Eglinton Flats on SH94 on the way to Milford Sound. Photo / Thomas Bywater
Eglinton Flats on SH94 on the way to Milford Sound. Photo / Thomas Bywater
A review of international tourism in Piopiotahi Milford Sound has found overseas tourists would be willing to pay up to $110 for a day trip to Fiordland’s natural wonder.
The Milford Opportunities Project, which is reviewing long-term impacts of tourism in the Unesco heritage site and along SH94, has published findings from market research that suggest that tourists are generally supportive of an access fee.
“This research is essentially our foundation for understanding at a high level what New Zealanders and overseas visitors value most about this area,” said programme director Christ Goddard.
The questions were asked to almost 5000 international tourists, from Australia, Europe, the US and Asia, by consumer insights firm Kantar, which also held a separate 1000-person survey group for New Zealanders.
Goddard said it was about opening up the masterplan to input from those wishing to visit, or had already been to the jewel in the crown of Fiordland National Park.
“How do they want to see Piopiotahi managed into the future, how do they want to enjoy it, and is the masterplan on track to deliver that?”
Three-quarters of New Zealanders and 91 per cent of overseas respondents were in favour of the MOP.
Mobbed by Kea on SH94 at Monkey Creek, near the Homer Tunnel, Milford. Photo / Thomas Bywater
Proposed visitor access fee
An international visitor “access fee” was a key part of the 2021 MOP masterplan proposal, but with a dollar value or permit system yet to be established.
The international tourists surveyed supported a range of $90-$110 per person, as fair.
Australians polled put this value lower than long-haul tourists.
Goddard said that between $50-$90 was seen as a more acceptable range by Australians, with support of a $90 access fee dropping below 60 per cent.
“Australians pay to visit their national parks which influences their response - the iconic Kakadu as one example is $40 per person,” he said.
Australia contributes the largest market of visitors to Milford, with an average of 127,000 a year coming from across the Tasman.
Seventy-nine per cent of of international visitors supported paying an access fee and, overall, 99 per cent said that a Milford Sound access fee would not deter them from planning a trip to New Zealand.
“While the research identified a price range for international markets willingness to pay, we will need to undertake detailed modelling and policy analysis to provide advice on the optimal rate for charge.”
The access fees would only apply to international guests.
The Milford Sound aerodrome is on the chopping block under the Milford masterplan. Photo / Milford Sound Scenic Flights
Te Anau gateway proposal and the future of Fiordland by sea and air
At the head of the Highway 94, Te Anau was proposed as the gateway for managing the access fee.
Seventy-two per cent of surveyed Kiwis and 87 per cent of international markets like the concept of managed access with Te Anau as a hub for transport.
“The project is currently looking at how an access fee might work including testing the masterplan proposal that the international visitor access fee would be paid online, through transport and accommodation providers, or in person in Te Anau,” said Goddard.
There was found to be limited support in survey responses for continued cruise access to the fiord.
Tourists were overall mixed about the original plan to scrap the Milford Aerodrome. There was more support for continued access to fixed-wing planes over helicopters and the case for repurposing the airstrip was not strongly understood.
Kantar said further work is needed to clarify people’s perspectives on scenic flights and visiting cruise ships.
Only 61 per cent of New Zealanders backed plans to phase out the aerodrome and cruise tourism.
The main criticism of the masterplan was that it may not do enough to manage tourism growth which, at its current pace, is set to grow beyond 1 million annual visitors in the next five years.
The Milford Opportunities Project is a government-funded programme to reform tourism in Piopiotahi Milford Sound with a focus on sustainability and conservation.
It is being jointly planned by the ministers of Conservation, Tourism and Transport alongside Ngāi Tahu.
Piopiotahi saw 870,000 visits from domestic and international tourists in 2019. Pre-pandemic year-on-year growth of over 4 per cent for the past decade.
The current feasibility testing stage will continue into 2024.
