; it has a contribution of 47% of total domestic visitors. After Auckland there is a group of three in the middle, Wellington, Bay of Plenty and Waikato, they have a contribution of 10%, 9% and 9% respectively. Over the years Auckland visitor arrivals have fluctuated but hasnt been a significant change

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although over all it is raising. Looking at Wellington there was a constant drop from 2007 to 2010 but it has again picked up, even though it is slow.

Auckland is Rotorua's single largest source market it accounts for approximately 25% of total visitor days (ie. Visitor nights plus day visitors). Other key domestic markets for Rotorua are Bay of Plenty and Waikato. (Destination Rotorua Marketing, 2012, para. 3)

2.2.2 INTERNATIONAL

(Angus and Associates Ltd, 2011)

The graph above shows the International Visitors by Country of origin. Australia is considered to be the largest international market for Rotorua because at present it accounts for 27% of the total international visitors in Rotorua after that it is UK, which seems to be declining over the past few years.

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Australia is Rotorua's largest international market it accounts for approximately 7% of total visitor days. Other key international markets for Rotorua are United Kingdom, USA, South Korea, Germany, China and Japan. (Destination Rotorua Marketing, 2012, para. 4)

2.3 TOURISM INDUSTRY SECTORS

2.3.1 TRANSPORT INDUSTRY In simple words transportation is the means of going from one place to another. Collier (2011) explained that a tourist needs three types of transport: Transportation from origin to host destination; Transportation within the host destination; and Transportation from one host to another host destination.

Collier (2011) also mentioned that transportation could be broken down into water, land and air transportation.

Tourists come from all over the world and also from neighboring cities. International tourist travels by international transport and neighboring cities travel by domestic transportation.

Transportation: Rotorua Rotorua is located in the central north island of New Zealand. It is very well connected to the main cities of New Zealand like Wellington, Auckland, Christchurch and Queenstown. Auckland is the biggest international hub of New Zealand and so Auckland Rotorua is the most travelled route. (Destination Rotorua Marketing, 2012)

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There is no direct route to Rotorua for international tourists, except Australian tourist, so they have to travel from one of the major cities in New Zealand. To get to Rotorua, international and domestic tourist booth can use three modes of transportation, Air, coach or self-drive. Air

Tourist can fly in to Rotorua from Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington, Queenstown and Sydney (On Saturdays and Tuesdays only). Air New Zealand is the sole air transport provider for Rotorua. There are special times for Sydney flights. Tourist can travel from any city to Rotorua for under NZD$ 200 and it takes less than 2 hours to reach. (Destination Rotorua Marketing, 2012) Coach

New Zealand has two prominent coach services that transport domestic and international tourists to Rotorua at cheap costs. Intercity Coach services and Naked Bus services charge a very low fee to tourists. The coach services also provide tour services where they take the tourists the longer way and show them the Waitomo caves. The coach services take a few hours more than selfdriving but stops at major eating places for the appropriate mealtime. People looking for a cheap way to travel to Rotorua chose the coach services. (Destination Rotorua Marketing, 2012) Self- Drive

Mainly domestic tourist prefer this mode of transportation since they know their way around New Zealand but some tourist who like to travel at will looking around all the places also prefer to self drive to Rotorua. Rotorua is three hours drive form Auckland and 6 hours drive from Wellington. Most domestic tourists have their own cars but international tourist can rent cars from rental companies. Another plus point is that hotels provide either free parking or low cost parking for cars. Self-driven tourists dont have to time their travel according to tour companies as they can drive to the attraction. (Destination Rotorua Marketing, 2012)

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2.3.2 ACCOMODATION INDUSTRY Accommodation is the second most important industry to support tourism. Accommodation is mainly necessary for people living over night or for a few days in Rotorua. Collier (2011) lists a few different kinds of accommodations as; Hotel Motel Bed and Breakfast Luxury Lodge Farm stay Backpackers Apartments Resorts and etc.

Accommodations in Rotorua Apartments

Apartments are a great option for tourists to stay in a major city or resort town. With cooking and laundry facilities, apartments are similar in price to a high quality hotel suite with daily or regular servicing. (100% Pure New Zealand) Backpackers

This kind of accommodation is a good option for all ages. It is the most cost effective way of living in Rotorua. The money that is saved can be spent in experiencing the activities. There is a possibility of making friends and getting an opportunity to add things to the itinerary. Backpackers are mainly intercity located so they are close to all the fun stuff. (Destination Rotorua Marketing, 2012) Hotels

Rotorua has plenty of hotel options. They range from 4-star with international chains to historic boutique style plus city, thermal, lakeside and budget options. Hotels can book tours and activities for the tourists and they can also provide pickups for the tourists, on request. (Destination Rotorua Marketing, 2012)

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Self Catering Rentals

Self-catering rentals are holiday homes booked by tourist who are travelling for a long period of time and would be staying in Rotorua for at least a week. This kind of accommodation is best for independent tourists who wish to rest and want break from their busy lives. (Destination Rotorua Marketing, 2012) Motels

Motels are basically highway accommodations. They are a unit in their own with individual parking. Motels have all the amenities like swimming pools, barbecue facilities, game rooms, etc. Motels are normally on the border of the town and are about 20 to 30 minutes form the major town sites. (Destination Rotorua Marketing, 2012) 2.3.3 ACTIVITIES AND ATTRACTION Activities and attraction also come under the industry sectors of tourism as the money produced by activities and attractions is counted under the tourism sector. As Collier (2011) illustrated, tourists travel to a destination because of an attraction. Tourist doesnt only travel to live in a hotel; they travel to see what their home place does not have. This makes Activities and attractions the most important for tourism industry.

