Last week I got the chance to go on a fieldtrip, New Zealand style. Back home in the states, a fieldtrip at my university usually means we are heading somewhere within walking distance (most likely a farm), to study something we can’t always see in the classroom. Suffice to say my business and hospitality majors don’t include many fieldtrips as there isn’t really a reason for us to head out to a local farm. However, here in New Zealand, because the country is so small, and because the education system is much more hands on, fieldtrips can be more intense. In my case, I got the opportunity to take a 3-day trip to Queenstown, the adrenaline capital of the world, which was a 5-hour bus ride away.
If I had it my way, I would have experienced Queenstown the way any tourist should, by spending way too much money on adrenaline sports like jetboating and bungee jumping. Instead, I spend my 3 days in Queenstown in and out of office buildings learning about all the issues the town has been facing over the past 20 or so years. Tourism in New Zealand has always been about the natural landscape, but Queenstown has diverged from the countrys typical tourism model. The focus is less on the beautiful mountains and hikes, and more on the crazy activities that can’t be experienced many other places in the world. Because of this, the people who manage tourism in New Zealand didn’t really know how to handle this type of tourism location, and the result has been an unprecendented, and highly uncontrolled growth in the Queenstown area. Locals have been forced out of their homes because house prices have risen into the millions, and the natural scenery that was once the reason people went to Queenstown has started to become overtaken by commercial businesses. The locals are obviously very unhappy about this, and yet the local council, along with the sector of the New Zealand government responsible for tourism continue to overmarket Queenstown as must-visit destination in New Zealand. The fieldtrip as a whole was quite interesting to learn about how tourism is managed in other countries in the world, however it was also quite depressing to talk to so many politicians and business owners who either failed to see the larger issues, or just plain ignored them. It was actaully pretty funny to listen to my classmates offer up a wide array of obvious solutions to the city planner and see him take notes on what we were saying instead of the other way around. Despite the depressing tone of the fieldtrip, I really enjoyed the chance to see the issues facing the industry I hope to be a part of in the future. The education style of New Zealand is something that greatly benefits it’s students. The opportunity to actually go out and interact with the people who are facing the problems we as future members of the workforce will have to face in the future is something that can’t be overvalued. I believe universities in the states should look to countries like New Zealand and incorporate this style of education for the next generation of students.
While I may not have yet had the chance to experience Queenstown like a true tourist, I appreciate the fact that I was able to learn many valuable things from my fieldtrip that I can bring home and apply towards my major. Studying abroad can’t just be all about the adventures, sometimes you really do have to study in order to make the most of your experience.