Tourism & Urban Development: Building Local Economies & Sense of Place - Mt Eden Village - Simon Milne, Ulrich Speidel, Carolyn Deuchar, Suzanne Histen, Romy Fischer, Fleur Bonekamp
Key themes We need jobs and strong communities Visitors have a role How do you attract and manage visitors? Information is vital (signage, Internet) Slow travel Enhance opportunities for interaction Network enterprises and destinations We re all in this together Community support and engagement is essential, tourism must sustain and enhance local quality of life Communities will work for tourism if tourism works for communities
Source: areeweb.polito.it/didattica/chimica/images
A traditional way of slowing tourists down
Source: Stuart Dredge (www.techdigest.tv) Add to the experience???
Or give them some information on road Source: Interislander (www.interislander.co.nz/our-ships-and-services/kaitaki/isite.aspx)
Better still, give visitors the information they need before, during and after travel and connect them as they travel Source: LPHS (www.lphs.school.nz)
Local matters National and regional marketing and development (top-down) need to be supported by local content, information and collaboration (bottom-up) Local stories and knowledge enhance the competitiveness and uniqueness of communities and destinations (the fabric) Interactive tourists require interactive communities
JUST HOW VISIBLE & INTERACTIVE IS MT EDEN VILLAGE?
Online Experience
Online Experience National Level www.newzealand.com Information on Mt Eden is generally hard to find No specific information on Mt Eden Village General information on Auckland s volcanic cones Some links to local accommodation providers www.nz.com Information on Mt Eden is generally hard to find Good information on events in Mt Eden No specific information on Mt Eden Village 1 link to B&B in Mt Eden Village Some information on activities in Mt Eden Village Hop-on Hop-off tour Discovery City Tour
Online Experience Regional Level www.aucklandcity.govt.nz Provides information on heritage walk in Mt Eden Village Good map of Mt Eden Village, which would also be helpful on other websites Apart from the walk, the site doesn t provide information of interest for a visitor
Online Experience Local Level www.mounteden.co.nz Very good list of local shops with web links etc Nice Dining Guide No information on transport and accommodation Only Eden Garden (with link to its website) is mentioned as a place to visit Good initiative to stimulate interaction between community and businesses Feeling of belonging for community What about visitors?
Online Experience Summary Social Media A few interesting videos on Mt Eden Village, some on Mt Eden (mostly related to Maungawhau) Limited tweets on Mt Eden or Mt Eden Village Confusing range of sites Mount Eden site = best one (contentwise), but lacks interesting visitor information & links to other websites A sense of the place is hardly conveyed The potential of Mt Eden and Mt Eden Village as a linked visitor destination seems to be untapped
Onsite Experience from a visitor s perspective
Onsite Experience Impressions
Onsite Experience Walking from CBD to Mt Eden Village is difficult (busy roads, no directions), cycling seems a bit too dangerous Not easy to find bus stop downtown or to find the right bus Entrance to Eden Garden hard to find Maungawhau: o o Transport and Directions Entrances can be difficult to find (no billboards or information) Small entrance on Owens Rd. created an off the beaten track feeling
Onsite Experience Events and Activities Eden Village Centre, Mt Eden Village Craft Market and Cafés exceeded expectations Eden Garden: beautiful flowers, friendly service and nice café Maungawhau is the main attraction; views were better than expected
Onsite Experience Sense of Place Maungawhau (viewpoint, main attraction, but also peaceful haven) Cafés seem to be places where visitors and locals meet Nice food and friendly people A gem that s somewhat hidden from the visitor
A WAY FORWARD? Mile End, Montreal
Many internal links to retrieve further information Interesting information on the history and a good number of attractive pictures
Many references and external links
Local residents offer guided tours to visitors
The main street even has its own website
The Wikipedia article of Mile End s main street contains detailed information and many internal as well as external links
The Montréal equivalent to aucklandnz.com
Searching Mile End leads to a good number of diverse results
Searching for Mile End s main street also yields to many results
Phase 1 Optimize existing resources Phase 2 Phase 3 Phase 4 Phase 5 A low-cost option with immediate outcomes Identify Enhance Meet What s on the Web? How can these online resources be better linked? Bring a group of key individuals/stakeholders together to improve and enhance existing web linkages and resources
Phase 2 Optimize existing resources Build human capital (skills, local capacity) Phase 3 Phase 4 Phase 5 Create Train Local linkers and influencers A group of people who can work to improve the web presence (on-line visibility) and also onsite information
Phase 3 Optimize existing resources Build human capital (skills, local capacity) Decisionsupport Phase 4 Phase 5 Lay the foundation for a decision-support system Help Enable the area to better understand its visitors and what they think of the experience of visiting Mt Eden Village Uncover Find ways to support visitors to grow a relationship with Mt Eden Village (information provision is key)
Phase 4 Optimize existing resources Build human capital (skills, local capacity) Decisionsupport Themed trails, meanders and activities Phase 5 Build links to more individuals/stakeholders Develop Build on and develop themed trails, walks and activities, e.g. art, food, history
Phase 5 Optimize existing resources Build human capital (skills, local capacity) Decisionsupport Themed trails, meanders and activities Collecting our stories Auckland s fabric Engage Sustained web-raising, community-generated digital content, stories, tips for travellers, local knowledge, traditional knowledge (e.g. biodiversity)
Thank you for your time www.nztri.org simon.milne@aut.ac.nz
Acknowledgements We wish to acknowledge George Baloghy for the use of the image in this Power Point presentation which is a painting entitled Mt Eden Village. You can view his artwork here: http://www.artisgallery.co.nz/