Rotorua has different activities and attractions that attract tourists. Rotorua has the only geothermal parks in the whole New Zealand. Its being geothermal active gets tourist to travel. Another reason tourists travel to Rotorua is because of the luge and zorbing. Rotorua is the only city in New Zealand that has zorbs. Rotorua and Queenstown are the best places for adventure sports both have skydiving and bungee jumping but Rotorua has living Maori Culture and Queenstown has snow. People prefer to come to Rotorua if they are not very interested in snow as Rotorua has all those things, which are available in Queenstown.

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2.4 ATTRACTIONS AND ACTIVITIES

2.4.1 ATTRACTIONS According to Collier (2011) tourist attraction can be defined as, unique, sightseeing opportunities or activities provided by the destination chosen by the tourist. Attractions are the basic factors making the tourist choose the destination. Attractions can be further divided into two categories: Site Attraction Event Attraction

2.4.1.1 SITE ATTRACTION Collier (2011) explained that site attractions are the sites at the destination that encourage the tourist to visit. Site attractions can be either natural or constructed. Natural attractions can be geysers, landscapes, beaches, etc. and human does not create them. Constructed attractions can be cultural and historic sites such as buildings, areas of historic or religious importance, etc. and humans create them.

Natural Attractions of Rotorua Whakarewaera It is home to the largest geyser in New Zealand. The geyser erupts up to 15 times a day and shoots hot water almost 90 feet upwards. The village is also known as the living thermal village. (Rotorua, 2012)

Tikitere (Hells gate) Tikitere is Rotoruas most active geothermal part set on 50 acres of steaming hot springs, boiling and bubbly mud pools, spurting waterfall, Kakahi the largest hot waterfall in southern hemisphere. (Rotorua, 2012)

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Waimangu Waimangu valley is the youngest geothermal site in the world. It shows off the beauty left behind by the volcanic eruption. Plan life here is in abundance and the hot pools display multicolor rocks. (Rotorua, 2012)

Waiotapu It has one of the most colorful volcanic features such as champagne pool, Wai-O-Tapu thermal wonderland is set among gorgeous native bush and is about 20 minutes drive from Rotorua. (Rotorua, 2012)

Qrakei Valley (The hidden valley) Scenes from Walking with Dinosaurs were filmed here and it has been titled the best thermal area left in New Zealand and one of the finest in the world. It is only accessible by boat, which makes it exotic. (Rotorua, 2012)

Constructed Attractions of Rotorua The Bath house (Rotorua Museum) The bathhouse was a spa, back in the days that offered therapeutic treatments. Now it has been transformed into Rotorua Museum of Art and History Te Whare Taonga O Te Arawa. (Destination Rotorua Marketing, 2012)

Old post office the old post office was opened in 1914 to replace the original 1880s building. It has a memorable town clock, which was built in honor of Premier Richard Seddon who died in 1906. (Destination Rotorua Marketing, 2012)

Princes Gate archway the princes gate archway is a stylized representation of a crown. It was erected in honor of the visit of Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York in 1901 (later King George V and Queen Mary). (Destination Rotorua Marketing, 2012)

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Blue Baths The blue baths were first supplied with hot alkaline mineral water from nearby Oruawata Cauldron and later from the chameleon spring. It was a plain wooden bath building when it was opened in 1885. (Destination Rotorua Marketing, 2012)

2.4.1.2 EVENT ATTRACTION Collier (2011) defined that event attractions are the events that attract people to the destination. People visit the destination because of what is happening there. Events are a temporary attraction, as when the event finishes even the tourist, with a purpose to attend the event, does not come back.

A few Ongoing and Upcoming Event Attractions of Rotorua Mid- Winter with the Pirates of the Pacific (Mokoi Restaurant, Saturday, 25 August) People are supposed to be dressed in 17th century pirate, nobility or naval fancy dress. It is a dinner show along with a comedy show where people can win money prizes of up to 100 dollars. This is a unique and exciting blend of interactive dinner theatre and challenging mystery which puts you the audience in the role of detectives. (Destination Rotorua Marketing, 2012)

Absent Friends (Shambles Theatre, Saturday 25 August) Rotorua Little Theatre Society presents Absent Friends, a comedy/drama written by Alan Ayckbourn and directed by Jill Horne. (Destination Rotorua Marketing, 2012)

Murder Mystery Dinner (Amora lake resort, Sunday, 1 September) Enjoy an evening of entertainment, while mystery and mayhem lurk all

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around you, and even involve you! As the clues unravel, try to solve the spectacular murder mystery of "whodunit" - before it's too late! (Destination Rotorua Marketing, 2012)

