DoC survey reveals two types of outdoor visitor in New Zealand

There are two types of people you'll meet on the Queen Charlotte Track. Photo / Malcolm Anderson, DoC

New research on one of New Zealand's favourite outdoor walks has revealed there are two distinct types of visitor.

When Kiwis go out into nature they are either looking to be a "spectator" or "participant", reveals the study from walkers surveyed on Queen Charlotte Track, in the Marlborough Sounds.

For spectators, nature is the backdrop for their activity. It's there to be hiked, biked or kayaked through.

For participants, there is a particular aspect of nature they have come to experience.

They have been drawn by a cultural or historic aspect of the walk - or even just to look for dolphins in the bays.

Having established there are two distinct types of visitor, should they be charged differently to use Department of Conservation (DoC) facilities?

DoC heritage and visitors director Tim Bamford says the popular walking track has been used as a test case to develop ways to harness the interests of both types of visitor to give back to nature.

"While many will identify with elements from both groups, the people we talked to tended to fit into a spectrum between 'Outward' (spectators) or 'Inward' (participants) in the way they connect with nature," Bamford says.

Ahead of a summer with open borders, DoC is looking at developing programmes that will better tie into the interests of both domestic and international visitors to "give back" to the places they are visiting.

Whether that's simply paying for conservation work through access fees or koha at DoC facilities or exploring if they would be open to contributing to a local scheme instead.

"'Spectators of nature tend to choose financial contributions: donations or higher fees.

''Whereas ''participants in nature'' lean towards 'giving back' activities at the place or region they're visiting such as planting native trees, pest trapping, removing wilding pines and weeds," Bamford says.

The study said its purpose was to explore a "values-based" tourism model.

Instead of focusing on a ''high-value'' visitor purely on their economic value to a destination, the model counted a visitor's overall contribution in terms of time and conservation efforts.

So what does this mean? Firstly does this mean that DoC is looking at raising fees or adding them to tracks?

Queen Charlotte is unusual as a track, crossing both private and conservation land. Walkers pay up to $12 a day to cross the private sections of the track.

Or, perhaps users can look forward to paying hut fees with mahi (work) and participation in conservation schemes in the not too distant future.

When asked about this Bamford says that it was an idea DoC was exploring.

"Often for many, ''fees'' is an easy and acceptable way to contribute, but for others they prefer more active engagement to giving back."

There were more ''spectators'' than ''participants'' passing through the Sounds, but it did suggest that options for visitors paying their way by "site specific work" would be popular.

"This research does indicate that ideally a site should offer multiple options that appeal to different visitor types, but this may not always be practical," the study said.