THE VISION
We welcome manuhiri (visitors) to come and learn about and explore our unique culture, history and geography in a way that delivers benefits for our taiao (environment), our people, and our visitors.
Case Study Themes
Destination Management, Recovery, Cruise, Community, Regional Identity.
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Highlights:
The Difference a Plan can make
Work with cruise lines visiting Lyttelton has resulted in cruise passengers using cruise-ship transport for shore excursions, leaving public buses for locals.
New low-impact astro-tourism businesses emerging to offer stargazing tours, including in the off-peak winter months
A new modern post-2011 earthquake identity for Christchurch, ‘The City in Balance with Nature’, is now touching tourism, infrastructure and city planning.
Marketing efforts re-prioritised to attract families and ‘sophisticated explorers’ who engage more deeply with locals, culture and the communities they visit.
Christchurch Destination Management Plan
Christchurchnz Case Study
Different strokes: the two-plan approach driving Christchurch’s tourism future
When the number of cruise ship passengers using public transport means locals are struggling to find a spot on their usual buses to work and school, you know you have a problem, says ChristchurchNZ Destination & Experience Manager Patrick O’Sullivan.
That was the situation in Lyttelton in 2022/23, after its port’s cruise terminal re-opened following years of being out of action because of damage suffered in the 2011 Christchurch earthquakes.
It was symptomatic of the challenge being faced by many regions around the world as visitor numbers bounced back post-Covid, and it served as one of the triggers for ChristchurchNZ to lead efforts in reimagining the way tourism was being managed in the region through a destination stewardship approach.
“We had two quite different challenges – Lyttelton and Akaroa on Banks Peninsula were seeing huge visitor numbers while Christchurch and inland areas were still recovering market share after the earthquakes and wanted more people to come,” Patrick says.
ChristchurchNZ rallied local councils, enlisted the support of specialist destination management planning agency Resonance, and set up a steering group to develop a way forward that would ensure future tourism marketing and development was done in a way that benefited the region’s environment, people and visitors.
“A destination stewardship approach was essential as it was the only way to strive towards balance between all the areas that tourism impacts including the environment and resident wellbeing as well as economic return and quality visitor experiences.”
But that’s just the start of the story. Patrick says they soon realised the differing circumstances and community views across the region meant a ‘one size fits all approach’ wouldn’t be the solution.
Different plans for different communities
After widespread consultation involving myriad meetings, surveys and workshops with residents, visitors, mana whenua, the tourism industry and community groups, the decision was made to create two destination management plans, rather the one.
The first of these plans was for Christchurch and the surrounding districts of Selwyn, Waimakariri and Ashburton and the second plan was for Banks Peninsula.
“When we engaged with the community, many felt Christchurch was still getting back on its feet from the earthquakes and it had room for growth because it hadn’t recovered its market share.
The rebuild allowed the city and community to reimagine what Christchurch could be and what visitor facilities, attractions and accommodation would be needed to regain market share and future-proof for growth. This took collective vision and significant investment from the public and private sectors.
“Instead of being the damaged city and just a gateway to the South Island, we now have new infrastructure, new buildings, everything is new and shiny, and Christchurch is a destination in its own right.”
Banks Peninsula, a popular coastal holiday hotspot with its well-frequented cruise ship terminal in Lyttelton, and second cruise ship destination of Akaroa, was a different story, Patrick says.
“Akaroa and Lyttelton are small communities, so as they have become better known, and you start getting larger numbers of visitors, it can change their character. There’s pressure on facilities and public transport and the kinds of stores change – you get more souvenir shops for instance which are often focused on visitors and may not always meet the everyday needs of the local community.”
Patrick says while community engagement was vital to the creation of both destination management plans, the councils involved were different.
Developing the Banks Peninsula destination management plan involved working closely with the Banks Peninsula community board and dealing with just one council – Christchurch City Council – as it’s the sole territorial authority overseeing the peninsula.
On the other hand, creating the Christchurch and inland Canterbury plan saw ChristchurchNZ partner with Waimakariri District Council, Selwyn District Council, Ashburton District Council and Christchurch City Council to ensure the views of all the communities it covered were taken into account.
“If you look at the two plans – our plan for Christchurch and Canterbury and our plan for Banks Peninsula – they propose different approaches and actions because the needs and aspirations of the communities in each area vary,” Patrick says.
Cruise ship guests with local champion.
Cruise issues resolved, astro tourism boom, and a new identity
While the new plans were completed in 2023 and are still early in their implementation, there have been some outstanding outcomes already.
When cruise returned to Lyttelton in 2022 after a 10-year hiatus, Patrick says it became clear that the parties involved in managing the cruise eco-system were siloed, focusing on individual outcomes. This resulted in a both a poor experience for the cruise guests and negative impacts on the local community.
As the RTO, ChristchurchNZ took the lead coordination role. They held a town hall meeting to consult with the community, where transport and large visitor numbers were identified as key concerns. ChristchurchNZ then brought together the key stakeholders, including the port company, city council, regional council, and ground handlers, to create better understanding of roles and foster collaboration to improve the system.