Brooks Rotovegas half marathon (Soundshell and Village green, Sunday, 26 August) It is the 2nd annual half marathon and has its course in and around Rotorua and its surrounds areas. You get to look around the beautiful landscape of Rotorua and enjoy with your friends. It is not necessary to be a serious runner anyone interested can come and run. (Destination Rotorua Marketing, 2012)

ITM cup BOP steamers vs Otago (Rotorua International Stadium, Thursday, 30 August) Come along to the Rotorua International Stadium for this round three match up of the ITM Cup between our very own Bay of Plenty Steamers and Otago - this will be an epic battle between these great rivals at their 2nd home game of the 2012 ITM Cup season. (Destination Rotorua Marketing, 2012)

Wildlife Photographer of the years 2011 (Rotorua Museum, Saturday, 25 August) Presenting winning images from the 2011 competition, this exhibition celebrates the richness of our planet and encourages us to appreciate and preserve it. Each picture is accompanied by the story of its creation, sometimes under quite incredible conditions. (Destination Rotorua Marketing, 2012)

Love New Zealand falcon Conservation week 2012 (Museum and Aviaries, Sunday, 9 September) To celebrate the 20th year anniversary of Wingspan - National Bird of Prey Centre - they are offering for Conservation Week 2012 2 for 1 discount on admission to visit

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Wingspan for the whole month of September. (Destination Rotorua Marketing, 2012)

2.4.2 ACTIVITIES As per Collier (2011) tourist activities are the part of tourism where the tourist has to participate and to a certain extent has to apply some physical efforts to enjoy the activity. Example: Adventure Sports, Water sports. The activities have to be the ones which are not available or sparcely avalable in the world, so that the tourist is drawn to the country or city to participate in that activity. Activities are basically natural attractions which are supported by man made attractions and se we cannot distinguish between natural and man-made here.

Activities that bring tourist to Rotorua Skyline Gondola and Luge The skyline Rotorua is built on the Mt Ngogotaha. Gondola ride takes the tourists up the mountain, while going up surrounding lakes and geothermal areas can be seen. While coming down the tourist has a choice of taking the luge, which takes them, down on a luge that is part go-cart and part toboggan. It takes the tourist downhill through beautiful scenery and the redwood forest. (Skyline Enterprises, 2012)

Agrodome - The Agrodome is one on New Zealands most loved tourist attractions. Located just 10 kms north of the Rotorua CBD, the Agrodome is home to the multi award winning Sheep Show. This famous Rotorua attraction features live sheep shearing, 19 breeds of champion rams, cow milking, lamb feeding, dog demonstrations as well as a full New Zealand dog trial. (Agrodome, Rotorua, 2012)

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Mud Bath and Spa The geothermal mud is known for its curing power and so Rotoruas most active geothermal park Hells gate gives an opportunity to the people to get in the geothermal muds. Along with this they also provide spa facilities and products for skin, which are made form geothermal mud. (Rotorua Historic Day Spa - Hells Gate geothermal Mud Bath Spa Experience , 2012)

Zorbing Zorb was the winner of the Visitors Choice awards for the things to do in New Zealand. Zorb is a fun activity for almost all ages. Its a non-stop laughing activity. People do not have to have special clothes of this. Zorb is a hollow ball big enough to fit one person inside it. The person gets in the ball and then it is closed properly. Fun part starts when the ball is rolled over a hill with the person inside it and then people down the hill stop it. It is a short activity but the short period of time doesnt make it less fun. (Zorb, 2009) Check Appendix B for more information about the zorbing experience.

Skydive Rotorua (NZONE) It is an extreme sport, which needs at least three to four hours to do. There is no age limit but every individual doing it must give a written consent because although being safe things can sometimes go wrong. Skydiving is not everybodys sport and only people who really want to do it come to Rotorua for it and surprisingly there are many people who ate interested it this. The person doing it is trained before actually jumping off the plane. There are three choices of different heights to jump off from. The price is not very cheap but it is worth the adrenaline rush. Tourists can also buy their jump videos and photos to take back home and show people in their home place. (Skydive- Nzone, 2012)

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2.5 MOTIVATORS, FACITLITATORS AND RESISTANCE FACTORS

2.5.1 FACILITATORS Facilitators will determine whether or not tourism is a viable alternative for a person seeking to satisfy a need. (Collier, 2011, p. 277) Push factors include economic, social, political, demographic and socio-psychological dimensions, such as escapism, nostalgia, romance, prestige, sensation seeking, learning, and spiritual fulfillment, that motivate people to get away from it all. (Richardson & Fluker, 2004, p. 67 )

Local tourists come to Rotorua to escape from their busy schedule and have some fun. International tourists come for adventure seeking, geothermal experiences, and exploration. Rotorua has so many activities that can be enjoyed by all kinds and ages of people. Facilitating factors in bringing people to Rotorua for local tourist can be weekend (leisure time) and money to spend on a week away from their work and the busy town. Another facilitating factors for local tourists can be the distance of travel they have to go through to come to Rotorua for a weekend holiday. Facilitating factors for international tourists coming to Rotorua can be a feeling of seeing extra ordinary things like geothermal activity, college students coming to study the environment, effects of geothermal activities on the nature. 2.5.2 MOTIVATORS Motivators will determine whether tourism is a desirable alternative for the person. Motivations to travel will vary depending on the needs that the travel is fulfilling. (Collier, 2011, pp. 277- 278) Pull factors are those that make a destination attractive for consumers; these include climate, attractions, safety, lifestyle, activities and atmosphere. (Swarbrooke & Horner, 1999)

Motivational factors for local tourists coming to Rotorua can be the events going on in Rotorua, the activities, the free space, and beautiful lakes to fish.

