Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
North Island receives almost NZ$2.8 billion and the South NZ$1.29 billion. Even the
least earning region, Gisborne, receives nearly NZ$47 million, although in Gisborne's
case there is a small net outflow. In terms of regional flows of income, the North Island is
an exporter of money, to the value of NZ$212 million, to the South. Auckland shows the
largest net deficit by far (−NZ$453 million). In the South Island, every region is a net
beneficiary, so that domestic tourism is a major economic sector and a powerful agent of
income redistribution on a regional basis. In aggregate, one-quarter of all expenditure is
on accommodation and just over one-quarter is on food. Shopping of all types consumes
one-fifth of expenditure, while transport, recreation and alcohol account for about one-
tenth each. Business travel is getting on for three times the cost of other trips per night,
and is heavily weighted towards travel and accommodation costs when compared with
other sectors, both proportionately and in real terms. VFR travel is slightly more
demanding of travel expenditure than are holidays, but accommodation costs, not
surprisingly, are considerably less (Forsyte Research 2000; Hall and Kearsley 2001).
CONCLUSIONS
The analysis of behavioural issues in recreational and tourism research indicates that 'in
behavioural terms then, there seems little necessity to insist on a major distinction
between tourism and leisure phenomena. Therefore, it should follow that a greater
commonality between the research efforts in the two areas would be of advantage'
(Moore et al. 1995:75) although different social theoretical approaches exist towards the
analysis of recreation and tourism phenomena. As a result, Moore et al. (1995:79)
conclude that 'there is little need, if any, to take a dramatically different approach to the
behavioural analysis of tourism and leisure'. One needs to view each activity in the
context of the everyday life of the people involved to understand how each is conceived.
There is a clear distinction within the literature between what motivates recreationalists
and tourists, and comparative studies of similar groups of people and the similarities and
differences between these motivations has yet to permeate the research literature. While
geographers have focused on recreational and tourist behaviour in relation to demand
issues, the analysis has largely been quantitative, site specific, and has not adapted a
comparative methodology to examine the recreation-tourism continuum. One notable
study by Connell (2005) questions the tendency to overlook the historical context of
much tourism and leisure research, which is particularly pertinent to the spatial analysis
of tourism and leisure phenomena. As Page (2003a) argued, the patterns of continuity and
change in the analysis of tourism and leisure geographies provide a containing context for
research, since cultural, social and spatial interactions shape and form the landscapes and
forms of leisure and tourism experience through time that are constantly evolving. This
historical imperative is essential, as many of the chapters in this topic demonstrate, to
understand tourism and leisure beyond the research context as a snapshot in time. This is
now where more evident than in the analysis of supply issues, which demonstrate their
durability to adapt and evolve through time as the demand and markets for their products
and services changes.