The 2023/2024 cruise season saw far fewer issues reported by Lyttelton locals, thanks largely to ChristchurchNZ and the council’s dedicated work with visiting cruise lines to develop affordable alternatives to public transport for passengers’ shore excursions. Cruise lines visiting Lyttelton also made a concerted effort to improve their on-ship communication to encourage passengers to use the designated cruise passenger transport options rather than public transport because of its impact on the community.
“They agreed to work with us on resolving resident’s concerns and they now price their own shuttles lower, operating them on a purely cost recovery basis.”
As a result, only a small number of cruise passengers in 2023/2024 used public buses between Lyttelton Harbour and Christchurch, ensuring the seats remained free for the school children and workers that rely on them each morning. This was achieved without negatively impacting cruise visitor spend – New Zealand Cruise Association’s research shows an economic impact of $68.4M for cruise ships visiting Canterbury in 2023/2024.
‘Dark sky tourism’ is one of the areas the region has identified for growth in its destination management planning, partly because stargazing can be done with little environmental impact and takes place at night and can stimulate travel outside peak periods.
The skies in Canterbury are some of the best in the world for stargazing, and Christchurch and its surrounds have a history of astronomy. The region is home to the historic Townsend Teece Telescope, and one of New Zealand’s premier astronomical research sites, Mount John Observatory, is located at the north of the Mackenzie basin.
“Just 20 minutes out of the CBD you are in an area that is perfect for astro tours. Waimakariri has the internationally-renowned and accredited Oxford Forest Conservation Area Dark Sky Park and we are currently working with Banks Peninsula to help the area achieve accreditation as a Dark Sky Reserve as well.”
The region’s dark sky tourism efforts are leading to the emergence of local astro-tourism businesses offering tours of some of the area’s best dark sky viewing points. In October 2024 Christchurch became one of the first four cities to join the international Space Cities Network – a select club focused on aeronautics, space, and astronomy that also includes Lausanne in Switzerland, Houston in the USA and Seoul in South Korea.
While astro-tourism is assisting greatly with intra-regional and community dispersal, a key focus for the RTO in terms of increasing visitation in the wider region, residents are catching on to the cosmological buzz too, he says.
“When we had the auroras recently, the number of locals travelling to some of the prime star gazing spots we promote was amazing.”
Patrick says another success story is the way the region has repositioned its marketing campaigns to attract the kinds of visitors local residents want to see.
The region’s dramatic landscapes have always attracted ‘active adventurers’ – a group that comes to the region with little prompting, and which will continue visiting with little marketing effort. However, through the destination management planning process and community consultation, families and a group of travellers dubbed ‘sophisticated explorers’ have become the number one focus.
“Cantabrians are happy to see more families visiting and they were the focus of ChristchurchNZ’s winter marketing campaigns this year. We’re also focusing our marketing on attracting ‘sophisticated explorers’ – people who have an interest in culture and learning about the communities they visit. These visitors tend to form more meaningful connections with destinations and contribute more significantly to a community during their stays.”
Another significant change is taking place in the way the city positions itself, with the Christchurch’s ‘Garden City’ moniker slowly evolving towards a more holistic brand identity of ‘The City in Balance with Nature’.
The city’s famous gardens celebrating English and Scottish heritage will still feature in its marketing, Patrick says, but they will be positioned in the broader context of its new post-earthquake identity as a destination built in harmony with the environment and with stewardship, sustainability and longevity in mind.
A recent example of this occurred during the SailGP event held in early 2024. The first day of racing was cancelled due to the presence of an endangered Hector’s dolphin on the course and while it was not ideal that racing was prevented, it demonstrated to the world that the Christchurch is committed to this brand promise and prioritised nature and environment.
This shift in identify began during the post-earthquake rebuild and is present throughout the city’s planning, including through mandates for natural features to be maintained and enhanced. There is now a set tree canopy cover level that has to be maintained across the city, including when new housing developments or other public infrastructure is built which Patrick says is great for locals and visitors alike.
Christchurch City.
The journey has just begun
Patrick says it is still early in the region’s destination management journey and there is still an immense amount of work to be done.
Alongside dark sky tourism, an area of focus for ChristchurchNZ in the future will be showcasing and elevating the region’s food and culinary experiences.
“Canterbury is a massive food producer – probably the biggest in New Zealand, but we have never had an umbrella proposition or overarching strategy to promote that.”
Developing a regional food provenance strategy with neighbouring districts and promoting the area’s foodie credentials will support job and career development opportunities for locals working as chefs, in hospitality and across food supply.
A third priority initiative will focus on growing cycle tourism in the region, Patrick says.
Work is underway to connect many of the region’s cycleways and cycle trails together into longer rides, and there’s potential to link them to neighbouring regions’ cycle trails, such as the Whale Trail currently being developed between Picton and Kaikōura.
As awareness of the new destination stewardship approach grows, and with ongoing funding support, Patrick feels almost anything is possible.
“We can confidently say we are now developing tourism in our region in a way local communities support. The work is daunting at times, but it’s absolutely worth it when you begin to see the difference it will make for our communities, environment and those amazing visitors who embrace our place and treat it like home during their stay.”