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The lakes play a key role in establishing Rotorua as one of the New Zealands tourist destinations. Some locals also visit Rotorua on regular basis for geothermal spa treatments, medically or just to pamper themselves. Motivational factors for tourists from out of New Zealand can be the concentration of Maori Culture, geothermal attractions, lakes and the natural environment that New Zealand is so proud of. New Zealand markets itself to be 100% pure and green. In New Zealand Maori culture is concentrated the most in Rotorua and it is passed on to newer generations, this is one of the motivation factors for people who wish to learn about the Kiwi culture. The History and the present of the geothermal attractions is shown and preserved in Rotorua and this is another motivator for the tourists as geothermal activities are so exposed in very less counties around the world, its a very big motivator for researchers.

2.5.3 RESISTANCE FACTORS Resistance factors act as a counterbalance to facilitating factors and/or motivation factors. Resistance factors can act as a restraining force with regard to both facilitators and motivators and act so as to detract from the appeal of the alternative being considered. (Collier, 2011, pp. 277- 278)

In laymans language resistance factors can be defined as the factors that make the destination unique enough to be chosen over all the other alternatives that are thought of by the traveller. Resistance factors for Rotorua are the Maori Culture concentration, geothermal activities and the beautiful lakes. When people thing of coming to New Zealand and doing some adventure they thing of Christchurch and Rotorua but one more thing is going on in their mind, what else do both the cities have to give them other than just the activities, this is where Christchurch and Rotorua are different. Christchurch has snow but no geothermal activities no spas and not a big concentration of Maori culture.

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Tourists who plan on visiting a city in New Zealand have to decide if they wish learn the Maori culture and explore through the geothermal active places or they wish to ski or snow board.

2.6 ROTORUA AS A DESTINATION/ TOURISM PRODUCT

Collier (2011) claimed that people are not just attracted to the destination, i.e., country, region or a local area because of the destination itself unless it also acts as a site attraction for the tourists but because of what they think about the place, the offerings of the place, the attractions of the place and if these aspects satisfy their specific needs to travel.

Every location has their own characteristics that attract tourists, some can be either enough to attract a tourist to travel al the way for it and spend the disposable income they have, and some are not very attractive to make that travelling happen. Hence why every destination has its own strengths and weaknesses as far as tourism is taken into consideration.

2.6.1 STRENGTHS The key strengths of Rotorua, that are related to tourism are: Natural Landscape and Scenery Geothermal Features Maori Culture Variety of attractions Geographical location (Destination Rotorua Tourism Marketing, 2011)

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(Destination Rotorua Tourism Marketing, 2011)

Rotorua is a mix of culture, activity and attraction. Rotorua being right in the center of the North Island is the perfect destination or people to come over for a weekend or maybe for a night. The easy accessibility makes it one of the most desired local tourism destinations and for international tourists landing at the major airport, i.e., Auckland also make it a point to visit Rotorua as its not too far away (about 2- 3 hours drive), thats why accessibility can be called a strength for Rotorua as a destination.

In the right season almost all the attractions and activities are on peak and heaps of tourist visit Rotorua, which are mostly local, but international tourists are not too behind on numbers. Appendix C shows all the seasons and activities.

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2.6.2 WEAKNESSES The main weaknesses of Rotorua can be both perceived and real. Perceived weaknesses have been identified specifically for the Auckland Market since it is the biggest and main market for Rotorua. The weaknesses are: Perception of inadequacies vs. other regions for: lower levels of security, lack of urban landscape, lack of good food and wine, nightlife and entertainment. Distance from Major international airport Public transport Retail shopping (Destination Rotorua Tourism Marketing, 2011)

Rotorua has a good variety of activities and attractions but it doesnt have a good range of food and wine as expected from New Zealand. The nightlife in Rotorua is also still. After 7 or 8 in winters the crowd disappears, as there us nothing to keep the tourists/ crowds busy in the nights. There is a selective amount of pubs and bars and eateries that stay open in the night. This lack of crowd makes the place highly unsafe, as there is are locals living and a percentage of the local population is homeless and unemployed. (Personal visit)

Public transport in Rotorua is not too good as the local buses operate at a time and then everything dies out. There are not a lot of taxi services. Its a small town and mostly all the activities and attractions are out of town so most of the things are not necessarily in walking distance. Tourists have to book tour buses and pay extra, as public transport does not leave them at the attractions.

2.7 IMPACT OF TOURISM ON LOCAL ECONOMY OF ROTORUA

According to Collier (2011) tourism brings in fresh money into the economy and tourism is promoted basically due to its economical advantages to the country or a region. Collier (2011) added in, domestic tourists earn money in their own region and spend it in another, redistributing wealth within the country; also

28

international tourists earn money in their own country and spend it in another, increasing the foreign exchange earnings for the host country.

