Tourism numbers could 'kill the golden goose'

A major report from the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment warns tourism - both domestic and international - is putting the country under major pressure and eroding the very attributes that make New Zealand such a draw card. The report says international visitor numbers could reach 10-13 million a year by 2050. Simon Upton says this, plus local tourism, places a myriad of pressures on the environment including loss of natural quiet, water quality degradation, solid waste generation and management, biodiversity loss and greenhouse gas emissions.