Regenerative and Sustainable Tourism

  1. Industry
  2. Regenerative and Sustainable Tourism
The tourism industry heavily relies on the natural environment, serving as a key attraction for visitors. Regenerative tourism is ingrained into HWT’s ethos, and a key foundation of Waikato’s Destination Management Plan. It brings prosperity to people and place and enriches communities by actively contributing value across the four well-beings (social, cultural, economic and environmental). 

Regenerative Tourism takes the concept of sustainability and builds on it - elevating it from aiming to sustain the environment and mitigate any negative impacts, to positively contributing to a destination. By understanding all the elements of a destination’s eco-system we can determine how to create mutually beneficial relationships for all involved and ensure tourism regenerates the community and environment it is a part of. 

Our approach to regenerative tourism is two-fold – the first being to enable our visitor economy businesses to understand and embrace regenerative tourism and the second being to educate our manuhiri (visitors) about how to care for our region and positively contribute to our communities during their time with us. 

In this section you’ll find a range of helpful resources and tools to help with your regenerative tourism journey – whether you are an early adopter looking to enhance your activities or a newbie who is just starting out and in need of some tips and tricks for how to begin.

Resources

Tiaki in Kirikiriroa
For Kirikiriroa Hamilton tourism and hospitality businesses, caring for people, place and culture is at the forefront of everything they do with many already making standout contributions.
Mighty Waikato Sustainability Quickstart Guide
We’ve pulled together a handy checklist to help you on your sustainability journey – view and complete online
Tiaki Promise
Tourism Sustainability Commitment
The New Zealand Tourism Sustainability Commitment aims to see every New Zealand tourism business committed to sustainability by 2025.
Know your number
There are a number of resources available to help businesses measure their carbon footprint and learn how to minimise it.