Since Rotorua is the leading tourism centers in New Zealand, the largest amount of foreign exchange is brought into the country and region by the tourism industry. Tourism research council estimates that in 2006 Rotorua attracted 1.5 million overnight visitors and 1.4 million day visitors and it generated 3.4 million visitor nights and $470 million in tourism expenditure. Statistics shown that about 27% of all international visitors to New Zealand visited Rotorua for least one night in the year ended December 2006. (APR Consultants, 2008)

Collier (2011) explained that tourism provides employment for a country or region since it is a service industry and has a propensity to be labor intensive. Collier (2011) also mentioned that tourists increase government revenue by paying sales tax, visa fees, accommodation taxes and departure taxes at the airports.

In Rotorua each year approximately 1700 direct jobs, for example tour guides, and 1130 indirect jobs are created, for example food growers. (Manurewa School, n.d.) But the negative effect of Rotorua being a tourist city is that the jobs are seasonal and jobs and facilities are only used for less than six months in a year. Tourists pay the sales tax on things they purchase which is non refundable unlike a few other countries, so indirectly by tourism even government is earning revenue from things like souvenirs, food, facilities used, etc.

Economically, from tourism also come a few problems like the people getting too dependent on tourism for income and inflation setting into the local economy as businesses price their services and goods considering the tourists where as locals

29

would also have to pay the high prices for everyday goods like food, clothing, transport, etc.

2.8 IMPACT

OF

TOURISM

ON

SOCIO-CULTURAL

AND

PHYSICAL

ENVIRONMENT OF ROTORUA
According to Collier (2011) the impact of tourism on Society, Culture and Environment can be both positive and negative, but in the recent years it is seen that human activity hasnt been very responsible and had been affecting environment negatively. Collier (2011) also mentioned that a society and culture can only be negatively impacted if they are not strong and the how much they can meet the expectations of the tourists. Collier (2011) stated that it has been suggested by Lundgren (1974) that a destination with a strong culture and its own language can possibly tolerate the impact of foreign culture than an area with no unique or clear traits.

The impacts of tourism on the socio-culture of Rotorua are: The people are too dependent on tourism for their income. Because of this dependency they interact more than needed with the tourists and indulge with them. The people get a reason to preserve their culture, it being that people from all over the world come to Rotorua to experience the Ne w Zealands Maori culture and it also has an economic advantage for them as the tourism pay for this experience. The local people get to enjoy the entire infrastructure that is developed for the tourists, as they are part of town. It makes the locals think they own the tourism industry in New Zealand as they own most of the places in Rotorua that are related to tourism like Agrodome and Polynesian Spa.

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There is too much contact between the host and the tourists as the attractions and activities are spread out all over Rotorua and this is not directly harming the culture but indirectly it makes the locals feel that tourists, the outsiders, have a lot of money and they are wealthier.

As well as interesting geophysical features, the biology of geothermal sites is equally fascinating yet not widely appreciated. Geothermal areas provide an extremely hot, humid, and acidic environment which most plants cannot tolerate. The species of plants that do grow in these types of areas are often rare; some are also endemic. The Rotorua District contains almost all plant species associated with geothermal vegetation in New Zealand. Geothermal ecosystems also contain organisms thought to be amongst the oldest known, e.g., thermophilic archaebacteria. These ecosystems are uncommon both worldwide and nationally. In addition to distinctiveness and rarity, these geothermal features and ecosystems can be extremely fragile. (Ward, Burns, Johnson, Simmons, & Fairweather, 2000) Rotorua is a geothermal area and is very sensitive, pollution can easily damage it, which is why mostly all the geothermal areas are away from town but when tourists drive to the areas in cars and vans there is air pollution even though it might be very low. Another environmental impacts can be: Environmental congestion occurs when there are a high tourists densities and pedestrian traffic can damage sensitive environments at places like the geothermal attractions where tourists are given with a map to g on a selfguided tour in the geothermal area. Water pollution occurs with increased tourist activities and there is no one to monitor them for example, fishing, boating, lakeside activities. There is construction that goes on for tourism industry on places that are geothermal and are fragile. This construction can damage the geothermal areas.

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Over use of natural resources by the accommodation industry to cater for the tourists and waste disposal from the hotels and activities and attractions.

Carbon emissions but airlines and air pollution by cars, buses and trains that are used to get to Rotorua. Even though there are many negative environment impacts of tourism there is a positive impact too that is, tourism stimulates funding of conservation and natural assets that would otherwise decay. These natural assets are preserved by tourist interest and money.

3 CONCLUSIONS

3.1 GROWTH OF TOURISM

Growth of tourism in Rotorua is affected by Social, Cultural, Economic and technological elements. Sociability is one of the reasons people travel to places and Rotorua provides them ground to be social.

Biggest element of growth of tourism in Rotorua is its rich culture. Rotorua has the most cultural activities to do and attractions to do. People of Rotorua have been passed down the culture from Generations and generations. This culture is illustrated to the visitors in the form of dance, arts and performances.

Economic elements havent had a positive affect on the growth of tourism in the past few years. Rotorua has been affected by the downturn in Asian market since Asia was its main market. The swine flu in Asian also affected the Asian market to stop sending visitors. Another reason was recession in 2009 when people did

32

not have enough disposable income to spend on tourism. Rotoruas supply had exceeded the tourists demands by huge differences.

