Tourism development and users’ perceptions of wilderness in Southern New Zealand

Abstract

SUMMARY Wilderness is a concept that is defined by personal cognition and cultural background, rather than physical environments. This paper examines perceptions of wilderness among a number of samples of the general public and wilderness users in Otago and Fiordland in southern New Zealand. In these areas, which depend heavily upon a growing tourist industry, extensive areas of national park and other developed land provide locales for wilderness experiences to be enjoyed. These are sought by a growing number of international and domestic visitors, whose attitudes towards the development and protection of wilderness areas are analysed, and some suggestions are made for the delimitation and labelling of a range of types of wilderness and remote experience areas.