Dimensions of the resilient visitor and visitor system in conservation areas of New Zealand : A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Lincoln University

Abstract

New Zealand’s conservation areas are dynamic biophysical environments subject to natural hazards and popular recreation areas for domestic and international visitors and tourists. The human and natural environments form a social-ecological system (SES). Many visitors are unaware of and unprepared for the conditions and natural hazards they encounter which can lead to issues of safety. The main objectives of this research are to investigate what it means for a tourist to be resilient to natural hazards in New Zealand’s conservation areas, what factors, attributes and characteristics influence resilience and what is the relationship between tourist resilience and destination resilience. There is an extensive body of literature investigating the resilience of tourist destinations, communities, and organisations but tourists are less commonly the central focus, even though they represent the demand side of the tourism system. Of the research that does exist for tourists, much of it is focuses on tourists as individuals rather than tourists as part of a SES and it most frequently from a psychological resilience or hazard awareness and preparedness perspective. This study used a mixed methodology to investigate the research questions. The vast majority of survey participants had medium to high levels of experience and skill in conservation-recreation environments. Results showed many visitors were aware of natural hazards and included them in their planning process. Dimensions of visitor resilience were found to be awareness, locus of responsibility for safety, preparedness, and adaptability. The vulnerability and resilience of destinations and tourists are interconnected. Destination stakeholders influence visitors via information provision and risk management decisions. Visitors influence destination resilience by the aforementioned dimensions and by sharing their experiences with others, on the track and back at home. A significant theoretical contribution was the inclusion of a visitor’s social-ecological system of origin as a key influence on recreationists’ dimensions of resilience. A key implication for stakeholders and practitioners is to take a more nuanced perspective on visitors and their origin context in terms of past recreation experience, social circles, and perceptions of responsibility for safety.