Technological elements such as Facebook and twitter affect the marketing and awareness of Rotorua and its tourism product. These social sites tell people why they should travel to Rotorua. Ways of marketing online have increased the possibility of reaching a wider market.

3.2 VOLUME AND EXPENDITURE

The statistics give a lot of information about the expenditure and tourist volumes in Rotorua in the past few years. The main markets in the tourism sector are accommodation, food, local transport, activities and attraction, conferences, gambling and gifts.

Attractions and activities grab the most expenditure and then accommodation and food, local transport and souvenir are almost same and conferences and gambling is minimum. Most Australian tourism comes to Rotorua to experience the activities and attractions. Of all the tourists Australian tourists spend money on souvenirs to take back home. International tourist expends most on local transport as they have very little or no idea about the country and the city Rotorua.

Expenditure done on Conferences and Souvenirs has seen a constant drop in the past few years. Where as activities and attractions have seen a jump in those years.

Most tourists spend money on almost all the markets in Queenstown. But Rotorua comes second when it comes to activities and attractions; it is because people coming for snow sports and all other activities go to Queenstown and

33

snow sports cost more than normal activities, since the rentals of equipment is costly enough.

Auckland and Australia are undoubtedly the largest markets of Rotorua. Auckland has always been at the top but Australia has just taken the lead from UK in 2010. UK has shown less expenditure in the whole New Zealand and also in Rotorua. Canada also seems to come up in the international market context since its seen that Canadas expenditure in Rotorua has risen from 2007 to 2012.

3.3 TOURISM INDUSTRY SECTORS

Tourism in Rotorua supports and is supported by three main industries, transport, accommodation and activities and attractions. These industries are so much intertwined with tourism that they cannot work without each other.

When tourists come to Rotorua they have to use the primary industry that is transportation industry. Most international either travel by airplanes or coaches, and some travel by rented cars. There are four major routes for the tourist to travel into Rotorua by plane and Auckland is the most used one. Coaches run everyday and night all over the north island connecting all the cities together for affordable prices. Tourist that doesnt not wish to spend a lot of money on transportation chooses coaches even though they take more time but are cheaper than flying. Flying into Rotorua can cost around NZD$ 200 maximum per person where as coaches cost about NZD$ 40 maximum per person. Self-driven tourists are the tourists that are independent tourists and like travelling at will.

Domestic tourists normally choose driving into Rotorua or take coaches, but we cannot rule out flying into Rotorua. Domestic tourist knows their way around the country and knows cheaper ways of travelling. Domestic tourists normally go to

34

Rotorua for a week or less, to take a break from their busy lives. Since parking is cheap or free in Rotorua it aids to the decision making of the domestic traveller.

3.4 ACTIVITIES AND ATTRACTIONS

Rotorua is the Adventure capital of New Zealand. It has all the adventure activities in New Zealand, but the snow. Rotorua is basically known for its geothermal activity and facilities related to it. Government of New Zealand has used the geothermal active region in the best way to give rise to tourism. All the different volcanic aspect has been developed and studied. Tourist that goes to Rotorua goes back home astounded by the rarely visible phenomenon of Geothermal Activity. Rotorua also portrays old buildings and statues that have now aged and are still upright. Government has stationed everything in one place to let the tourist experience the best of New Zealand in one place without travelling a lot. The Adventure activities are enough for every age group to enjoy. Activities like gondola and luge, agrodome, zorbing are things that can be enjoyed by the whole family. These activities are not only for international tourist they are also for domestic tourism who wish to escape from their busy lives and come to have a fun week, along with not travelling too far away.

Rotorua is not only famous for activities and natural and constructed attractions. Mostly Domestic tourist comes to Rotorua for events happening in and around town. There are enough exhibitions, lifestyle fairs, competitions, theatres and sports happening everyday to keep the locals and the tourist occupied and not get bored.

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3.5 MOTIVATORS, FACITLITATORS AND RESISTANCE FACTORS

Motivators, facilitators and resistance factors all work together to get the tourist to a destination and make him spend money. There is no good or bad about a destination or the tourism product, its all about the customer, the target market. These factors are subjective and they are different fro every person. Just like every person is different, same way what he or she want is different. People start thinking of a holiday and it all starts with if they have the money and time to go out of the country or stay in the country and travel, these are the facilitators, after thinking about that they think about what they wish to do on their holiday and which places would satisfy their needs, these are the motivators, and once they have a list of places that would solve their purpose of travel they have to decide upon on location/ destinations to travel to, this is where resistance factors come into play and help them to decide that one location which would fulfill all their purposes and would stay in the facilitating limits.

Rotorua has its major motivator that is geothermal activity and Maori culture and the facilitating factor is that it is 3 hours drive from Auckland airport. Resistance factors for Rotorua are the geographical location and easy accessibility and the advantage of having geothermal active regions, which are not found anywhere in New Zealand.

