Present visitors' interest in Maori cultural tourism on Banks Peninsula, New Zealand

Abstract

While New Zealand is primarily seen as a place to enjoy nature and natural areas, Tourism New Zealand (TNZ) suggests there is potential for developing cultural attractions for international visitors, focusing in particular on Māori cultural products. Māori also see tourism development as a way to utilise their cultural and land based resources for economic development, particularly in rural areas. However, successful cultural attractions in New Zealand, including Māori attractions, need domestic patronage to survive in the longer term, especially in areas away from the main international tourist routes. This paper focuses on research conducted in one such area – Banks Peninsula, Canterbury. We explore current visitor interest in cultural tourism in the region and examine these findings with reference to previous research to reflect on the feasibility of developing cultural tourism, and specifically Māori tourism, in this region.