Pillar One

Travel to a Thriving Future

Pillar One

Enrich communities and enhance the visitor experience

Whakahaumako i kā hapori kia pai kāwheako ō kā manuhiri

Embrace the unique identities of local communities, empowering them to share their values and connection to place.

Objectives:

Align visitor experiences with core values and guiding principles.

Positive community sentiment

Strong visitor satisfaction

Arrowtown Market

Project One: Community Engagement

Ensure that continual input from residents provides a better understanding of how tourism can support community plans, values and cultural heritage. Community identity and values of place are understood and supported by the community, tourism businesses and visitors.

Actions

Inputs and thought starters that will support project delivery
  • Co-create a schedule of regular opportunities to listen to and engage proactively with communities across the district.
  • Use existing community plans to bring local values to life, and work with council and community organisations to supportthe development of plans for communities that do not yet have them.
  • Build a solid understanding of mātauraka Māori and cultural heritage stories that areaccurate and told by the appropriate storytellers. Work closely with Kāi Tahu to honour stories and share the right ones in the right way to avoid cultural appropriation.
  • Continue to raise awareness about the mana of tikaka, taoka and matauraka Māori (Māori knowledge, values and protocols) at the local level. Advocate for integrating these into community plans to enhance the visibility and connection of Māori cultural heritage.
  • Identify opportunities to support local events, activities, facilities and initiatives which help reinforce community identity, values and a unique sense of place.
  • Ensure that the Business excellence programme (Project 16) includes a toolkit and training that makes it easy for tourism businesses to integrate and support the values of the communities where they operate, enabling communities to support progress of those businesses where appropriate.
  • Work with Tourism New Zealand and third-party travel trade organisations to raise awareness of and support for our community values-based approach.

Workstreams underway

How the project is being brought to life

Project Two: Tiaki Promise: Lead by Example

Using the kaupapa of the Tiaki Promiseas a starting point, set standards for residents and visitors to treat theregion with respect through their actions.

Actions

Inputs and thought starters that will support project delivery
  • Encourage local agencies, communities and tourism businesses to champion the Tiaki Promise so that all visitors are aware of it and understand it.
  • Identify and acknowledge examples of behaviour and practices that align with the Tiaki Promise so that there are agrowing number of leading examples to inspire others.
  • Work with local environmental organisations to identify opportunities to better celebrate and share environmental actions and experiences with visitors and locals.

Workstreams underway

How the project is progressed
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Project Three: Preserve and Celebrate Kāi Tahutaka and Mātauraka

Honour our role as Takata Tiriti (People of the Treaty) and in support of Te Ao Māori. In partnership with Kāi Tahu, recognise, value and celebrate Kāi Tahutaka and mātauraka, including Kāi Tahu stories of place. The cultural heritage and stories of Kāi Tahu and settlers relating to place are to be accurately understood, acknowledged and valued.

Actions

Inputs and thought starters that will support project delivery
  • Establish an effective and strong working partnership with authorised Kāi Tahu, Rūnaka and mana whenua representatives to enable their active involvement indestination planning.
  • Work with takata whenua and mana whenuato develop a clear and shared understanding of the district’s cultural taongaas a cultural values map.
  • Enable and support broad community understandingand appreciation of Te Ao Māori, The Treaty of Waitangi and mātauraka Māori(Māori knowledge). This includes raising awareness of the Kāi Tahu legends andstories of place, which are authorised by Kāi Tahu to be shared.

Workstreams underway

How the project is being brought to life
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Project Four: Place-Based Destination Planning

Develop local, place-based plans todefine market segments that align to this Regenerative Tourism Plan and aligned promotional and tourism investments. Ensure alignment to Vision Beyond 2050.

Actions

Inputs and thought starters that will support project delivery
  • Research capacity and optimal ranges of visitation in relation to desired outcomes for the community from visitation.
  • Determine optimal ranges of visitation (considering seasonality) and set objectives based on those levels.
  • Define strategies that consider yield, value per visitor, length of stay and total income/value of the visitor economy toachieve the objectives of this plan.
  • Use outcomes from the regular community forums(Project 1), community plans, and partnership with takata whenua and manawhenua to create a place based planning approach.
  • Ensure place-based plans bring theVision Beyond 2050 goals to life by using it as a framework for initiatives, programmes and communications.
  • Align regional tourism organisation marketingand communication campaigns with community values, the place-based plans and aregenerative mindset.

Workstreams underway

How the project is being brought to life
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Project Five: Welcome Programme

Develop a migrant and visitor welcome programme that empowers communities to be welcoming hosts. Use this as an opportunity to educate visitors on values. Leverage tourism as the gateway for economic development.

Actions

Inputs and thought starters that will support project delivery
  • Identify arrival touchpoints where visitors and migrants can receive a welcome, assistance, and education from the destination. Determine how existing visitor servicing can support the experience at these locations and times.
  • Develop the substance for visitor educationrelated to local values and cultures.
  • Set a goal for number of visitors interceptedand connections made by email or other methods, and identify resources that canbe used to reach the goal.
  • Determine if there is potential to connect with visitors for repeat visitation and economic development.

Workstreams underway

How the project is progressed
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Project Six: Arts, Culture & Heritage Development

Enable Māori and non-Māori to tell the stories of their heritage and connections to this place in a way that impacts visitors. Align with DoC’s Heritage and Visitor Strategy, Tohu Whenua and The Tiaki Promise.

Actions

Inputs and thought starters that will support project delivery
  • Work in partnership with Kāi Tahu as mana whenua to explore opportunities to increase cultural heritage experiencesand emphasise the real Māori stories connected with this place.
  • Research and understand the level of visitorinterest for existing or new cultural, arts and heritage experiences, and usethe research to support investment in local arts, culture, heritage initiatives and infrastructure that will also appeal to visitors.
  • Work with the district’s creative communities and its local arts and cultural organisations to identify opportunities to celebrate and share arts and cultural experiences better withour visitors.
  • Contribute to the ongoing development of arts,culture and heritage planning within the district to ensure that any future plans recognise the potential for visitor interest in this area.

Workstreams underway

How the project is progressed
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The Journey So Far

See how the journey toward regenerative tourism is unfolding. Browse the stories below to explore our progress.

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