3.6 ROTORUA AS A DESTINATION/ TOURISM PRODUCT

Rotorua is one of the prime tourism destinations in New Zealand. The tourism product in Rotorua is the activities, attractions, nature and geothermal activities. Rotorua has much strength, but also a few weaknesses when it comes to nightlife and public transport mainly. Nightlife is a main problem basically for Auckland Market but it is not necessarily a problem when it comes to other tourists. Many people come to Rotorua for fishing, geothermal activities and

36

nature and because these things are normally related to relaxation they do not hope to see nightlife and entertainment.

All strengths and weaknesses are subjective for different kind of tourists but in the discussion the key strengths and weaknesses are categorized based on the main tourism statistics. The strength that Rotorua has is its geothermal nature, which can be found nowhere in New Zealand along with its geographical location being in driving distance from mostly all the cities in North Island. Geographical location is strength only when considering the local tourists because they wouldnt mind driving for about 3 to 7 hours depending on where they live, but since its not close to the Main international airports international tourists have to plan for a whole new location they have to fit Rotorua in their itinerary.

In conclusion, Rotorua has strengths and weaknesses that can be taken care of by proper planning but some weaknesses cannot be looked after since they are a weakness for a very small chunk of tourists and is not worth the investment.

3.7 IMPACT OF TOURISM ON LOCAL ECONOMY OF ROTORUA

Tourism is a non-dying industry and it would keep brining in a lot of money into the economy of the world, country, city or location. Tourists redistribute money within a country or in the world just by travelling and spending around the places they travel to.

Rotorua is one of the biggest and most valuable tourist attractions in New Zealand. It not only attracts people from New Zealand (local tourists) but also the people form outside New Zealand (international tourists) who bring in foreign exchange in the country that helps to maintain the balance of payments of the country. Rotorua has about 30% of the total tourist visits in New Zealand

37

that means almost 1 out of 3 people that are tourists in New Zealand are tourists for Rotorua.

Tourism is also known to create employment for the locals, directly and indirectly. It also generates revenue for the government. Though tourism has a lot of goodness about it, it comes with a few drawbacks. Tourism related jobs are seasonal and temporary; the businesses that are completely dependent on the tourism industry for most of their income stay either shut or unused for more than six months since tourists come to Rotorua a season and there are not a lot of tourists in non seasonal months, at least not enough to support the day to day workings of the business.

Also the locals are affected by the tourism industry because with tourists comes inflation and locals have to pay high prices for everyday goods and services. The prices of the goods and services are kept high normally for the tourists but the locals use the same shops and services they have to pay the same high price. Event though these drawbacks can be countered with a plan, they still stay a drawback for the local economy of Rotorua.

3.8 IMPACT

OF

TOURISM

ON

SOCIO-CULTURAL

AND

PHYSICAL

ENVIRONMENT OF ROTORUA
Every industry has an impact on a locations socio-cultural and physical environment, and tourism also contributes in it. Tourism has both positive and negative impacts on the culture and environment of a place but its not necessary that the impacts are highly negative and uncontrollable.

Tourism impacts the society by making them feel poor, making them dependent on the money that is spent by the tourists, giving them jobs but which are seasonal and temporary. The culture on the other hand is not very negatively

38

impacted as Maori culture is considered to be a strong culture with its own language and dignity. Maori culture is rather spread around and made aware of by the painting and sculpture and souvenirs that are taken back home by the tourists. So in all tourism have a few negative and positive impacts on Rotorua.

Tourism also impacts the physical environment of Rotorua but its not all necessarily a negative impact. Tourism does impact Rotoruas environment negatively as it has geothermal areas and crops going that are rare and fragile and can be damaged easily. These damages can have long-term effects on these crops. Carbon emissions are a recent area of concern and are related to airplanes. Another way the tourists can damage physical environments is by interacting with the nature directly and people who visit geothermal sites and go on self-guided trips but do not behave responsibly do this.

3.9 TOURISM: A BLESSING OR A BLIGHT

For Rotorua tourism is both a blessing and blight. Looking at the economic developments it brings to the country, to its local economy are huge. The amount of employment tourism creates for Rotorua is massive. Without tourism there would be a lot of economic catch up that New Zealand would have to do. Tourism is also a way to make people aware of the Maori Culture. Since New Zealand is the youngest country in the world tourism is most needed for people to know about this place. Tourism is the best possible way to become strong economically for a growing economy that New Zealand is.

Tourism can also be blight for Rotorua because of the environmental impacts, the harm to the society by making them feel inferior, making them over dependent on the tourism industry.

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If the negative impacts of tourism are not properly taken care of and given importance, tourism can become blight for Rotorua since its most negative impacts are environmental and Rotorua is famous for its environment. But if the negative impacts are taken care of and motivators of Rotorua are properly marketed and promoted then tourism can become a blessing for Rotorua since its already doing a lot for the economy and the people of Rotorua.

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REFERENCE LIST

100% Pure New Zealand. (n.d.). Accomodation. Retrieved August 18, 2012, from http://www.newzealand.com/int/accommodation/

About Rotorua. (2011). Retrieved August 20, 2012, from http://www.rdc.govt.nz/AboutRotorua.aspx

Agrodome, Rotorua. (2012). Retrieved August 18, 2012, from http://www.agrodome.co.nz/

Angus and Associates Ltd. (2011, August). Regional Visitor Monitor. 57-87. Wellington, New Zealand.

