Adventure tourism inquiry welcomed

The adventure tourism industry says a Government investigation will

The adventure tourism industry has welcomed a Government investigation - prompted by a grieving father - and expects it will "bring clarity" to safety standards.

Prime Minister John Key said yesterday a letter from the father of drowned English tourist Emily Jordan had urged him to improve regulation of adventure tourism operators.

Ms Jordan, 21, drowned in Central Otago's Kawarau River in April last year after being trapped underwater for 20 minutes while riverboarding.

Queenstown's Mad Dog River Boarding was last month fined $66,000 and ordered to pay $80,000 in reparation to the Jordan family after admitting two charges laid under workplace health and safety laws.

Mad Dog's director Brad McLeod yesterday declined to comment on the Government review.

Last year, 681,000 international visitors - nearly a third of all overseas visitors - undertook some form of adventure tourism and it is seen as the cornerstone of much of New Zealand's overseas tourist marketing.

No figures are compiled on the revenue of adventure and outdoor tourism, which ranges from horse trekking and guided walking, to adrenalin pursuits like bungy jumping, but the Tourism Industry Association represents 500 businesses in the sector - most of the significant operators.

Mr Key said he believed most adventure tourism businesses were well run, but there were concerns that there were some cowboys and that safety standards were not being monitored.

The investigation would involve several departments and ministers would report on the state of the sector and whether changes were needed.

"Tourism is critically important to New Zealand and we must do all we can to ensure visitor safety," Mr Key said. Ms Jordan's father, Chris, said safety investigators looked into problems only after accidents.

Mr Key said that while the vast majority of tourists had a safe and exhilarating experience, he could not ignore the concerns raised.

The industry association's advocacy manager Geoff Ensor said outdoor and adventure tourism encompassed air, water and land activities so had varying forms of safety accreditation.

"We are supportive of a review. We feel that the strengths of that will be around bringing clarity across a range of organisations to support the outdoor sectors.

"We [New Zealand operators] have built a great reputation for safety and quality and at all costs must remain alert to protecting it and avoiding complacency."

The heli-skiing industry, which had had two fatalities in two decades, has had two more this winter, one a client, one a guide, both in the same mountain range. Both of the latest deaths were on Methven Heliski trips.

Bryan Carter, the managing director of Mt Cook-based Alpine Guides, a part-owner of Methven Heliski, said the safety record of the heliskiing industry, which provided for 3000 skier-days a year, was pretty good, but 2009 was a bad year.

He said the mountain guiding industry's form of accreditation was guides' membership of the New Zealand Mountain Guiding Association and its affiliation to an international federation, which ensured high standards of training and assessment.