Climate change and glacier tourism in New Zealand: Past, present and future (?)

Abstract

The Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers of South Westland, New Zealand have attracted tourists since the late 1800s and the region’s first tourist hostel opened in 1897 (McCormack, 1999). By the mid-1920s, walking tracks had been built to take visitors (on) to the glaciers and to various glacier viewpoints, and a network of huts was established to facilitate mountaineering excursions for those who wished to venture further. However, the limitations of the wider regional infrastructure, including poor roads and the absence of a southern route beyond the glaciers, kept visitor numbers low. McCormack (1999) reports 2000 annual visitors to Franz Josef Glacier in 1930, increasing to 5000 by 1947.