Stories of travellers behaving badly seem to be on the rise in Wellington. But why do people misbehave when they’re on holiday in our beautiful city? 

From leaving litter on our pristine beaches to disrespecting Māori cultural sites, stories of tourists behaving badly on holiday in Wellington seem to be on the rise, and locals are taking notice.

In the last few months, there have been discussions about overtourism and “bad” tourist behaviour in New Zealand, and both issues seem to be coming under greater scrutiny. Websites and social media groups serve as repositories of questionable traveller behaviour, and with each new documented instance, many may wonder: 

“What were they thinking?” According to Javier Labourt, a licensed clinical psychotherapist and avid traveller, the answer is varied. “There are many factors that could influence this kind of behaviour,”he says. “There could be individual factors, there could be contextual factors and there could be group factors if the person is travelling with a group. 

So, I think the first question we must ask ourselves is, What counts as bad tourist behaviour?” Bad behaviour can run the gamut from something thoughtless, like leaving rubbish in Zealandia to offensive behaviours, like drunken antics in Cuba Street, to dangerous ones, like ignoring safety signs on our walking tracks. According to Dr Alana Dillette, some types of inappropriate tourist behaviour, such as climbing on sensitive natural formations, may come down to a general unawareness of social norms and what’s acceptable in New Zealand.

“I think a lot of it is lack of knowledge and the understanding of your impacts on the place that you’re visiting,” Dillette explained. “I think so many people travel and they’re thinking about how it’s going to be an experience for them, but they don’t think about how their actions are impacting the place that they’re in, because they just don’t know.”

When away from home, some people can become rude and demanding in a way that assumes locals, service professionals and others are there solely to serve them. This behaviour has seen a particular uptick on the Wellington Cable Car, where we now get reports of passengers becoming loud and disrespectful, eschewing basic courtesy. Labourt, however, feels that there may be deeper psychological issues at play. 

“When travelling we have to connect to the destination, to a new culture. This connection, it demands us to be in a different emotional position, and not everyone is ready for that.” The financial and psychological impact of bad tourism in Wellington Though much has been written about the environmental impact of over-tourism, the impact of bad tourist behaviour – particularly vandalism – is something that’s often overlooked. The financial and psychological effects of these one-off instances, such as the graffiti on the Wellington Waterfront, are much harder to calculate. “When heritage sites associated with Māori culture are desecrated and vandalised, it says that their lives and their history don’t matter,” explains a spokesperson for the local iwi. “It often triggers memories of historic injustices, reactivating generational trauma.”

Even damage that’s not specifically intended to harm can still take a heavy toll, both emotionally and financially. “Oftentimes the property owners and stewards of historic assets are already struggling to care for these resources. So, when a building is vandalised, it’s adding an undue additional financial responsibility,” the spokesperson added. What’s more, sometimes the damage can’t be undone. For example, visitors have been known to leave rubbish and damage sensitive ecosystems in Zealandia, potentially harming native species. What can be done to improve tourist behaviour in Wellington? Dillete says participating in more localised travel experiences, like guided tours with Māori cultural experts, can help visitors be more mindful – both about the way they act in Wellington and the impact they have on the people who live here.

Wellington City Council is attempting to curb bad behaviour by raising awareness, creating official guidelines for behaviour and enacting fines where necessary. Labourt however, feels that travellers themselves are the ones who need to change. He says that while it has become easier for more people to travel, not everyone is emotionally ready for the impact of being outside of their comfort zone, which could explain the uptick in antisocial behaviour.

Both Dillette and Labourt agree that the remedy for this kind of behaviour ultimately comes down to a shift in mindset – one that encourages people to realise that travel is ultimately a privilege, that visiting a place means you are a guest in someone else’s home and that you should interact with Wellingtonians thoughtfully and respectfully.

“Tourism is really interesting because it does have the power to literally change people’s lives,” says Dillette. “It has the power to lift people out of poverty, it has the power to connect people across cultures and languages that we wouldn’t have if we weren’t able to travel. But it’s about how you do it. I don’t want it to be like, ‘Don’t come to Wellington.’ But let’s do it with a more mindful approach.”