Increased tourist pressures can
cause deterioration of nature-based tourist destinations and adversely affect
visitor satisfaction. This study aims to identify how public participation
using mobile devices on-site, can assist in assessing future design scenarios
for a popular nature-based destination, within a short day trip from
Christchurch in Aotearoa New Zealand. An online survey using participants’
mobile devices at Kura Tāwhiti Castle Hill Rocks identified domestic tourists’
motivational, satisfaction and dissatisfaction factors that were associated
with age and visit frequency at the destination. These factors were linked to
site experiences, particularly being out in nature, that could be used to
design future scenarios for similar nature-based settings in Aotearoa New
Zealand. Four future scenarios using 2D photomontages were used to rank domestic
visitor preferences for changing path and tracks, fencing, signage, structures
and people. The study found that the low impact scenario with the least people
was the most desirable. This high level of sensitivity of New Zealanders to
change at outdoor recreational destinations suggests that nature-based settings
must be designed and managed with considerable care to minimize the perception
of over-crowding and deterioration of the site experience, particular for
return visitors.
