Urban Environmental Management Approaches by Tourism Organisations in Wellington, New Zealand

Tourism in New Zealand depends heavily on the quality of the environment yet at the same time holds the potential of destroying the very environment on which it relies upon if not managed properly. Therefore, concerted actions must be taken to ensure New Zealand's '100% Pure' image is maintained. According to the New Zealand Tourism Strategy 2015, the tourism sector's ability to take a leading role in protecting and enhancing the environment is a key priority. While most tourism studies on environmental management tend to focus on rural or protected areas there is a need to investigate environmental management within urban settings. This research takes a qualitative approach based on semi-structured interviews to investigate and examine the nature of environmental management approaches taken by tourism organisations in the urban setting of Wellington. It also aims to identify the factors influencing the adoption of environmentally-friendly practices, barriers which may hinder the adoption of such practices, and the role of public and private sector agencies in environmental management for tourism businesses. The research found that tourism organisations in Wellington mainly took an informal approach towards environmental management. However, a qualitative method of enquiry revealed that tourism businesses were slowly moving towards change. This was evident from the number of businesses that indicated they were adopting environmental practices related to supply chain management, employee awareness and training, and interpretation. The main factors influencing adoption have also provided reasons for this change. Though, the barriers and difficulties faced by tourism businesses continue to affect the pace of change. As with businesses, public and private sector organisations have an important role to play in urban environmental management. The responses of interviewees indicate that these 'bigger' organisations such as the RTO need to take on a much more proactive role. The need for greater cooperation and communication between key stakeholders of tourism is essential to the success of urban environmental sustainability.