Environmental communications in New Zealand’s skiing industry: building social legitimacy without addressing non-local transport

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis qualitative study investigates how skiers’ transport is addressed in environmental communications (ECs) produced by ski areas on New Zealand’s South Island. Ski areas can build social legitimacy by positioning themselves as pro-environmental. Skiers’ transport, which accounts for more CO2 emissions than the daily operations of ski areas in New Zealand, is one of the most pressing issues facing the industry. The topic of skiers’ transport was explored via an analysis of the ski areas’ ECs in addition to semi-structured, in-depth interviews with managers from the ski areas and with skiers. The research found that the impacts of skiers’ non-local transport are largely ignored by both ski area managers and skiers. Ski areas are viewed as detached from transport networks, they do not face pressures from skiers to mitigate those impacts, and they are thus able to build social legitimacy by engaging in and communicating relatively simple pro-environmental initiatives (such as recycling). These findings demonstrate a need to reconceptualise what constitutes a sustainable sport tourism organisation in order to account for the salience of transport-related impacts and to consider the extent to which ski areas are responsible for mitigating emissions stemming from tourists’ transport.