Tasmania specific bushwalking discussion.

Forum rules

Tasmania specific bushwalking discussion. Please avoid publishing details of access to sensitive areas with no tracks.
Post a reply

Hiking Numbers Rise

Sat 07 Jan, 2017 1:59 am

Hiking numbers rise story from the Advocate.

http://www.theadvocate.com.au/story/438 ... e/?cs=5312

Overnight bushwalking or for multiple nights was also a popular activity over 2016, up 40 per cent, with 37,177 taking part in the activity.

Bushwalking all round remained one of the most popular tourist activities in 2016 with 528,588 people participating in some form.

Re: Hiking Numbers Rise

Tue 10 Jan, 2017 9:07 am

Overlandman wrote:Overnight bushwalking or for multiple nights was also a popular activity over 2016, up 40 per cent, with 37,177 taking part in the activity.


So at that rate, over One Million overnight walkers within ten years!! Assuming no limitations. A minor government official laughed when I suggested there needed to be limitations. So I guess not. I guess it's a ludicrous projection to envisage what that will actually look like. A million campers per summer looking at Wilderness.

Re: Hiking Numbers Rise

Tue 10 Jan, 2017 10:39 am

Overlandman wrote:Hiking numbers rise story from the Advocate.

http://www.theadvocate.com.au/story/438 ... e/?cs=5312

Overnight bushwalking or for multiple nights was also a popular activity over 2016, up 40 per cent, with 37,177 taking part in the activity.

Would that have been a lot less people in reality, with the same people doing more than one walk? I can't imagined them cross-checking all the names. My own number of bushwalking days would probably have gone up 40% last year!

Re: Hiking Numbers Rise

Tue 10 Jan, 2017 11:38 am

It's not well reported Tortoise. Analysis from the Tasmanian Visitor Survey? ( http://www.tourismtasmania.com.au/research/tvs ) A cross section of visitors are surveyed and the figures projected to represent all. Assuming this is the reference (as there is no other widely distributed data collection instrument) and despite possible fudging for political purpose the figures actually out bushwalking are likely to be more than reported. Possibly far more. I'm not sure the TVS even then includes guestimates for local walkers. The form we offer doesn't include areas, nights, multiples etc.

Re: Hiking Numbers Rise

Tue 10 Jan, 2017 11:42 am

Just as the growth in mountain biking has been attributed to the opening of the Blue Tiers trails, I suspect much of the growth in hiking can be attibuted to the opening of the Three Capes Walk.

Re: Hiking Numbers Rise

Tue 10 Jan, 2017 2:16 pm

400,000 kiwis tramp

Re: Hiking Numbers Rise

Tue 10 Jan, 2017 3:40 pm

The most useful measure is an equivalent of the accommodation industry's bed nights. This gets rid of the idea about the number of individuals partaking in activities and concentrates on the intensity of activity and thus the possible impacts. Lets face it some (lucky buggers) may have 50+ nights out per annum vs those who may only 1 or 2 trips a year.

Re: Hiking Numbers Rise

Tue 10 Jan, 2017 4:56 pm

I wasn't around for the census and can't recall if specific recreational activities are usually polled? (which may give an idea of Tasmanian numbers)

Bushwalker person/nights would be more useful (for measuring impact at least, if the results were used for that focus).
The backbone of the TVS (if that is the 'survey') is the questions applied as an exit poll (x9000), unsure if that delves deeper than the TICT survey but not a lot (or alternatively 'whatever one wants') could be made of those results.

A visit to the day-walk area at Cradle at this time of year would be enough to quell the giddy hysterical in their desire for exponential tourism growth (as much as we love to share). If they care to look/ If wild areas are their thing.

Re: Hiking Numbers Rise

Tue 10 Jan, 2017 5:16 pm

Wayno - we are well aware on this side of the ditch that at least 400,000 kiwis are tramps.

Re: Hiking Numbers Rise

Tue 10 Jan, 2017 5:24 pm

Mark F wrote:Wayno - we are well aware on this side of the ditch that at least 400,000 kiwis are tramps.


since i've never seen the no's of nz trampers stated on the site and we're alking about nno's , i thought it wouldnt hurt to mention it out of general interest as a comparison.

Re: Hiking Numbers Rise

Tue 10 Jan, 2017 5:28 pm

I'm interested. It would suggest around 60 thousand Tasmanian trampers, assuming similar trends. i wonder how your statisticians know?
Post a reply