Conference explores development of sustainable trails

April 2, 2019

The second Sustainable Trails Conference has opened today in the Marlborough region of New Zealand’s South Island.

After the success and feedback received from the inaugural Sustainable Trails Conference which was held in 2017 in the Snowy Mountains of NSW, TRC Tourism is presenting the 2019 Sustainable Trails Conference over three days, from 1st April (with delegates arriving in the evening) to 4th April 2019 (when delegates depart or choose to stay on for optional field trips).

Based at the Marlborough Vintners Hotel located in the Renwick wine region of Marlborough, the conference is bringing together trails experts to deliver insights and share their knowledge with other experts, budding experts and those completely new to trails who wish to learn or who might have ideas and knowledge of their own to share.

The program will include keynote speakers along with forums and opportunities to exchange ideas and information in informal sessions. The conference will focus on all aspects of sustainable trails based around the conference themes.

Just across the Cook Strait, the Wellington Regional Trails Framework, launched in 2017, provides a framework for the development of a nationally recognised trail destination, including improved governance and trail collaboration among the partners.

The strategy and framework provides the partners with a hierachy of trails and an approach to managing them that will aid the destination in becoming a nationally recognised trail hub, beyond the current collection of individual trails. Recommendations are currently being implemented and include the 2018 appointment of a Regional Trails Coordinator based in Wellington to deliver the strategic priority actions.

To help deliver a truly regional approach, while providing local government’s with the certainty they need to continue to manage locally important community assets, a hierachy of trails based on agreed criteria was developed and implemented allowing the important higher priority trails to be managed to provide a regional outcomes. Recommendations were also made on implementing regional trail information channels, marketing to visitors, and on ground facilities based on the priority of the trail in a regional context.

Click here to read a copy of the Wellington Regional Trails for the Future report.

Click here for more information on the Sustainable Trails Conference in the Australasian Leisure Management industry Calendar.

Lower image courtesy of Wellington City Council.

4th November 2018 - Canterbury researchers use social media analysis to understand sustainable tourism

16th September 2018 - $13.2 million to create Otago cycle trail network

1st June 2018 - New walking trail and ecotourism project planned for coastal strip north of Cairns

21st April 2018 - WTTC recognises sustainable tourism excellence with 2018 Awards

17th October 2017 - Wellington region looks to benefits from trail network integration

31st July 2017 - More New Zealanders walking Te Araroa trail

15th June 2017 - Record numbers take to New Zealand’s national walking trail

10th April 2017 - Destination Marlborough appoints new General Manager

12th February 2017 - Global tourism bodies welcome International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development 2017

14th June 2016 - EarthCheck and Griffith University partner on sustainable tourism

12th April 2016 - Megan Gale promotes the New Zealand Cycle Trail in new campaign

5th April 2016 - Survey suggests New Zealanders prefer walking to rugby

27th January 2016 - Te Ara o Whareroa cycle trail gets official opening

4th January 2016 - Zealandia links with Switched On Bikes to offer sustainable transport alternative

24th September 2015 - New Wellington agency aims to boost city’s prosperity

29th July 2015 - New Zealand Cycle Trail gets further backing for six new projects

5th February 2014 - Cycle trails making positive impact on the New Zealand economy

Support our industry news service
We hope that you value the news that we publish so while you're here can we ask for your support?

As an independent publisher, we need reader support for our industry news gathering so ask that - if you don't already do so - you back us by subscribing to the printed Australasian Leisure Management magazine and/or our online news.