Visitor perceptions of aircraft activity and crowding at Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers (Science for Conservation 94)

Steve Sutton

Department of Conservation

1998

Department of Conservation

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DoC Publications: recreation@doc.govt.nz 

Both Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers are popular tourist destinations on the West Coast of New Zealand, with total visitor numbers of 175 000 per annum, a figure that is anticipated to increase in line with current tourism trends. While people enjoy visiting the glacier viewing spots in the main glacier valleys and on the valley sides, many also make use of the scenic air flights. Scenic air flights have long been an integral part of the visitor experience, and this activity appears to be increasing significantly as well.

There are impacts that can arise from visitor activities, and this paper focuses on two of these: the social impacts of annoyance at aircraft activity (generally assumed to be the problem of noise), and the issue of crowding. Research methods have been developed to study crowding, but there is little existing methodology for measuring public reaction to the presence of aircraft. In order to address this anomaly, a questionnaire was designed to explore visitor perceptions at the glacier valleys, and 3 282 valid responses were gathered.

The results of analysis of the questionnaires indicate that crowding occurs only during the periods of highest visitation in the main valleys. Annoyance at aircraft activity also occurs to a significant degree only when the number of aircraft using the glacier valley reaches or exceeds 18 per hour. Visitors to the valley-sides, however, are much more sensitive to the numbers of other visitors and to air traffic, even though they may also be some of the people tolerant of much higher levels of activity in the main valleys.

The results support the continued use of self administered questionnaire methods of impact assessment using Likert scales. Visitor expectations appear to influence the extent to which social impacts become manifest. Management decisions need to be made as to which visitor experience will be used as the main focus for the area, and from this information, acceptable limits to visitor numbers or aircraft activity can then be set.

Keywords:

Conservation, Department of Conservation, Tourism, Glacier, Fox, Franz Josef, Transport, Aircraft, Impact, Scenic flights, Heli

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Social research

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1176

June 22, 2012