APR Consultants. (2008). Rotorua Economic Profile. Rotorua: Destination Rotorua.

Cultural Experiences. (n.d.). Retrieved from Maori in Tourism| Rotorua: http://www.nzmaoritourism.com/Maori-in-Tourism-Rotorua/CulturalExperiences_IDL=1_IDT=2288_ID=13298_.html

Collier, A. (2011). Principles of tourism: A New Zealand perspective (8th Edition ed.). Auckland, New Zealand: Pearson.

Destination Rotorua Marketing. (2012). Events. Retrieved August 21, 2012, from http://www.rotoruanz.com/events/

Destination Rotorua Marketing. (2012). Getting here. Retrieved August 19, 2012, from http://www.rotoruanz.com/transport/gettinghere.php

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Destination Rotorua Marketing. (2012). Historic buildings. Retrieved August 21, 2012, from http://www.rotoruanz.com/rotorua/history/historic_buildings.php

Destination Rotorua Marketing. (2012). Rotorua Toursirm- Key Facts and Figures. Retrieved August 23, 2012, from http://www.rotoruanz.com/rotorua/info/stats/rotorua_tourism.php

Manurewa School. (n.d.). Retrieved October 3, 2012, from https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:o02wXOdWqq4J:rewanet.manu rewa.school.nz/Modules/Resources/Download.aspx%3FID%3D1879+&hl=en&g l=nz&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESg5leo1dv7uJjuipr7Yy0Zx1fIdlUETVVwVN_BPp_e3Iar Jfjk7dPKAv1jAXaXvbY_4w05v8MxxFg5dtQTqrMhmbc6VTOcVXyDq8Ens8Kk61chDhCbQUT207ULa2CuJKlsp2A&sig=AHIEtbQBE96lGufJXOIkPvfMrg2p3Veqdg

No Author.(2011). Destination Rotorua Tourism Marketing. Rotorua: Rotorua Tourism Sector.

Parker, T. (2009, June 1). Rotorua hurting as recession hits tourism. Retrieved August 24, 2012, from NZ Herald: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10575 696

Richardson, J., & Fluker, M. (2004). Understanding and managing tourism. Australia: Pearson Hospitality Press.

Rotorua. (2012). Retrieved August 20, 2012, from http://www.rotorua.nz.com/

Rotorua Adventure combos. (2011). Retrieved August 18, 2012, from http://www.tourism.net.nz/listing/iframe/attractions-and-

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activities/112890?from=http://www.tourism.net.nz/region/rotorua/attractions -and-activities/attraction-and-activity-passes/

Rotorua Historic Day Spa - Hells Gate geothermal Mud Bath Spa Experience . (2012). Retrieved August 18, 2012, from http://www.hellsgate.co.nz/MudBathsSpas/tabid/6932/language/enUS/Default.aspx

Swarbrooke, J., & Horner, S. (1999). Consumer behaviour in tourism. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.

Skydive- Nzone. (2012). Retrieved August 18, 2012, from Everything New Zealand: http://www.everythingnewzealand.com/category/ballooning-skydiving-andaction-flights/skydive-nzone.rotorua/?gclid=COaviYTfhLICFRBTpgodvGEA-A

Skyline Enterprises. (2012). Skyline Rotorua. Retrieved August 16, 2012, from http://www.skyline.co.nz/rotorua/

Ward, J. C., Burns, B., Johnson, V., Simmons, D. G., & Fairweather, J. R. (2000). Interactions between tourists and the natural environment : impacts of tourist trampling on geothermal vegetation and tourist experiences at geothermal sites in Rotorua. Lincoln: Lincoln University. Tourism Research and Education Centre.

Zorb. (2009). Retrieved August 18, 2012, from Zorb Rotorua| NZ: http://www.zorb.com/zorb/rotorua/

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5 APPENDICES

APPENDIX A: Facebook Profile of Rotorua

(https://www.facebook.com/rotoruaNZ)

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APPENDIX B: ZORB

(Zorb, 2009)

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Activity/ attraction
shoulder/ autumn High season P P P P P P P P P P X P P S S S S P P P P P P P S S S P P P P P P P P P P P P X P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P X L P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P X P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P S S S P P S S S P P S S S P P S S S S P P P P P P L L X X X X X X X X P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P L L L L L P P P S L L L L P P P S L L L S P P P S L L L S P P P S L L L S P P P S S S S S P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P Low/ winter Shoulder/ spring

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November December

Seasons

High season

Geothermal parks

Geothermal mud/ pools/ spas

Mountain biking

Bush walking

tramping

dirt biking/ karts

lakes & river activities

rafting/ jetboating

Maori culture shows

Maori Culture parks

Skiing

trout fishing

(Destination Rotorua Tourism Marketing, 2011)

P = Peak - Ideal weather or season L= Low suitability - weather dependent S = Subject to weather X = Not suitable

helicopter/ sightseeing

APPENDIX C: Seasonal peaks and off peaks

Outdoor activities

zorb/ schweeb/ freefall/bungy

luge

maze/ outdoors

wildlife parks

gondolas

indoor activities

agrodome

museums/ caterpillar exp

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