KEY POINTS:
Sustainability and carbon neutrality are buzzwords in tourism right now.
They are at the heart of the draft New Zealand Tourism Strategy 2015 and there is agreement that tourists are concerned about their environmental impact, albeit to varying degrees by nationality.
But gauging the extent of public concern isn't straightforward, industry leaders say. People will strive to live a green lifestyle, recycling household waste and cutting use of water and electricity, but will drive distances they could walk in 10 minutes.
A similar conundrum is being played out in the skies above New Zealand's $8.1-billion-a-year international tourism sector.
Anecdotal evidence says tourists are not letting their green concerns affect their choice of holiday destination - at least not yet.
The potential impact of cashed-up holidaymakers choosing not to fly thousands of long-haul miles has some tourism sector operators arguing New Zealand can't afford to wait for the debate.
Chris Lee, marketing director of UK tour operator Travelmood, said it was important for New Zealand to take hold of, rather than be controlled by, the environmental agenda.
Air New Zealand flew twice a day from London to New Zealand, whereas one UK budget airline flew 23 times a day to Geneva, Lee said.
During May about 113,500 more flights would have been in the air than the previous year but the vast majority were short-haul journeys, which was the bigger issue, Lee said.
"The big problem is flights for a pound going to anywhere in Europe ... that's the big issue. We have an opportunity to take hold of the agenda ourselves, because if we don't that's when the governments step in and we all know what happens then."
There was no indication yet that UK tourists - New Zealand's second- largest market after Australia - were choosing not to fly here out of environmental concerns, Lee added.
"But the debate is raging and it's for New Zealand to become a very active and positive part of that debate or be lumped in with this short-haul debate ... and if they do then we will lose."
Air New Zealand's international group general manager Ed Sims said the airline was yet to see evidence of a change in customer behaviour.
"But I think we're very conscious that that's a dangerous trap to fall into," Sims said. "You don't wait till it happens until you build a response."
A three-part strategy by Air New Zealand involved recognising that the company was a polluter and concentrating on actions to reduce emissions, working with like-minded partners in the tourism sector to develop a plan, and then using the outcome to market participating players and New Zealand as a destination.
"Tackle the issue and then use it as a point of difference," Sims said.
Darren Dunn of US online travel company Orbitz Worldwide said US tourists - New Zealand's third-biggest market - were looking at the environmental policy of nations they visited.
"It's going to make them feel better about their vacation," Dunn said. "But is it affecting their decision to fly to New Zealand? No."
