Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Case Study: Themed Urban Walking Heritage Trails in
New Zealand (
Continued
)
local Historic Places Trust (HPT), whose focus was to identify key build-
ings that would be formally registered and 'branded' with historic mark-
ers/plaques. The council, however, produced a brochure showing
architectural 'gems' within the city center area, but with no formal trail
to connect them.
In contrast, Napier is well known as New Zealand's Art Deco city.
It was destroyed by an earthquake in 1931 and a subsequent fire, and
was rebuilt in the architectural style of the times: Art Deco. In the early
1980s it was recognized as 'the most complete and significant group of
Art Deco buildings in the world', with almost 150 structures situated
within Napier's central business district (CBD). An Art Deco Trust was
formed in February 1985 as a preservation movement, operating pre-
dominantly with volunteer guides. It was legally incorporated in 1987.
By 1992, the Art Deco Trust had become central to the promotion of
Napier as a tourist destination and was contracted by the city council to
promote domestic and international tourism, focusing on Art Deco. The
Trust runs an Art Deco shop and offers a combination of guided walks,
bus tours, vintage car tours, cycle tours, as well as tours for cruise ship
passengers. Their website (www.artdeconapier.com, accessed 1 December
2013) states that approximately 25,000 people have taken an Art Deco
walk, either as part of a guided walk provided by the Trust's volunteers,
or a self-guided stroll using Trust brochures along the formalized route.
After 25 years, the Trust has succeeded in attracting domestic and inter-
national visitors to Napier, persuading owners of Art Deco premises that
it is worthwhile to preserve the unique architecture, engendering local
pride among residents and making Napier famous for its architecture.
The city has built on its Art Deco appeal, hosting the Art Deco festival
each year, where people dress up in the style of the 1930s and the heri-
tage and culture of that era are on display.
Boyd and Tham (2004) developed a conceptual model to illustrate
four possible scenarios for urban trail development along the dimensions
of being marked or unmarked, guided or unguided. Figure 6.5 (part (i))
outlines some of the characteristics of trails as found within this two-
by-two matrix model. According to the model, the lowest level of trail
development are the routes that are both unmarked and have no guides
and where there is no clear authority or official body responsible for their
development and management. The next level of trail development is the
routes that, while still unmarked, have some guiding associated with
them. This activity is often restricted to special events (including
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